No 12178, Saturday 02 Dec 2017, Anon

Across

1. Remove hint of rancidity from wine with Indian spices (6) MASALA {MArSALA}

4. Visits initially hostile relatives (6) HAUNTS {Hostile}{AUNTS}
9. Journalist, in the morning, has cheese (4) EDAM {ED}{AM}

10. Reaching variant rig in a riot (8,2) ARRIVING AT {VARIANT+RIG}*
11. Starts riding in yachts and doing hoops of capital city (6) RIYADH (Acrostic)
12. Runs scam on canals (8) CONDUCTS {CON}{DUCTS}
13. Holding up container of gin cocktail (9) HAMPERING {HAMPER}{GIN*}
15. Film first known lizard (5) SKINK {SKIN}{Known}

16. Shoots // Soviet missiles (5) SCUDS (DD)
18. In favour of moving advertising (9) PROMOTION {PRO}{MOTION}
22. Alien in vast surface (8) COSMETIC {COSM{ET}IC}
23. Meditate after odd beer, stupefy… (6) BEMUSE {BeEr}{MUSE}
25. …the most affluent by brewing whitest ale (10) WEALTHIEST {WHITE+ALE}*
26. Accomplishment is the same seen either way (4) DEED <=>
27. Run back into starting of golf course on time (6) TENURE {TE{RUN<=}E}
28. Fix architectural ornament according to report (6) FREEZE (~FRIEZE}

Down

1. Wine created with refined air (7) MADEIRA {MADE}{AIR*}
2. Spice initially removed from snack on island-nation (5) SAMOA {SAMOsA}
3. Fuss about primary endangered animal’s skin (7) LEATHER {L{Endangered}ATHER}
5. Arrival of bill by air (6) ADVENT {AD}{VENT}
6. Grandma to push tent regularly in American island (9) NANTUCKET {NAN}{TUCK}{tEnT}
7. Severe fight for bronze (7) SPARTAN {SPAR}{TAN}
8. Already agreed to depart concert? Kind of (13) PRECONTRACTED {DEPART+CONCERT}*
14. Crazy man eloped with wallaby? (9) PADEMELON {MAN+ELOPED}*

17. Most dear son trapped in cupboard (7) CLOSEST {CLOSE{S}T}
19. Criminal to start mauling head off crustacean (7) MOBSTER {Mauling}{lOBSTER}
20. Indecent boy almost sent back from drama (7) OBSCENE {BOy<=}{SCENE}
21. Artist dissolves chemical initially in compound (6) ETCHER {ET{Chemical}HER}
24. Fly is very small? Not quite (5) MIDGE {MIDGEt}

Reference List
Journalist=Ed, Alien=ET
Bill=Ad, Grandma=Nan, Son=S

Colour/Font Scheme

Definition, Solution, Component letters, Embedded links, Anagram Indicator, C/C indicator, Reversal Indicator, Hidden word Indicator, Letter Pick indicator, Deletion Indicator, Homophone Indicator, Movement Indicator, Positional Indicator, Substitution, Indicator, Link/Connector, Extraneous

GRID