No 12279, Saturday 31 Mar 2018, Arden

Answer and anno of 16D left for a first time commenter till 10 AM.

Across

6. Stupid fellow, getting caught in the bar (5) DUNCE {DUN{C}E}
7. Crash as one becomes old in the west (8) OCCIDENT {(-a+O)CCIDENT}
10. Payment for space, back up on time (7) MOORAGE {ROOM<=}{AGE}
11. Vile, putrid, takes seconds to create mayhem (7) DISRUPT {PUTRID*} around {S}
12. For call girl, sex is money (7) RINGGIT {RING}{G}{IT}

13. Applause — eggs on to get it back (7) OVATION {OVA}{IT<}{ON}
14. Had met a nobleman before in the final (11) ENCOUNTERED {EN{COUNT}{ERE}D}
19. Habit of fool chopping hay (7) CASSOCK {C{ASS}OCK}
21. Stop a book halfway and publish — no bar (7) ABOLISH {A}{BOok}{pubLISH}
23. Dregs that remain around university (7) RESIDUE {RESID{U}E}
25. Railroad only to check delay (7) DRAGOON {{DRAG}[O}{ON}}
26. Use merit to become a don post retirement (8) EMERITUS {USE+MERIT*}
27. Lodging or dislodging tips from photo cell (5) HOTEL {pHOTo}{cELl}

Down

1. Girl's a cat, did you say? (8) ANNOUNCE {ANN}{OUNCE}
2. Writer's fear of losing way in city (6) PENANG {PEN}{ANGst}
3. Solve problem, Mack's perhaps pining (10) LOVESTRUCK {SOLVE*}{TRUCK}
4. Part of medicals, getting high on drug (4) ACID (T<=)
5. Growth rings will invalidate one (6) ANNULI {ANNUL}{I}
6. Horribly rude with me? On the contrary (6) DEMURE {RUDE+ME*} Semi-&lit
8. Sped away bearing gloom (7) DESPAIR {SPED*}{AIR}
9. Feel bad it's time for lunch (5) ATONE {AT}{ONE}
13. I shouldn't refuse to drink a rum (10) OUTLANDISH {I+SHOULDNT*} around {A}
15. First check how the German makes soup (7) CHOWDER {Check}{HOW}{DER}
16. Girl without sail, out in the capital (8) D?I?O?T? DJIBOUTI {D{JIB}{OUT}I} See comments
17. Not even once horse gets shade (5) OCHRE {OnCe HoRsE}
18. Phone placed on laptop keeps bugs away (6) PHENOL {PHONE*}{Lap}
20. Oil producer creates a mess close to shore (6) SESAME {A+MESS*}{shorE}
22. Choice for pain is a herb (6) ORACHE {OR}{ACHE}
24. Opponents a short distance apart, they’re amphibians (4) EFTS {E{FT}S}

Reference List
Caught=C, One=A, Old=O, Seconds=S, Girl=G, University=U, Only=O
Writer=Pen, Way=St, One=I, The German=Der, Choice=Or, Opponents=ES, Short distance=Ft

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

No 12278, Friday 30 Mar 2018, Arden

Today being Friday only the blank clues will be posted. All those who are silent followers of the blog are requested to post answers with annotations in the comments section. In your own interest please avoid looking up the answers from the interactive version. Don't hesitate to post your annotations, in case you make a mistake someone will correct it with the right annotation.

Please note a change. Each commenter is requested to post only 5 answers till 1 PM thereby giving others also a chance to participate. Between 1 PM and 4 PM more answers may be posted in case any are remaining to be answered.

The regular blog will replace the clues at 4 PM after which anyone is free to comment. 

Thanks everyone for the response. Here is the regular blog

ACROSS
1   He may tell the referee (7-6) WHISTLE-BLOWER [C&DD]
10 Reading about allowing bill to pass — it's all gas (5) RADON {R}{AD}{ON}
11 Can I act it out as a strategist? (9) TACTICIAN*
12 It's hard thing to mutate a man's gene (9) MANGANESE*
13 Difficult time without right joint (5) MITRE {MIT{R}E*}

Public Domain, Link

14 Reference books have no sign of enunciation (7) DICTION DICTIONaries
16 Perhaps the bug has swallowed a drop of poison, check (7) INSPECT {INS{Po...n}ECT}
18 Openness, resolve and courage, are timeless (7) CANDOUR {AND+COURage}*
20 Sea creature had hair all over (7) MANATEE {MAN{ATE}E}

By U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey - Photo from U.S. Geological Fact Sheet 010-99; FS-010-99, Public Domain, Link

22 About to mediate — yes, no fighting (5) TRUCE {TRU{C}E}
24 Bitter shock, almost breaks down (9) ANGOSTURA {ANGO{STUn}RA}

By Didier Descouens - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

26 Material to be kept in pub party is set up (5,4) OLIVE DRAB {LIVE} in {BAR|{DO}<=
27 Stand to lose your head, Kolinsky! (5) EASEL wEASEL
28 This time, cards are different for festive season (13) CHRISTMASTIDE*

DOWN
2   Man's nice at heart, without dress, devoted to pleasure (7) HEDONIC {HE}{DON|}{nICe}
3   Crazy Romans in a principality (3,6) SAN MARINO*

4   Turner's husband brought in dead (5) LATHE {LAT{H}E}
5   Germ in cream, but I use (9) BACTERIUM*
6   Drug rise becomes imperious (5) OPIUM IMPeriOUs* [CA]
7   I slept off after the last missive (7) EPISTLE {thE}{I+SLEPT}*
8   Drugs given before surgery — intent is to send Charlie for initial test (13) PREMEDICATION PREMEDI(-t+c)CATION
9   Halt debenture, refuse in a clandestine manner (5-3-5) UNDER-THE-TABLE*

15 Deserter from country living in sewers (6,3) NORWAY RAT {NORWAY} {RAT}

By AnemoneProjectors (talk) - Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus) Uploaded by Snowmanradio, CC BY-SA 2.0, Link

17 Growing old, making sense of change (9) SENESCENT {SENSE*}{CENT}
19 Sustain sharpness, flip the top (7) NOURISH (-s+n)NOURISH
21 Bound to use dusters (7) TRUSSED*
23 Some time left to bring up the gum (5) ELEMI [T<=]
25 Leading girl of the band at a sporting venue (5) GABBA {Girl}{ABBA}

GRID

No 12277, Thursday 29 Mar 2018, Arden

Answer and anno for 14A left for a first-time commenter till 10AM.

ACROSS
1   Fish eating girls are rough (6) CRAGGY {CRA{G}{G}Y}
4   Against expecting — not hard to get some of the bribe back (8) OPPOSING {hOP{SOP<=}ING}
10 Fellows not only committing robbery, also showing deceit (9) MENDACITY {MEN}{DACoITY}
11 See Peter retreating into tent (5) TEPEE [T<=]
12 Path paved with gold, before it was plain (7) AUSTERE {AU}{ST}{ERE}
13 Under pain, went ahead — went at great speed (7) HURTLED {HURT}{LED}
14 Yes, it's halfway house in Russia (5) D?C?A (Addendum - DACHA  {DA}{CHAlet} - See comments) House on Double duty
15 Sanctimonious fellow, one in a sphere shaped enclosure (8) PHARISEE {1} in {A+SPHERE}*
18 Inability to write to a foreign character in Indian city (8) AGRAPHIA {AGR{A}{PHI}A}
20 Holidaymaker takes maiden out on a romp (5) CAPER CAmPER
23 Opening perforce, not starting revolution (7) PRISING uPRISING
25 The fish isn't alive, said to have succumbed (7) YIELDED (~eel dead)
26 Cleared a bit, let the student go (5) EASED lEASED
27 Honest one, perhaps? Precisely! (2,3,4) ON THE NOSE*
28 Ruin as finally Kennedy was brought in dead (3,5) LAY WASTE {LA{k...dY}{WAS}TE}
29 Wagers take place on board (6) STAKES {S{TAKE}S}

DOWN
1   Orders for a fighter (8) COMMANDO {COMMAND}{O}
2   Cinemas shot on being forgetful (7) AMNESIC*
3   University team set to enter fun feast in the country (9) GUATEMALA {G{U}{TEAM*}ALA}

5   After the movie Stanlay's resolve shrinks (14) PSYCHOANALYSTS {PSYCHO}{STANLAYS*}
6   Fish eater's different — different at the centre (5) OTTER OT(-h+t)TER
7   Simple trick to receive uniform signal (7) IMPULSE {U} in {SIMPLE}*
8   Girl's thin but voracious (6) GREEDY {G}{REEDY}
9   After award, got the push — maybe cash in one's chips (4-2,3,5) GIVE-UP THE GHOST {GIVE}{GOT+THE+PUSH}*
16 By changing hands, growth is severe (9) INCLEMENT INC(-r+l)LEMENT
17 Sardines cooked, being dry (8) ARIDNESS*
19 Talk after you win contest (7) GAINSAY {GAIN}{SAY}
21 Stuff to cut in a field (7) PADDOCK {PAD}{DOCK}
22 It's an invocation (6) APPEAL [DD]
24 Starts investigating — new development in African country (5) INDIA Acrostic

GRID

No 12276, Wednesday 28 Mar 2018, Arden

Answer and anno for 27D left for a first-time commenter till 10 AM.

ACROSS
9   Boss will drink more, maybe (7) SUPREMO {SUP}{MORE*}
10 Old animal rejected by Herb (7) OREGANO {O}{ONAGER<=}
11 'Barter trade' — film exposed a regular flyer (7) REDTAIL {TRADE*}{fILm} What's the role of 'regular'

By Mark Bohn of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Northeast Region - Red-tailed Hawk Uploaded by Snowmanradio, CC BY 2.0, Link

12 Thief set up part of a group (7) BRIGAND {B{RIG}AND}
13 Delays as speaker enters through back end (9) MORATORIA {M{ORATOR}IA<=}
15 Top comedian changing sides (5) CROWN C(-l+r)ROWN
16 A large part of explosion due to added weight (7) BALLAST {B{A}{L}LAST}
19 What the cat will do? It's over the footrest (7) STIRRUP [DD] (Correction - {PURR}{ITS}<= - See comments)
20 Second one in the litter to finish off (3,2) MOP UP {MO}{PUP}
21 Purge out, grandmother over time gets offensive (9) REPUGNANT {PURGE*}{NAN}{T}
25 Drunk eluding drink (7) INDULGE*
26 Cheese slices, girl is an angel (7) GABRIEL {GA{BRIE}L}
28 Boy as a whole is capital (7) TORONTO {RON} in {TOTO}
29 Many frogmen are called… (7) DIVERSE (~divers)

DOWN
1   A holy place remains with God (6) ASHRAM {ASH}{RAM}
2   It climbs up a bit at last after its share dips (6) SPIDER [T<=]
3   Very mature, rising star (4) VEGA {V}{AGE<=}
4   More comfortable in Tihar, perhaps (6) COOLER [DD]
5   They decide Chuck would pick lead artist (3,5) TOP BRASS {TOSS} over {PB}{RA}
6   One carrying the broom enters, being attractive (10) BEWITCHING {BE{WITCH}ING}
7   Lover putting arm around one in rain (8) PARAMOUR {P{AR{A}M}OUR}
8   Old Poles wear cap in frigid conditions (4,4) COLD SNAP {C{OLD}{S}{N}AP}
14 Sports equipment — ship order online (10) TRAMPOLINE {TRAMP}{O}{LINE}
16 Impact on the back part of horse (4,4) BUMP INTO {BUM}{PINTO}
17 A rapidly changing thing on jeweller's art (8) LAPIDARY*
18 All excited, no? (6,2) TURNED ON {ON<=} [RA}
22 Hindi movie about divine presence in a temple (6) PAGODA {P{A}{GOD}A}
23 A quiet place, airy and full of bees (6) APIARY {A}{P}{AIRY*}
24 He recounts his role in the bank (6) TELLER [DD]
27 Gathering every bit, they're tireless characters (4) B?V? (Addendum - BEVY {EVerY+Bit}* - See comments)

GRID

No 12275, Tuesday 27 Mar 2018, Buzzer

Answer and anno for 5D left for a first-time commenter till 10AM.

ACROSS
6   Number thrown into jail, but strangely happy (8) JUBILANT {N} in {JAIL+BUT}*
9   Many a backward fool about town (1,3,2) A LOT OF {A}{FO{T}OL<=}
10 Jambalaya often made in a skilful way (4) ABLY jAmBaLaYa
11 Target not off, government strategy to be adequate for a while (2,1,4,3) GO A LONG WAY {GOAL}{ON}{G}{WAY}
12 A name imagine, abbreviated for a woman (6) ANDREA {A}{N}{DREAm}
14 Having initial lead in tennis match, about to attack (3,4) SET UPON {SET UP}{ON}
15 That man, a fellow receiving left and right heads off in a state (8,7) HIMACHAL PRADESH {HIM}{A}{CHA{L}P}{R}{HEADS*}
18 During panic wasting time wrongly (2,5) IN ERROR {IN tERROR}
20 Day that's ordinary and primarily unremarkable, to disappear (3,3) DIE OUT {D}{IE} {O}{Un...e}{To}
22 Image witch built for good sorcery (5,5) WHITE MAGIC*
23 Sitter, yet dropped in the end (4) SOFA SO FAr
24 Marvel at edifice fortified high (6) ELATED [T]
25 Persuade family through total hustling (4,4) TALK INTO {TAL{KIN}TO*}

DOWN
1   Acquire yen and taste for zinfandel? (4) WINY {WIN}{Y}
2   Going around hospital, standard to take a chart (3,5) BAR GRAPH {H}{PAR}{GRAB}<=
3   Girl showing up very clumsy man (6) GALOOT {GAL}{TOO<=}
4   Dogged hope dashed in a mess (10) HODGEPODGE*
5   A bit of aroma in essential leafy vegetables (8) ?O?A?N?S (Addendum - ROMAINES [T] - See comments)

By Forest & Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0, Link

7   Port in South Africa outside of capital city (5) URBAN dURBAN
8   Nothing sinister? No problem (5,3,5) THATS ALL RIGHT [C&DD]
13 Running athletes are not hot property? (4,6) REAL ESTATE  {AThLETES+ARE}*
16 Personal assistant rejecting strong beer (5,3) IRISH ALE {SIRI<=}{HALE}
17 Deliver one cryptic clue for 'teasing' (8) RIDICULE {RID}{1}{CLUE*}
19 Sleepy state, tense having no good cure (6) REMEDY {REM}{EDgY}
21 Squad welcoming fellow out of shape (5) UNFIT {UN{F}IT}
23 Lose balance spilling half of beer over (4) SLIP PILSener<=

GRID

No 12274, Monday 26 Mar 2018, Gridman

Answer and anno for 17D left for a first-time commenter till 10 AM.

ACROSS
1   Paint a picture of late writer without publicity (8) DESCRIBE {DEad}{SCRIBE}
6   Caregiver — senior — left ashram in trouble (4) AMAH AsHrAM*
9   Socialise with old boy entering Honduras with old boy (6) HOBNOB {H{OB}N}{OB}
10 English politician's mistake disheartened ruler (7) EMPEROR {E}{MP}{ERrOR}
13 For ever, Oriental's strict with no small friend (9) ETERNALLY {E}{sTERN}{ALLY}
14 One wouldn't want to lose it and become a pauper (5) SHIRT [CD]
15 Besides, get solar application right away (4) ALSO SOLAr*
16 He takes away and takes away furtively (5,5) SNEAK THIEF [CD]
19 Illuminating poetry? (5,5) LIGHT VERSE [CD]
21 A wager on what an accessory would do (4) ABET {A}{BET}
24 Change half of them to the finish (5) EMEND {thEM}{END}
25 Communist back to call for act — courageous act (7-2) DERRING-DO {RED<=}{RING}-{DO}
26 Outline sections switched in Rugby formation (7) LINEOUT OUT<=>LINE

By PierreSelim - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

27 Good fellow? Not starting to be a cold person (6) ICEMAN {nICE}{MAN}
28 Smell bad — one from Athens no good (4) REEK gREEK
29 Imagination of Disney and me comes out (5,3) MINDS EYE {DISNEY+ME}*

DOWN
2   They run away with union in mind (7) ELOPERS [CD]
3   Corporal punishment makes girl rise in odd cage (6) CANING {Ca{NINA<=}Ge}
4   One doctor getting a cut betrays partiality (9) IMBALANCE {1}{MB}{A}{LANCE}
5   Woman gets line without exception (5) EVERY {EVE}{RY}
7   Swallow India's original drink (7) MARTINI {MARTIN}{India}
8   Can't go deep? Really puzzling! (4,2,6) HARD TO FATHOM [C&DD]
11 Exercise to fix a former Spanish coin (6) PESETA {PE}{SET}{A}
12 Tell confused leader he sells goods to consumers (6,6) RETAIL DEALER {RETAIL} {LEADER}*
17 Claim a small advertisement in newspaper is not Indian (9) A?S?R?I?N (Addendum - ASSERTION {A}{S}{inSERTION} - See comments)
18 Dust off girl's workshop (6) STUDIO {DUST*}{IO}
20 Conservationist, that is inexperienced, to begin with (7) GREENIE {GREEN}{IE}
22 Extreme poverty? Urge good lamb owner spending millions (7) BEGGARY {BEG}{G}{mARY}
23 Various aquatic birds (6) DIVERS [DD] Didn't know this variant of 'diverse'
25 Mutated dramatically after backward alien left: that's a fact (5) DATUM MUTAteD*

GRID

Special, Sunday 25 Mar 2018, Bruno

Three answers per commenter till 6 PM (Annotations compulsorily to be given with answer)
Please provide all your answers in one comment.

ACROSS 
6   Most surprisingly animal’s nose is also a mouth (5)
7   Ex-fire of London (1666)?  (3,5)
10 Performed discreet play, missing school (7)
11 Queen visited Europe to find a friend of same calibre (7)
12 Belligerent route of corrupt America leads to total havoc (7)
13 Continue to park vehicle right over there (5,2)
14 When served without love, does espresso shot get taken back? (11)
19 Review of venture to control Europe - the Spanish will follow the measure (7)
21 Part of TV show, setter’s involved in, records poetry (7)
23 Pilots and air hosts/hostesses have raw rice, when flying (3-4)
25 Bird lovin’ man gets peacock’s head stuffed in (7)
26 Review of policeman’s atrocity, ultimately reversed tide (8)
27 Gin immediately brought around to last table (5)
 
DOWN 
1   Eco-terrorist sabotaged IT to spring evil one (8)
2   1D’s utterance – part of Roman tradition? (6)
3  Obscure old cliché includes direction to strike when the iron is not hot? (4,6)
4   Trim top off shrub’s border (4)
5   Foul trade – recruiting ManU’s forward ahead of City’s back (6)
6   Clever animal’s dead (6)
8   Openings of marvelous building let moat regularly flow out (7)
9   Why men lose head over a meat-lover (5)
13 Supply battlements from Central Leeds… mostly bombs (10)
15 Local hospital department starts to take you on a hair-raising experience? (7)
16 It usually holds the key to a successful entry (8)
17 I work with the best (5)
18 Where one can see supernaturally? (6)
20 Box-office’s starting to shun Disney picture, perhaps (6)
22 Safe culture medium to swap first two DNAs (6)
24 Attack THCC blog patrons to embrace publicity (4)

Across Lite version can be accessed at BRUNO 15

Enjoy.

The Sunday Crossword No 2988, Sunday 25 Mar 2018

ACROSS
1   Continually disrupting search, getting frantic (8) FEVERISH {F{EVER}ISH}
5   Spoil start for idealistic married couple (6) IMPAIR {Id...c}{M}{PAIR}
9   Youth led by commanding officer in brilliant tribute (8) ACCOLADE {AC{CO}{LAD}E}
10 Cold in lorry? Extremely cold (6) ARCTIC {AR{C}TIC}
12 Be in control and bag first of trophies with crowds round about (4,3,3,5) HOLD ALL THE CARDS {HOLDALL}{Tr...s}{HE{CA}RDS}
13 Bird ending in awkward scrape (5) DRAKE {a...rD}{RAKE}
14 Alien in service awfully unforthcoming (9) SECRETIVE {SECR{ET}IVE*}
16 Call for help, receiving care in troubled situations (9) SCENARIOS {S{CARE+IN}*OS}
18 Meat company breaking taboo (5) BACON {BA{CO}N}
19 Play a crank, being bothered after appearance (4,4,2,5) LOOK BACK IN ANGER {LOOK} {A+CRANK+BEING}*
22 Say nothing enthusiastic about religion (6) SHINTO {SH}{INTO}
23 Attractive booking (8) ENGAGING [DD]
24 Gloomy doctor, tired, losing weight (6) DREARY {DR}{wEARY}
25 Set of beliefs old yogi developed about energy (8) IDEOLOGY {OLD+YOGI}* over {E}

DOWN
1   Instant force with whip (5) FLASH {F}{LASH}
2   Dither, out of sorts during leave (9) VACILLATE {VAC{ILL}ATE}
3   Engineers left facility free (7) RELEASE {RE}{L}{EASE}
4   Learner admitted to most wretched irritation with needlework (6,6) SADDLE STITCH {SADD{L}EST}{ITCH}

6   Amazing event in distance holding vehicle up (7) MIRACLE {MI{CAR<=}LE}
7   Table covered by special tarpaulin (5) ALTAR [T]
8   Chef getting stickier, working before noon (4,5) RICK STEIN {STICKIER}*{N}
11 Insensitive impression raised about hayseed's family (5-7) THICK-SKINNED {T{HICKS}{KIN}NED<=}
13 Record drop with depth revealed (9) DISCLOSED {DISC}{LOSE}{D}
15 Minor worker, fool in number following one with identity concealed (9) INCOGNITO {1}{N{COG}{NIT}O}
17 Book in a ceremony right for judge (7) ARBITER {A}{R{B}ITE}{R}
18 Moving abroad, guarding against bluster (7) BRAVADO {BRA{V}ADO*}
20 Dwell beneath old tree (5) OLIVE {O}{LIVE}

21 Red clothing good for sport (5) RUGBY {RU{G}BY}

GRID

No 12273, Saturday 24 Mar 2018, Gridman

Answer and anno of 26A left for a first time commenter till 10 AM.

Across

1. Number used in operation theatre (11) ANAESTHETIC (CD)

9. Church rigorously beginning to suppress sensuality of group (7) CLUSTER  {C{LUST}E}{Rigorously}

10. Daily's publicity extremely nice for Hitchcock's movie (7) CHARADE {CHAR}{AD}{nicE} Is it a Hitchcock movie? See comments

11. Sudden attack leads to Indian commission taking unusual stance (5) ICTUS (Acrostic)

12. Vagueness of bad mishap involving mother losing article (9) AMORPHISM {MISHAP}* around {MOtheR}

13. Foreigner with one pucca Arab (5) IRAQI ? Anno not clear

15. Powerful // in operation (9) EFFECTIVE (DD)

18. Animal and pest in plane (5,4) TIGER MOTH {TIGER}{MOTH}

21. Marsh was cleaned up by a political representative (5) SWAMP {WAS*}{MP}

22. Celebrity indicates horoscope data (4,5) STAR SIGNS {STAR}{SIGNS}

24. Match-maker's trophy has side stripped (5) CUPID {CUP}{sIDe}

26. Army officer, General, gets direction to meet Irish woman, maybe (7) C?L?E?N (Addendum - COLLEEN {COL}{LEE}{N} - See comments)

27. I therefore drink something in elemental form (7) ISOTOPE {I}{SO}{TOPE}

28. Visionary power to see minute location, say (6,5) SECOND SIGHT {SECOND}{~SITE}

Down

1. Record keeper's cunning visit goes awry (9) ARCHIVIST {ARCH}{VISIT*}

2. Expansively laud Tamil leader for being mature (5) ADULT {LAUD*}{Tamil}

3. A fulfilling person, son ratifies pact (9) SATISFIER {S}{RATIFIES*}

4. Woman's sack with Oriental grass and such (7)  HERBAGE {HER}{BAG}{E}

5. Irritate by withdrawing credit? (4,3) TICK OFF {TICK}{OFF}

6. Restrict credit to a politician (5) CRAMP {CR}{A}{MP}

7. Herb I can endlessly shower in church (8) BASILICA {BASIL}{I}{CAn} What is the role of shower?

8. Support // for a broad smile (4) BEAM (DD)

14. A rug is torn — bale bundled out is doubtful (8) ARGUABLE {A+RUG*}{BALE*}

16. Yet sometimes these may fail to give profit to farmers (4,5) CASH CROPS (CD)

17. Suitable old walker at one medical department (9) EXPEDIENT {EX}{PED}{I}{ENT}

19. Cargo in transit is natural (7) ORGANIC {CARGO+IN}*

20. Jute the man has started selling to Scotsman (7) HESSIAN {HE}{'S}{Selling}{IAN}

22. South Indian cook — a tired partner? (4) SICK {S}{I}{CK} From the phrase 'sick & tired'

23. Plan details // for glasses (5) SPECS (DD)

25. Probing release of short bit is the point (5) PRONG {PRObiNG}

Reference List
Church=CE, Publicity=Ad, Article=The, Political representative=MP
Son=S, Oriental=E, Credit=Cr, Politician=MP, Old=Ex, Walker=Ped, One=I, Medical department=ENT, Scotsman=Ian, South=S, Indian=I, Cook=Ck

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

No 12272, Friday 23 Mar 2018, Gridman

Today being Friday only the blank clues will be posted. All those who are silent followers of the blog are requested to post answers with annotations in the comments section. There is no limit on how many answers you want to give. In your own interest please avoid looking up the answers from the interactive version. Don't hesitate to post your annotations, in case you make a mistake someone will correct it with the right annotation.

The regular blog will replace the clues at 4 PM after which anyone is free to comment. 

Thank you everyone, here's the regular blog.

ACROSS
1   Award to model employee of embassy (8) DIPLOMAT {DIPLOMA}{T}
5   Bird that is inexperienced (6) ROOKIE {ROOK}{IE}
9   Jack, with false alibi on road, is a habitual prisoner (8) JAILBIRD {J}{ALIBI*}{RD}
10 Onset marred by principally riotous pelter (6) STONER {ONSET*}{Ri...s}
12 Play group's fling (4) CAST [DD]
13 Write old record first obtained from one studying science of prison management (10) PENOLOGIST {PEN}{O}{LOG}{1ST}
15 Fine, more competent story-teller (6) FABLER {F}{ABLER}
17 Ship officer's extra payment Poles switched (5) BOSUN BO(-n+s)SU(-s+n)N
20 Dishonest person's castles — two of them (5) CROOK {C}{ROOK}
21 Young Scotsman has capital doubled — he is one who manages clubs (6) CADDIE (-l+c)CADDIE (L to C - 50 to 100)
24 Film shooting workers arrived: with artist and reluctant mate (6,4) CAMERA TEAM {CAME}{RA} {MATE*}
27 Tiny bit recalled from chat oilman put out (4) IOTA [T<=]
29 Key animal's get-away (6) ESCAPE {ESC}{APE}
30 Southern holidaymaker is one who takes off (8) STRIPPER {S}{TRIPPER}
31 Illness of great many in Asian peninsula (6) MALADY {MALA{D}Y}
32 Worried banker admits short man — a railway worker (8) BRAKEMAN {BRAKE{MAn}N*}

DOWN
1   Discourage half-dead, disheartened juvenile at court (6) DEJECT {DEad}{Ju...lE}{CT}
2   Is inquisitive about principally tantric temple official (6) PRIEST {PRIES}{Ta...c}
3   Spheres of old royal billing section (4) ORBS {O}{R}{B}{S}
4   A couple of leading stars drop out of sequence in lofty home (5) AERIE {A}{sERIEs}
6   Excel in away party (5) OUTDO {OUT}{DO}
7   Relative's violent strike, without right, is most perverted (8) KINKIEST {KIN}{STrIKE*}
8   Resonant hit by a cricket batsman might ___ ___ for a cricket batsman (4,4) EARN TONS* {FITB]
11 Passionate eminence free (6) TORRID {TOR}{RID}
14 Daughter's boat unlit (4) DARK {D}{ARK}
16 Put in place upstart army officer at end of fence (6) LOCATE {COL<=}{AT}{f..cE}
17 Spilling point? (4) BRIM [CD]
18 Say I yell for a treat (3,5) ICE CREAM (~ i scream)
19 Zany wrap around head of society is measureless (8) COSMICAL {CO{So...y}MICAL}
22 Twice take care of the final details of cheerleader's prop (3-3) POM-POM {MOP<=}-{MOP<=}  (mop up)
23 Tram shudders and takes on the dowager (6) MATRON {TRAM*}{ON}
25 Ruler paid out fast (5) RAPID {R}{PAID*}
26 Contributor omits female performer (5) ACTOR fACTOR
28 Go under kitchen fixture (4) SINK [DD]

BHARGAV'S TAILPIECE
The audience was a mixed lot.
One could see a diplomat, a crook, a brakeman and a jailbird!
The camera team was ready. They dreamt of earning in tons!!
The stripper appeared - orbs covered with pom poms.
Guess what she did when the music came to a crescendo?
Escape!!

GRID

No 12271, Thursday 22 Mar 2018, Gridman

Answer and annotation for 23A left for a first-time commenter till 10 AM.

ACROSS
1   Passed on that I am section editor (8) IMPARTED {I'M}{PART}{ED}
5   Female and boy despondent and uncultivated (6) FALLOW {F}{AL}{LOW}
10 The best possible plot unveiled about doctors' organisation (7) OPTIMAL {OPT{IMA}L*}
11 Every ogre driven off at brisk speed (7) ALLEGRO {ALL}{OGRE*}
12 Makes improvements with half of them taking bits (6) EMENDS {thEM}{ENDS}
13 Son’s getting comfy — learner leaving and moving very fast (8) SCUDDING {S}{CUDDlING}
15 We're told: "Lift beams" (4) RAYS (~raise)
16 Grecian den releasing member of family (10) GRANDNIECE*
18 Thug with history to make a public statement (2,2,6) GO ON RECORD {GOON} {RECORD}
20 Court's dead carpentry material (4) WOOD {WOO}{D}
23 Cover with a piece of cloth on extremely large arm (8) T?N?A?L? (Addendum - TENTACLE {TENT}{A}{Cloth}{LargE} - See comments)
24 Cunning hag and daughter (6) SHREWD {SHREW}{D}
26 Unfriendly quality here in France — Sen's in confusion (7) ICINESS {ICI}{SENS}*
27 Cultivation is up to date (7) TILLAGE {TILL AGE}
28 Carefully read and absorb a magazine (6) DIGEST [DD]
29 He led, we cooked up endless sweet-talks (8) WHEEDLES {HE+LED+WE}*{lesS}*

DOWN
1   How even a Leftist might be balanced (2,4,5,4) IN ONES RIGHT MIND [CD]
2   Product of a man of clay? (7) POTTERY [CD]
3   Cure: mere exercise — daily at start and end (6) REMEDY {MERE*}{DailY}
4   Thinks female abandoned slippery customers (4) EELS fEELS
6   Referring to mythical king imprisoned in a plant (8) ALLUDING {A}{L{LUD}ING}
7   On support, desi goes wild (3,4) LEG SIDE {LEG} {DESI}*
8   Deranged, she's now displaying perversity (15) WRONGHEADEDNESS*
9   Joint ownership of cane stock in block (9) PARCENARY {PAR{CANE*}RY}
14 No way — such an area cannot progress (9) TRACKLESS {TRACK}{LESS}
17 Lubricators are great, helpful persons (8) GREASERS {GR}{EASERS}
19 Joker out to fall in with ruler making beastly noises (7) OINKING {jOIN}{KING}
21 Considering everything, old girl accepts fifty-fifty (7) OVERALL {O}{VERA}{LL}
22 Put away quietly for themselves in part (6) SHELVE {SH}{t...sELVEs}
25 At last, you have reversed role in US State (4) UTAH {yoU}{HAT<=}

GRID

No 12270, Wednesday 21 Mar 2018, Vulcan

Answer and annotation for 3D left for a first-time commenter till 10 AM.

ACROSS
1   Actor he paints badly (8) THESPIAN*
5   Method is said to be crude (6) COARSE (~ course) or is it the other way around?
10 Song in basic Italian tune (9) BARCAROLE {BAR{CAROL}E}
11 Everybody's time to play! (5) TUTTI [CD]
12 Before a meal? Grace! (6) ?H?L?A {?H?L?}{A} (Addendum - THALIA - {THALI}{A} - See comments)
13 Odd code, odd protocol (7) DECORUM {CODE*}{RUM}
14 Later settled in court, crushing defeat (8) WATERLOO {W{LATER*}OO}
15 Seal top of the cabinet (6) CLOSET {CLOSE}{The}
18 Intense fire raging outside, 5 dead (6) FERVID {FER{V}I*}{D}
20 Right, insincere heroic talk, basically it's hyperbole (8) RHETORIC {R}{HEROIC+Talk}*
22 Ballet position one's in with ease (7) RELIEVE {REL{1}EVE}
25 Old students from university in Milan maybe (6) ALUMNI {AL{U}MNI*}
27 He's a bibilical character, a slave (5) HELOT {HE}{LOT}
28 Anyhow, meant to keep correct change (9) AMENDMENT {A{MEND}MENT*}
29 Best place in France, small town basically (6) NICEST {NICE}{S}{Town}
30 Repeated it time after time to the editor (8) ITERATED {IT}{ERA}{T}{ED}

DOWN
1   Take up just one instrument (4) TUBA {A}{BUT}<=

By Yamaha Corporation - Yamaha Music Europe, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link

2   Fungus that's rare perhaps (9) EARTHSTAR*

By Josef F. Stuefer - https://www.flickr.com/photos/josefstuefer/51959681/, CC BY 2.0, Link

3   Nobleman in a boat (7) P?A?L?R (Addendum - PEARLER {P{EARL}ER} - See comments)
4   A very old drink from the South containing primarily citrus fruits (8) AVOCADOS {A}{V}{O}{Ci...s}{SODA<=}
6  Visual movement in gemstone (7) OPTICAL {OP{TIC}AL}
7   Run a machine without starting the spinning device (5) ROTOR {R}{mOTOR}
8   I'm acting strange, in the end turning out to be mysterious (9) ENIGMATIC {IM+ACTING+s...gE}*
9   Main element (4) LEAD [DD]
14 Very small shift — infer what? (5-4) WAFER THIN*
16 Strict line taken by hospital department (9) STRINGENT {STRING}{ENT}
17 The space is shabby and most shoddy (8) CHEAPEST*
19 Setter, seated bemusedly, thinks (7) IDEATES {I}{SEATED*}
21 Loud noise coming from below after the cut (7) THUNDER {THe}{UNDER}
23 Flower, one in demand, it's going up (5) LILAC {CAL{1}L}<=
24 Style adopted by some landowners (4) ELAN [T]
26 Detailed analysis for a poker game (4) STUD STUDy

GRID

No 12269, Tuesday 20 Mar 2018, Aspartame

Answer and anno for 18D left for a first-time commenter till 10 AM.

ACROSS
1   Female boatmen are wielding flimsy newspaper as weapons (13) FLAMETHROWERS {F}{LAME}{TH}{ROWERS}
8   Started off job making dye (4) TINT sTINT
9   A Rolls Royce rolls out of military set-up with coach causing a scene (10) BACKGROUND {BarrACK}{GROUND}
10 Chopper has lice right inside (6) SLICER [T]
11 Being like a dog maybe? (3-5) NON-HUMAN [CD]
12 Korean singer is eating oriental noodles with man that could be Aspartame (9) PSEUDONYM {PS{E}{UDON}Y}{M}
14 Unites extremely white dames (4) WEDS {WhitE}{DameS}
15 Question steamy scientist verbally (4) WHAT (~watt)
16 Food from Odisha Tina cooked for dog (9) DALMATIAN {DALMA}{TINA*}
20 Engineer bribes a class leader to get more marks (8) SCABBIER {BRIBES+A+Class}*
21 Allocates market instruments (6) SHARES [DD]
23 Starting point for British novel: chapter fifty-one (10) BIRTHPLACE {B}{CHAPTER+LI}*
24 Go down, go down, ultimately go out (4) DROP DRoOP
25 Lower very big optical device said to be placed above the rest (3,10) PAR EXCELLENCE {PAR} {EXCELLENCE}(~xl lens) Par/Lower? (Addendum - {PARE}{XCELLENCE}(~xl lens) -  See comments)

DOWN
1   Enemies hire one oddball to reveal eccentricities (7) FOIBLES {FO{1}{BaLl}ES}
2   A Pole discusses wood trick (5) ANTIC {A}{N}{TIC}(~ teak)
3   Setter about to win round rare ring at bar (7) EMBARGO {ME<=}{BA{R}G}{O}
4   Good grey chicken are getting transported by car (7,8) HACKNEY CARRIAGE Seems to be an error in the anagram fodder! Gray seems to have been misspelt as Grey. Good is superfluous unless it is to be taken as an A.
5   Music producers planned to detonate bomb (6) ORGANS ORGANiSed
6   Revenue coming from England's top memorial making nation's leader extremely successful (9) EMOLUMENT {En...d}{MO(-n+l)LUMENT}
7   Boy goes back in without footwear (7) SANDALS {SAN{LAD<=}S}
13 O, natural arrangement around big city (4,5) ULAN BATOR {O+NATURAL}* over {B}
15 House made using primarily wrought iron collapses killing Indian under portico (7) WICKIUP Acrostic

Public Domain, Link

17 Give wrong card to ladies’ man, by mistake (7) MISDEAL {LADIES+M}*
18 Extraordinary sea women ultimately quelled riots (7) A?E?O?E (Addendum - AWESOME {SEA+WOMAn}* - See comments)
19 Erase short message containing address of president (6) TIPPEX {T{IP}{P}EXt}
22 Some lad donates preservative (3-2) ADD-ON [T]

GRID