No 12304, Monday 30 Apr 2018, Lightning

ACROSS
1   Care to steal from English cabinet? (8) WARDROBE {WARD}{ROB}{E}
5   Forms of speech in dialect ignoring meticulous syntax for starters (6) IDIOMS Acrostic with O missing
9   For a change, society banned ring — one seen on a horse’s face (8) NOSEBAND {S+BANNED+O}*
10 Angry about lifetime compensation (6) DAMAGE {MAD<=}{AGE}
12 True mixture a rookie moved to the end (5) LOYAL (-a-l)LOY(+a+l)AL
13 Half second dance by advocate — it could be seen in a movie (9) FLASHBACK {HALF+S}*{BACK}
14 Doctor wearing outfit for battle (6) COMBAT {CO{MB}AT}
16 Establish residence outside a city in America (7) SEATTLE {SE{A}TTLE}
19 Engineer missing the first mild feature (7) ELEMENT {E}{cLEMENT}
21 Animal dance by river (6) SAMBAR {SAMBA}{R}

By Charlesjsharp - Own work, from Sharp Photography, sharpphotography.co.uk, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link
23 Rest uneasy after cunning act by fraud (9) TRICKSTER {TRICK}{REST*}
25 Food item’s history at Austria (5) PASTA {PAST}{A}
26 Peacekeepers’ issue with international accord (6) UNISON {UN}{I}{SON}
27 Formal event where church distributed money (rand) (8) CEREMONY {CE}{R+MONEY}*
28 Neatly arranging removal of core information (6) TIDING TIDyING
29 Intimidate and then tear forms (8) THREATEN*

DOWN
1   Engineer losing resistance in fight (6) WANGLE WrANGLE
2   Flipping over my ski — it could have a bad consequence (5,4) RISKY MOVE*
3   Maverick wore belt in part (5) REBEL [T]
4   Aid suitable to accommodate north-east (7) BENEFIT {BE{NE}FIT}
6   Page hundred introduced diagram representing membrane (9) DIAPHRAGM {P}{Hu...d} in {DIAGRAM}*
7   Tomahawk buried in US city (5) OMAHA [T]
8   Spotted tap in vehicle (8) SPECKLED {S{PECK}LED}
11 Exceed power on a ship (4) PASS {P}{A}{SS}
15 Board knew about failure (9) BREAKDOWN*
17 Send one away to coach cricket, perhaps? (9) TRANSPORT {TRAiN}{SPORT}
18 Opening established right inside to demolish (8) DESTRUCT {D{EST}{R}UCT}
20 Carry odd tool and evenly cut tree (4) TOTE {ToOl}{TrEe}
21 Cry from short guard at church (7) SCREECH {SCREEn}{CH}
22 Prohibit covering every tree (6) BANYAN {B{ANY}AN}

By Abdulkaleem md - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
24 Poem one wrote up almost everyday (5) ILIAD {1}{DAILy<=}
25 Right away pass through section (5) PIECE PIErCE

GRID

Special, Sunday 29 Apr 2018, Bruno

Three answers per commenter till 6 PM (Annotations compulsory)
Please provide all your answers in one comment.

ACROSS
6   Politician, arrested by Indian Intelligence leaders’ yet to go free, but shows irreverence (7)
7   Find new place for children’s backyard play equipment after they regularly got lost (7)
9   Oregon’s first large symbol of resistance (5)
10 Shaky piece of furniture was returned to get a different piece of furniture (9)
11 Finish mice problem that is everywhere (7)
13 Party’s very creepy… but not everyone’s heading back (6)
15 One of a pair at the start (or the end) of a relation? (9,4)
19 Attraction to everybody’s natural, when topless (6)
20 Subjugate media’s work in advance (7)
22 That could measure distance traversed by taper over roof (9)
24 State banks quitting Chinese manufacturing position (5)
26 Please spend weekend day with one’s family while on vacation (7)
27 Discreet but quietly offensive book (7)
 
DOWN
1   In church is it a mistake to take cap off?  (4)
2   Settle with comfort around Europe (6)
3   Group’s extremely sexy (topless!) show (9)
4   Arm, cot, and phone (not pen), perhaps all that’s required to make friends here? (4-4)
5   Plant producing beer and butter visited by Republican one too many times… (6-4)
6   A type of chemical that gets one to be followed by any Romeo (6)
7   Gown comes with royal title (4)
8   Perhaps team could be magical when embracing exercise, at the start (6)
12 Question about building deal? Get engineer and go out together with the wives (6-4)
14 Husband supported salacious porn mag contained offensive article… (9)
16 Italian sweetie leaving University in Mauritius all agog (8)
17 Big, plain potatoes in Peru crossed with murphies, mainly (6)
18 Climb trail leading to Alps up North (6)
21 Restrained writer’s show? (4-2)
22 Children jumped off boats that overturned, to survive (4)
25 Professional at handling the heat? (4)

Across Lite version can be accessed at BRUNO 16

Enjoy.

The Sunday Crossword No 2993, Sunday 29 Apr 2018

ACROSS
1   Join together in company with drinks before church (8) COALESCE {CO}{ALES}{CE}
5   Device for calculating area covered initially in a vehicle (6) ABACUS {A}{B{A}{Co...d}US}
10 China, clear about power, ignoring France (9) PORCELAIN {P{fORCE}LAIN}
11 Car may well, at regular intervals, move slowly (5) CRAWL {CaR}{mAy}{WeLl}
12 Nobleman unknown in advance (5) EARLY {EARL}{Y}
13 Reduced number in coastal region by day (9) SHORTENED {SHOR{TEN}E}{D}
14 Easily outdo spies, sour after setback (5,5,3) KNOCK SPOTS OFF {KNOCK} {SPOTS} {OFF}
18 Ridicule inspector and anger people in quarrel (13) DISPARAGEMENT {DI}{SPA{RAGE}{MEN}T}
20 Arrogance in memo I'd amended with pen (9) IMMODESTY {MEMO+ID}*{STY}
23 Modules among best in use, on reflection (5) UNITS [T<=]
24 Unpleasant smell, not first to indicate fish (5) TENCH sTENCH
25 One delivering messages around Utah for designer (9) COUTURIER {CO{UT}URIER}
26 Bold call led by lawyer (6) DARING {DA}{RING}
27 Stealing hearts during match, especially (8) THIEVERY {T{H}IE}{VERY}

DOWN
1   Element about work upset agent (6) COPPER {C}{OP}{REP<=}
2   Devices for slowing down broadcast? Pauses in speech (3,6) AIR BRAKES (~air breaks)
3   Always handy, went on working periodically (5,3,3,4) EVERY NOW AND THEN {EVER}{HANDY+WENT+ON}*
4   Outstanding lesson (5) CLASS [DD]
6   Cut rebuke of that complicated film about time travel (4,2,3,6) BACK TO THE FUTURE*
7   Tea? New range (5) CHAIN {CHAI}{N}
8   Freeze sauce to retain top condition (8) SOLIDIFY {SO{LID}{IF}Y}
9   Separate northern takeover, in principle, not right (8) UNCOUPLE {rU{N}{COUP}LE}
15 Spring up, diving into gift bag (8) KNAPSACK {KN{SPA<=}ACK}
16 Nothing pleasant about silly hint in a risky situation (2,4,3) ON THIN ICE {O}{N{HINT*}ICE}
17 Hand in a legal document, not English? It's accepted (8) ADMITTED {A}{De{MITT}ED}
19 Off course since daylight's last gleam (6) ASTRAY {AS}{d...hT}{RAY}
21 Neighbourhood style, according to report (5) MANOR (~manner}
22 Adolescent diary finally published? Hard to support that (5) YOUTH {d..rY}{OUT}{H}

GRID

No 12303, Saturday 28 Apr 2018, Incognito

Incognito dealing with early life today

Across

1. Ask, "Bury gun amongst fish eggs?" (11) INTERROGATE {INTER}{RO{GAT}E}
9. Is little Susan the problem? (5) ISSUE {IS}{SUE}
10. On rug in pristine surroundings, well before time (9) PREMATURE {P{RE}{MAT}URE}
11. Study notice wrongly including purl design (10) CONCEPTION {CON}{NOTICE*} around {P}
12. Colliery // explosive device // belongs to me (4) MINE (MD)
13. Animal -– Indian –- mentioned in Greek letter (5) RHINO {RH{IN}O}
15. Lamb, for example, wrongly says in English first (8) ESSAYIST {E}{SAYS*}{IST}
17. Perhaps, Basil and Sage ... both reps go all over the place (8) POTHERBS {BOTH+REPS*}
19. Large gnu's distorted organs (5) LUNGS {L}{GNUS*}
22. Circular part returned and set (4) LAID {DIAL<=}
23. Older Bantu created a symbol of equality (5,5) ROUND TABLE {OLDER+BANTU*}
26. Renovation of Stalag No.1 results in fond memories (9) NOSTALGIA {STALAG+NO+I*}
27. Rush back to South-east and take care! (5) NURSE {RUN<=}{SE}
28. The Inca teen produced fangs (6,5) CANINE TEETH {THE+INCA+TEEN*}

Down

1. Playwright's manipulating in BSE (5) IBSEN {IN+BSE*}
2. So, in brief, umpire holds ball in that place (9) THEREFORE {THE{REF}{O}RE}
3. Native American follows salesman for fame (6) REPUTE {REP}{UTE}
4. Cranky CEO has many cats (7) OCELOTS {CEO*}{LOTS}
5. A woman takes a Yankee out (4) AWAY {A}{W}{A}{Y}
6. Composed duet in Rio and got scholarship (9) ERUDITION {DUET+IN+RIO*}
7. Terrapin certainly possesses a claw (6) PINCER (T)
8. Say again: "Engineers have combustible material" (6) REPEAT {RE}{PEAT}
14. Manufacturing ricin isn't essential (9) INTRINSIC {RICIN+ISNT*}
16. Suddenly, expert takes on board couple of students on a cask, I hear (3,2,4) ALL AT ONCE {A{LL} {A}{~TUN}CE}
17. Kung-Fu Panda's country? (6) POLAND {CD)
18. Blast arm getting projectile launcher (7) BLOWGUN {BLOW}{GUN}
20. Observe king and queen's Quidditch player (6) SEEKER {SEE}{K}{ER}
21. Kid is part of gremlin fantasy (6) INFANT (T)
24. Result of Labour? (5) BIRTH (CD)
25. For starters, yet another ridiculous narrative (4) YARN (Acrostic) Narrative on double duty?

Reference List
On=Re, Purl=P, Greek letter=Rho, English=E, First=I'st, Large=L, South-east=SE
Ball=O, Salesman=Rep, Woman=W, Yankee=Y, Engineers=RE, Learner=L, Expert=Ace, King=K, Queen=ER

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 12302, Friday 27 Apr 2018, Incognito

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.

Each commenter is requested to post only 5 answers till 2 PM thereby giving others also a chance to participate. 

The regular blog will replace the clues at 2 PM after which anyone is free to comment. 

Thanks everyone for the response. Here is the regular blog

ACROSS
7   Small and initially yellow flower (4) LILY {LIL}{Ye...w}
8   Records journey on a bit of celluloid (9) FILMSTRIP {FILMS}{TRIP}
10 Take money in return for what the Light Brigade did (6) CHARGE [DD]
11 Sappers with expensive clothes build an oil processing unit (8) REFINERY {RE}{FINERY}
12 Gunners retreat before one state turns into another state (8) ARKANSAS {RA<=}{KANSAS}
14 Key operator who secures things in a storage compartment (6) LOCKER [DD]
16 Fire, after discovering Chief of Staff's Russian (7) COSSACK {COS}{SACK}
18 City media, perhaps, does not have appeal for this tree (7) CYPRESS {CitY}{PRESS}
21 Latest rains show cause for tension (6) STRAIN [T]
23 Valuable soup recipe was formulated without training (8) PRECIOUS {SOUP+RECIpe}*
25 Horribly mistreats, after I go, the most intelligent people (8) SMARTEST MiSTREATS*
27 Communist intelligence agency to sketch plan again (6) REDRAW {RED}{RAW}
29 Paste after 3 feet and create a benchmark (9) YARDSTICK {YARD}{STICK}
30 Locates dioceses in both directions (4) SEES [DD<=>]

DOWN
1   Once a big success ... that lady gets tremendous ovation at first (8) HITHERTO {HIT}{HER}{Tr...s}{Ov...n}
2   To some extent, Judy Eriksen’s a colour changer (4) DYER [T]
3   Officers, not having Indian commission at first, get proposals (6) OFFERS OFFicERS
4   He has a blooming business in Florida Street, after departure of American lawman (7) FLORIST {FLORIda}{ST}
5   Effectively consume till the last drop (8) USEFULLY {USE FULLY}
6   Press metal (4) IRON [DD]
9   Rupees (not Euro) are arranged in money pouch (5) PURSE RUPeES*
13 Confused on a voyage (2,3) AT SEA [DD]
15 Kodava, after losing a ball, gets a dog (5) CORGI COoRGI
17 Study poetry and talk (8) CONVERSE {CON}{VERSE}
19 South African practices making bangers (8) SAUSAGES {SA}{USAGES}
20 Nut kips around a spacecraft (7) SPUTNIK*
22 Setter's after male soldier (5) TOMMY {TOM}{MY}
24 Exclamation made by discoverer in Bath? I got it! (6) EUREKA [CD]
26 Uncommon to see engineers following artists (4) RARE {RA}{RE}
28 Run a little (4) DASH [DD]

GRID

No 12301, Thursday 26 Apr 2018, Arden

Answer and anno for 15D left for a rookie commenter till 10AM.

ACROSS
1   Perhaps Laurence Olivier was a multi-faceted personality (3,2,4,5) MAN OF MANY PARTS [C&DD]
10 Redeem when it's lunch hour (5) ATONE {AT ONE}
11 Plant and animal featured in movie (9) CELANDINE {C{ELAND}INE}

By Alvesgaspar (talk) - Self-photographed, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
12 Greet, enter, clear a subject (7) CHILEAN {C{HI}LEAN}
13 Sensible? Sue can't become one (7) NUTCASE* Semi&lit
14 Quickly gets hard, a few times, say (5) TRICE ThRICE Reverse deletion
16 It's a lot — not even once husband is charged (9) OCTILLION {OnCe}{TILL}{ION}
19 Clerk, writer and tout (3-6) PEN-PUSHER {PEN}{PUSHER}
20 Tree under a small enclosure (5) ASPEN {A}{S}{PEN}
22 Offend American spy, call him an old woman (7) FUSSPOT {ofF}{US}{SPOT}
25 He never won in trials or any other event (4-3) ALSO-RAN [CD] [T] See comments
27 Complaint about cooked macaroni (9) CARCINOMA {C}{MACARONI*}
28 Sea and land, ultimately there is difference (5) BRINE BRIN(-g+e)E
29 Another friend takes interest, distinctively (14) DIFFERENTIALLY {DIFFERENT}{I}{ALLY}

DOWN
2   One overthrow, one bats on — it is what John Brown wanted (9) ABOLITION {A}{LOB<=}{1}{T{1}ON} Not sure of anno (Addendum - {A}{LOB<=}{1}{ON+IT}* - See comments)
3   Flower grown in the valley, exotic (5) OXEYE [Y<=]

By Photo by and (c)2008 Derek Ramsey (Ram-Man). Co-attribution must be given to the Chanticleer Garden. - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
4   Sheer nonsense about Charlie protecting you from rain (9) MACINTOSH {MA{C}IN}{TOSH}
5   Material to tailor — only new (5) NYLON {ONLY+N}*
6   Smoke makes one break a bone (9) PANATELLA {P{AN}ATELLA}

7   Not tense, one under strain gets something to eat (5) RAITA {tRAIT}{A}
8   Man with Bible in church, by mid evening becomes a boozer (7) SHEBEEN {S{HEB}EE}{eveNing}
9   Charm of the maiden playing Tosca (6) MASCOT {M}{COSTA*}
15 Supply with grace, overlap provides balance (9) E?U?P?I?E (Addendum -EQUIPOISE {EQUI(P)OISE} - See comments)
17 Shift manager in Times, she is terrible (9) TERMAGANT {T}{MANAGER*}{T}
18 Just average, within a limit, perhaps (9) IMPARTIAL {PAR} in {A+LIMIT}*
19 Meet in school, looking serious (2-5) PO-FACED {PO{FACE}D}
21 French city's name in the back (6) NANTES {NA{N}TES}
23 Typeface shoots up (5) SERIF<=
24 Big breakthrough, article is for them (5) THOSE {TH{OS}E}
26 Arabs free Israeli (5) SABRA*

GRID

No 12300, Wednesday 25 Apr 2018, Arden

Answer and anno for 8D left for a rookie commenter till 10AM.

ACROSS
1   Fear gripped the novice, started turning red (7) SCARLET {SCAR{L}E}{Tu...g}
5   Countryman keeps Ireland at heart, is bonhomous (7) PEASANT PlEASANT
9   More time — takes time after 10 (5) EXTRA {E{X}{T}RA}
10 River snake by mistake gets in, you hear a hiss (9) RASPBERRY {R}{ASP}{B{ERR}Y}
11 Forced open to get dramatic scene rehearsed (9) PRACTISED {PR{ACT}ISED}
12 Associate, say comes into some money (3-2) TIE-IN {T{IE}IN}
13 Bachelor provided female with clout (4) BIFF {B}{IF}{F}
15 Foolish action — he is immature (8) INCHOATE*
18 A pose — we are not American, so to speak (2,2,4) AS IT WERE {A}{SIT}{WE aRE}
19 Showing insolence, swallowing fish (4) SOLE [T]

Public Domain, Link
22 Writing song, only cowboys like it (5) RODEO {R}{ODE}{O}
24 Back date, overlooking a medieval battle scene (9) AGINCOURT {COURT} behind {AGIN}
26 Happy to be outside home in Asia, perhaps (9) CONTINENT {CONT{IN}ENT}
27 Engineer not born, trained to rule (5) REIGN ENGIneeR*
28 Idea — ideated some time back (7) THOUGHT [CD]
29 Wanted to hear story on media boss (7) YEARNED (~yarn){YEARN}{ED} Iffy homophone

DOWN
1   One in the mountains has got her well covered (6) SHERPA {S{HER}PA}
2   They give you the odds, do you finally sign? (9) ACTUARIES {ACT}{yoU}{ARIES}
3   Pounced to block a penny being pinched (5) LEAPT {LE{A}{P}T}
4   Islet gate? (9) TURNSTILE {ISLET}* [RA]
5   Sat up inside, so pleasant (5) POSED [T<=]
6   A disadvantage without say, opener’s right to get top score (9) ALBATROSS {A}{L{BAT}{R}OSS}
7   OK on divided time (5) AGREE {AG{RE}E}
8   Flirting is considered feminine in China, while wearing clothes (6) T?Y?N? (Addendum - TOYING - {TO{YIN}G} - See comments)
14 Sounding nothing, thing covers home basically (9) FATHOMING {FA}{TH{hOMe}ING}
16 Subject of how relationships work (9) CHEMISTRY [C&DD]
17 Earthling, all in true form (9) TELLURIAN*
20 Knitted material made from coir, featured in Times (6) TRICOT {T}{COIR*}{T}
21 Way one departed on a trip (6) STONED {ST}{ONE}{D}
23 Wrongdoing by wild creature (5) DINGO*
24 Parry over exposed in painting (5) AVERT {A{oVEr}RT}
25 Curtained off, tend to go with church administration (5) CURIA CURtAIned*

GRID

No 12299, Tuesday 24 Apr 2018, Arden

Answer and anno for 27A left for a rookie commenter till 10AM.

ACROSS
1   Dissolute, taking a month's time to go around port (8) DECADENT {DEC}{ADEN}{T}
5   Set off right away from footrest (4,2) STIR UP STIrRUP
10 Green alternative in metal (7) POTHERB {P{OTHER}B}
11 Magpie finds it tougher — getting old (7) HOARDER {H{O}ARDER}
12 Well, starts saying Mike's a jerk (5) SPASM {SPA}{Sa...g}{Mike}
13 Repeat and run transport (9) ENRAPTURE {REPEAT+RUN}*
14 Built on shaky ground, of course had shifted seconds later (5,2,5) HOUSE OF CARDS {OF+COURSE+HAD}*{S}
18 Choose right one, but make it a diode, perhaps (8,4)  ELECTRON TUBE {ELECT}{R}{ONE+BUT}*

Diode: electrons from the hot cathode flow towards the positive anode, but not vice versa
By Svjo - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
21 Fool intervenes, keener to become a singer (9) WASSAILER {W{ASS}AILER}
23 Missile about to come in the way (5) LANCE {LAN{C}E}
24 Pitch on the edge, basically making it fit to drive (7) TARRING {TAR}{fRINGe}
25 The French can be seen showing dexterity (7) SLEIGHT {S{LE}IGHT}
26 Rock bass gets cheap whiskey (3-3) RED-EYE [DD]
27 Expressed annoyance over return of party man (8) ?E?O?R?T (Addendum - DEMOCRAT - {D{COME<=}RAT} - See comments)

DOWN
1   So deep, difficult to remove (6) DEPOSE*
2   Girl accepts American and Chinese (6) CATHAY {CATH{A}Y}
3   He's handsome, met a broad by accident (9) DREAMBOAT*
4   Be sensible — logo could be "Privilege comes with responsibility" (8,6) NOBLESSE OBLIGE*
6   From transformer terminals, current goes all over the place (5) TRAMP {Tr...eR}{AMP}
7   Youth movement had protection under shade (3,5) RED GUARD {RED} {GUARD}
8   Warped on each line (8) PERVERSE {PER}{VERSE}
9   Settles our problem after daily round of trifle (9,5) CHARLOTTE RUSSE {CHAR}{SETTLES+OUR}*

15 Party role played by Spanish gentleman (9) CABALLERO {CABAL}{ROLE*}
16 What goes into the drink? (8) SEAWATER [CD]
17 Disciplined — saw to it that Charlie came first (8) CENSURED {C}{ENSURED}
19 The ass gets orange squash (6) ONAGER*
20 Band — it comes before an offensive (6) SEXTET {SEX}{TET}
22 Girl has sex appeal, finds peace (5) AMITY {AM{IT}Y}

GRID

No 12298, Monday 23 Apr 2018, Arden

Answer and anno for 20D left for a rookie commenter till 10 AM.

ACROSS
1   After naked confrontation, passed out — it was on top of the deck (3,2,6) ACE OF SPADES {fACE OFf} {PASSSED}*
7   Vegetable price reduced (3) COS COSt
9   Goat like reflection, try out (5) SATYR {AS<=}{TRY*}

By English: Epiktetos (signed) - User:Bibi Saint-Pol, own work, 2007-10-27, Public Domain, Link
10 Complaint — again rule broken (9) NEURALGIA*
11 Romanised version, do it any which way (9) RANDOMISE*
12 Search most of the day for the animal (5) PANDA {PAN}{DAy}
13 Shackles broken by Greek in rage (7) CHAGRIN {CHA{GR}IN}
15 Wrote a book, essentially about God (4) THOR {auTHORed}
18 Keep complaining about instrument (4) HARP [DD]
20 It's not even delivered, weird! (7) ODDBALL {ODD}{BALL}
23 Floor to support the branches (5) STUMP [DD]
24 Give a conservative collection (9) OFFERTORY {OFFER}{TORY}
26 Man and woman just got married, one is from Northern islands (9) HEBRIDEAN {HE}{BRIDE}{AN}
27 She finds drug in the city (5) NIECE {NI{E}CE}
28 Tool used reportedly for everything (3) AWL (~all)
29 Harry sent in on board for a game (5,6) TABLE TENNIS {TABLE} {SENT+IN}*

DOWN
1   A basis for vacating the land, not easily explained (8) ABSTRACT {A}{BasiS}{TRACT}
2   European school admitted one from English school (8) ESTONIAN {E{S}TONIAN}
3   Give up because of a game (5) FORGO {FOR}{GO}
4   Place to stay and money for a retiree (7) PENSION [DD]
5   Work with union leader, others get extremely sullen (7) DOUREST {DO}{Un..n}{REST}
6   Refuse to enter, disgraced and cleaned up (9) SHAMPOOED {SHAM{POO}ED}
7   Businessman is persuasive (6) COGENT {CO}{GENT}
8   Quiet morning, one is in touch with spirits (6) SHAMAN {SH}{AM}{AN}
14 Gather on the dot — put one on the job again (9) REAPPOINT {REAP}{POINT}
16 One put up stake on a leader once (8) NAPOLEON {AN<=}{POLE}{ON}

By Jacques-Louis David - zQEbF0AA9NhCXQ at Google Cultural Institute , Public Domain, Link
17 Script writers find these in nursery schools (8) PLAYPENS {PLAY}{PENS}
19 Saw perhaps affirmative action (7) PROVERB {PRO}{VERB}
20 Forces Spain to invade before attack (7) O?F?N?E (Addendum - OFFENCE {O{FF}See comments)
21 Complaint about a way to cook ham (6) ASTHMA {A}{ST}{HAM*}
22 Horny creature repeatedly calling the bird (6) BULBUL (~bullbull)

CC BY-SA 2.0, Link
25 Resin used as part of the washing cycle (5) RINSE*

GRID

Special, Sunday 22 Apr 2018, Buzzer

Three answers per commenter till 6 PM (Annotations compulsory).

Please provide all your answers in one comment.

SETTER'S SPECIAL

ACROSS
1   One of 12 reckon special sort (6,7)
8   One of 12 left out of promotion (3)
10 Sailoring careers in mother of all corruptions (8,3)
11 Beef cut for example repulsive to eat (5)
12 Confectionery box containing one small fudge occasionally (4,5)
13 Knocking sound barrier at a tattoo showing (3-1-3)
14 Years moved quickly without sign of joy as ways parted (1-6)
16 One of 12 an American city housing bears (5)
17 Floor covering for study area ultimately (3)
18 Good money Chinese spent initially over organic fertiliser (5)
19 Stole in silence breaking law (5)
20 One of 12 dead hollow (5)
22 One of 12 semi hard work (3)
24 Ones belonging to key group of celebrities (1-4)
25 Most of court / courts quietens down (7)
27 Resolve to treat cold away (7)
28 Concerning church, point I have is open to debate (9)
30 One of 12 fit for husband not son (5)
31 Wrongly recall how it is for salaried professional (5-6)
32 Not oddly I'd back Indian postal service (3)
33 One of 12 possibly key in sushi bar (8,5)

DOWN
1   Chief mantra to hit high for a linguist (7)
2   One of 12 with lively energy jumping out of lakes in Polynesian rain dance (9)
3   Leaves be twisted at the end (5)
4   Ran down to ride on snow astride a geegee (7)
5   One of 12 is a natural dodgy bank covering up blunder (10,7)
6   Part of a castle conqueror's heading to finish completely (5,4)
7   Kindle presented with a delicate touch (5-6)
8   One of 12 clue indicator (7)
9   One of 12 gross to consume, sickly and ultimately unpalatable (5,4)
15 Catholic committees, for nonbeliever distressing/upsetting (11)
18 Square leg had circumvented umpire but bounded awkwardly (9)
19 Snare special passport for composing Weber (6,3)
21 Parts of cricket ground loudest if drunk (9)
23 Money stealing lad shot. That's unfortunate (3,4)
25 Those exuding out of backwater cesspools (7)
26 Believe in brand inspiring women along (5,2)
29 One of 12 up first in hen cage (5)

Across Lite version can be accessed at BUZZER 8

Enjoy.

The Sunday Crossword No 2992, Sunday 22 Apr 2018

ACROSS
1   Walk behind vehicle with a protective covering (8) CARAPACE {CAR}{A}{PACE}
5   Not wild about hotel beside small river (6) THAMES {T{H}AME}{S}
9   Approach disrupted by endless mass of cloud (7) NEBULAR {NE{BULk}AR}
10 Nervous about channel with piercing sound (7) SHRILLY {SH{RILL}Y}
11 Mean firm (5) TIGHT [DD]
13 Former Welsh rite translated (9) ERSTWHILE*
14 Average bar in combination with a lounge initially (13) UNEXCEPTIONAL {UN{EXCEPT}ION}{A}{Lo...e}
16 Vicious ruler stopping breakaway faction (8,5) SPLINTER GROUP*
20 Reissue revolutionary book and increase in zest (9) REPUBLISH {B}{UP}<= in {RELISH}
21 Rope in rascal as soldier (5) LASSO [T]
22 Cutting out loud partnership (7) PAIRING (~paring)
23 Pawn apt to be easily influenced (7) PLIABLE {P}{LIABLE}
25 Hate extreme features of dire experiment (6) DETEST {DirE}{TEST}
26 Glaring, draw attention to storm (8) FLAGRANT {FLAG}{RANT}

DOWN
1   Understand tricks? Correct (8) CONSTRUE {CONS}{TRUE}
2   Wipe food, not good (3) RUB gRUB
3   Discreet love illuminated in film (7) POLITIC {P{O}{LIT}IC}
4   Like keeping in touch with letters (13) CORRESPONDING [DD]
6   Solid week working? Not easily achieved (4-3) HARD-WON {HARD}-{W}{ON}
7   Smile of Lulu awfully sweet (11) MELLIFLUOUS*
8   Pen was first labelled (6) STYLED {STY}{LED}
10 See great work on ceiling here: it's nice, complicated in form, and large (7,6) SISTINE CHAPEL {S{ITS+NICE}*HAPE}{L}

12 Brilliant, enthralling mimics coming up with trendy make-up (11) GREASEPAINT {GREA{APES<=}{IN}T}
15 Work with part containing single name for rival (8) OPPONENT {OP}{P{ONE}{N}T}
17 Bible so involved in campaigns (7) LOBBIES*
18 Bad upset in band causing annoyance (7) GALLING {GA{ILL<=}NG}
19 Stand with climbing party after stumble (6) TRIPOD {TRIP}{DO<=}
24 Answer twice following black sheep's cry (3) BAA {B}{A}{A}

GRID

No 12297, Saturday 21 Apr 2018, Gridman

Answer and anno of 4d left for a first time commenter till 10 AM.

Across

1. Lent // at a higher level (8) ADVANCED (DD)
5. Slight son leaving man with interest (6) LENDER {sLENDER}
9. Witness ace covering style (8) ONLOOKER {ON{LOOK}ER}
10. One in need or one indeed? (6) FRIEND (CD)
12. Not made up on a foundation of legality (4) REAL {RE}{A}{Legality}
13. Doesn't finish small bikini parts, and mini (5,5) STOPS SHORT {S}{TOPS} {SHORT}
15. Mouthpiece in //  Hindi or Tamil, for example (6) TONGUE (CD&D)
17. Animal near relative, we hear (5) BISON {~BY SON}
20. Ancient stockpile short and extremely rusty (5) HOARD HOARY {HOARd}{rustY} See comments
21. Everyone's satisfied about striker... (6) MALLET {M{ALL}ET}
24. ...who, because he is not working, may become one without job (10) UNEMPLOYED (DD)
27. Explain prisoners leaving in alignment (4) TRUE {consTRUE}
29. Are suffering in boring surroundings – that's depressing (6) DREARY {D{ARE*}RY}
30. Acceptance of choice offered by publicity (8) ADOPTION {AD}{OPTION}
31. It may have a run in the pit or on the road (6) ROLLER (CD?)
32. Now's the result of the precipitation! (8) SNOWFALL  Rev Anag of {NOWS}

Down

1. A number of directors on the train (6) ABOARD {A}{BOARD}
2. Common // kind of fraction (6) VULGAR (DD)
3. Reserve not big but new corner (4) NOOK {(-b+N)OOK}
4. Put forth champion, not soft at all (5) E.E.T EXERT {EXpERT} See comments
6. Gets to know Left's out but still wins (5) EARNS {lEARNS}
7. Sneaky Hyde on English river – where colour is changed (8) DYEHOUSE {HYDE*}{OUSE}
8. Again seeing // a possible requirement with a dud document (8) REDATING (DD)
11. Howzat // for charm? (6) APPEAL (DD)
14. Sanctuary announced without reservation (4) HOLY {~WHOLLY}
16. Frolic with doctor in obsolete prison (6) GAMBOL {GA{MB}OL}
17. Prepare the man to leave out ancient language (4) BREW {heBREW}
18. Undertake responsibility // for part of the road (8) SHOULDER (DD)
19. So long food's healthy (8) FAREWELL {FARE}{WELL}
22. Darn! I can do with some ointment (6) ARNICA (T)
23. Two boys face to face in doghouse (6) KENNEL {KEN}{LEN<=}
25. Soft impulse to cleanse totally (5) PURGE {P}{URGE}
26. Close with opponents after approval is put up (3,2) END ON {E}{N}{NOD<=}
28. Son on church seat to gush out (4) SPEW {S}{PEW}

Reference List
Son=S, Ace=Oner, On=Re, Small=S, Publicity=Ad
Big=B, New=N, Left=L, English River=Ouse, Doctor=MB, Man=He, Soft=P, Opponents=EN (East&North from Bridge)

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 12296, Friday 20 Apr 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. 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.

Each commenter is requested to post only 5 answers till 2 PM thereby giving others also a chance to participate. 

The regular blog will replace the clues at 2 PM after which anyone is free to comment. 

Thanks everyone for the response. Here is the regular blog

ACROSS
1   A contest of strength in a boat taking part in a conflict? (3,2,3) TUG OF WAR {TUG} {OF WAR}
5   Wager over a silly sort of hunting dog (6) BASSET {B{ASS}ET}

By Cali1008 - Own work, Public Domain, Link
10 Wicked trio's murder of cat deserves lengthy reproval (4,3) RIOT ACT {TRIO*} {ACT*}
11 I commit a wrong in prompt for style of cooking (7) CUISINE {CU{I}{SIN}E}
12 Nun's habit is to trap politician in a bit of trick (6) WIMPLE {WI{MP}LE}
13 Private hospital in high-rise municipal building (4,4) TOWN HALL {T{OWN}{H}ALL}
15 Badly done network junction (4) NODE*
16 Fellow citizen sees maiden girl in company disturbance (10) COMPATRIOT {CO}{M}{PAT}{RIOT}
18 Haven teens set up is boonlike (10) HEAVENSENT*
20 Hauling device doesn't start! Creep along! (4) INCH wINCH
23 Counter recalled uncle has not one bump (8) TUBERCLE  {REBUT<=}{unCLE} Thanks to Google
24 Rushed, with strange itch to pass over election body (6) HECTIC {H{EC}TIC*}
26 Attest the quality of humour? (7) WITNESS {WIT}{NESS}
27 Cool to start a set again (7) RESERVE {RE-SERVE}
28 Not so much charge, with female having left renter (6) LESSEE {LESS}{fEE}
29 Nudge — I must tear up the first letter to America (8) STIMULUS {I+MUST}*{Le...r}{US}

DOWN
1   Whither went loot? Disturbed? Call it quits! (5,2,3,5) THROW IN THE TOWEL*
2   Prepared good space for the core of Swedes (7) GROOMED {G}{ROOM}{swEDes}
3   Apartment lately vacated showing no emotion (6) FLATLY {FLAT}{La..lY}
4   Voice of marginal toddlers (4) ALTO [T]
6   Put off by a whopper Neta reeled off (8) ALIENATE {A}{LIE}{NETA*}
7   Hunter’s guide greeting the first of kumaris in long garment (7) SHIKARI {S{HI}{Ku...i}ARI}
8   Kitchen help and tots fall out: things are becoming complicated (3,4,8) THE PLOT THICKENS*
9   Go with a leading cement concern (9) ACCOMPANY {A}{Ce...t}{COMPANY}
14 Leading tennis player's quiet (9) NOISELESS {No1}{SELES'S}
17 Recover and revere it in a different way (8) RETRIEVE*
19 A Shakespearean character right up a bush (7) ARBUTUS {A}{(+r)RB(-r)UTUS}

By Didier Descouens - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
21 Old city in South African province is unspoilt (7) NATURAL {NAT{UR}AL}
22 Uncle goes after a hard, black stone that is junk (6) JETSAM {JET}{SAM}
25 Dead sailor back? 'Curses!' (4) DRAT {D}{TAR<=}

GRID

No 12295, Thursday 19 Apr 2018, Gridman

Answer and anno for 25A left for a rookie commenter till 10 AM.

ACROSS
1   Dollar was put back on tool (7) BUCKSAW {BUCK}{WAS<=}

By Pearson Scott Foresman - Archives of Pearson Scott Foresman, donated to the Wikimedia Foundation, Public Domain, Link
5   Expert politician getting a bit of temerity without delay (6) PROMPT {PRO}{MP}{Te...y}
9   Intimidate daughter and another relative (5) DAUNT {D}{AUNT}
10 Explain why former head skirted insurers (9) EXPLICATE {EX}{P{LIC}ATE}
11 Decline to vary pitch? (7) INFLECT [DD]
12 Was managing greeting fifty with one foreign language (7) SWAHILI {WAS*}{HI}{L}{1}
13 Clothe bear without resistance (5) ENDUE ENDUrE
14 Launched popular appeal by one perked-up date (9) INITIATED {IN}{IT}{1}{DATE*}
16 Raja in total chaos gives stern lecture (7-2) TALKING-TO {TAL{KING}TO*}
19 A question of choice hag pronounced (5) WHICH (~witch)
21 Non-acceptance of redrafting of FA rules (7) REFUSAL*
23 Pete hit out: there emerges an abusive word (7) EPITHET*
24 Former heads of organisation favour fomenting in-fighting craftily in order by post (2,7) EX OFFICIO {EX} {Or...n}{Fa...r}{Fo...g}{In...g}{Cr...y}{In}{Or..r}
25 Transport 1000 harvest stalks (5) H?U?M (Addendum - HAULM {HAUL}{M} - See comments)
26 A couple of females join a man in a brawl (6) AFFRAY {A}{FF}{RAY}
27 Tank tops? (7) TURRETS [E]

DOWN
1   Their recitals would no doubt make kids doze off (7,7) BEDTIME STORIES [CD]
2   Pleased friend endlessly — fellow was given nourishment (7) CHUFFED {CHUm}{F}{FED}
3   "Son of the engineer...Told you!" (2,5) SO THERE {S/o}{THE}{RE}
4   Fighting others left in building section (9) WRESTLING {W{REST}{L}ING}
5   Voices plumber's concerns (5) PIPES [DD]
6   Old one in exotic marg, acquiring one Japanese art (7) ORIGAMI {O}{R{1}GAM*}{1}
7   A key player in an orchestra (7) PIANIST [CD]
8   Not catching up with where the news reader is hidden, perhaps (6,3,5) BEHIND THE TIMES [C&DD]
15 No outride fixed and made smooth (6,3) IRONED OUT*
17 Promote cancelled Sriharikota event (4-3) LIFT-OFF {LIFT}{OFF}
18 Afros stylish to a degree (2,2,3) IN SO FAR {IN}{AFROS}*
19 Little bit to that woman — to which point? (7) WHITHER {WHIT}{HER}
20 Heinous arrangement by company's own staff (2-5) IN-HOUSE*
22 Fortunate to have short, tricky clue — extremely kinky — solved (5) LUCKY {CLUe}*{KinkY}

GRID

No 12294, Wednesday 18 Apr 2018, Gridman

Answer and anno for 19A left for a rookie commenter till 10 AM.

ACROSS
1   Friend backs rewriting diary of engraver (8) LAPIDARY {PAL<=}{DIARY*}
5   Final outcome of demolition of shop in Union Territory (6) UPSHOT {U{SHOP*}T}
9   A large sum put on Indian champion's first brief (7) LACONIC {LAC}{ON}{I}{Ch...n}
10 Restrain setter beginning to lament after collapse of mart (7) TRAMMEL {MART*}{ME}{La...t}
11 Son or heir can assemble locomotive (4,5) IRON HORSE*
12 Second showing of some fairer undertaking (5) RERUN [T]
13 Conversant with Indian state's working (4) UPON {UP}{ON}
14 Head of chefs has same rice going around differently for desserts (3,6) ICE CREAMS {Ch..s} in {SAME+RICE}*
17 Stupid waffle about small measure by top fliers of the past (9) LUFTWAFFE {WAFFLE}* over {U}{FT} U/Top? See comments

By Panzerfaust9000 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link
19 Good, fifty per cent of business from fishing equipment (4) ?A?F (Addendum - GAFF {G}{AFFair} - See comments)

By Markus Bärlocher - Markus Bärlocher, Public Domain, Link
23 Small half of audio equipment (5) MICRO MICROphone
24 Looking for agent killing millions, detectives stop dirty emigre (9) GERMICIDE {CID} in {EMIGRE}*
25 Keyboard instrument from first of concerts I ravel carefully (7) CLAVIER {Co...s}{I+RAVEL}*
26 Praise a couple of pages the ruler read out (7) APPLAUD {A}{PP}{LAUD}(~lord)
27 Separate, son's in a trance (6) SUNDER {S}{UNDER}
28 One left messy sidelines in a state of inactivity (8) IDLENESS SiDELINES*

DOWN
1   Swift land of small population (8) LILLIPUT [CD]
2   Small photo: with no tip, little flute (7) PICCOLO {PIC}{COLOn}

By Yamaha Corporation - Yamaha Music Europe, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link
3   Endless night spent in deputy's boat (6) DINGHY {D{NIGHt}Y}
4   Audiophile's old equipment that might prompt a new Guinness entry? (6,7) RECORD CHANGER [DD]
   

6   Write about nearly matched colour (3-5) PEA-GREEN {PE{AGREEd}N}
7   Fellow's head is lost — instrument is boring (7) HUMDRUM {cHUM}{DRUM}
8   Gift for old money (6) TALENT [DD]
10 From that point on, coherent dwarf became indistinct (13) THENCEFORWARD*
15 Express opinion rat is eliminated — it's poison (8) ATROPINE {RAT*}{OPINE} Reverse deletion
16 Turkish officials find fees to be distributed (8) EFFENDIS*
18 On the high side from Delhi's fashionable release (7) UNCHAIN {UNCHA}{IN}
20 Fire up with a new, primarily interested partner (7) ANIMATE {A}{N}{In...d}{MATE}
21 Male in loose coats gives big blows (6) SMACKS {S{M}ACKS}
22 Info request as ace leaves for drink (6) TIPPLE {TIP}{PLEa}

GRID