No 12887, Thursday 19 Mar 2020, Gridman

ACROSS
1   Unpredictable person may cause unexpected damage (5,6) LOOSE CANNON [C&DD]
9   Late deliveries beginning to decay under exposure (7) OVERDUE {OVER}{De..y}{Un..r}{Ex...e}
10 Pull girl back — a slowcoach (7) LAGGARD {DRAG}{GAL}<=
11 Captain sends off very quiet athlete (5) SKIER SKIppER
12 Teacher becomes mature with functions of teacher (9) TUTORAGES {TUTOR}{AGES}
13 A second layer of pale colour (5) ASHEN {A}{S}{HEN}
15 Addicted to tobacco, income tax officer’s back in north India club twice (9) NICOTINIC {NI}{C}{ITO<=}{NI}{C}
18 One harassing people living between two hills (9) TORMENTOR {TOR}{MEN}{TOR}
21 Flooring specialist bright again on the redound (5) TILER<=
22 Pondy leader, with you and me, hangs about for easy pickings (9) PUSHOVERS {Po..y}{US}{HOVERS}
24 Boredom during night in France wears off (5) ENNUI { EN NUIt}
26 Paid respect to university, preserved all round (7) SALUTED {SAL{U}TED}
27 Execute counter-defeat (7) TROUNCE*
28 On landing here, a traveller can’t ignore local customs (4,2,5) PORT OF ENTRY [CD]

DOWN
1   Act quickly to appear stylish (4,5) LOOK SMART [DD]
2   Honour fifty with international daggers (5) OBELI {OBE}{L}{I}
3   Staying power of French river (9) ENDURANCE {EN}{DURANCE}
4   Two articles about banian in ancient language (7) AVESTAN {A}{VEST}{AN}
5   Love to back central pick of Egyptian languages (7) NILOTIC {NIL}{TO<=}{pICk}
6   Somehow regain a lost flower (5) NIGER REGaIN*
7   Alarming changes on the verge (8) MARGINAL*
8   Regularly find odd easy Roman date (4) IDES {fInD}{EaSy}
14 Writer leaving unknown prison reportedly in high-pressure tactic (4,4) HARD SELL {HARDy}{SELL}(~cell)
16 Little adjustment to take in engineer’s offer in important part (5,4) TITLE ROLE {LITTLE}* over {ER}{O} O/Offer?
17 Scoundrels and I so change hands — how letters are joined (9) CURSIVELY {CURS}{I}{VE(-r+l)LY}
19 One walking is Middle Eastern university lecturer (7) TREADER {easTern}{READER}
20 “Too much,” old teacher returns rice dish (7) RISOTTO TTO{O}{SIR}<= Anno not clear to me. (Addendum - {OTT}{O}{SIR}<= - See comments)
22 Free ticket to go (4) PASS [C&DD]
23 Books collected by old age pensioner, readily available (2,3) ON TAP {NT} in {OAP}
25 Nine players — not one of them keeping time (5) NONET {NONE}{T}

Reference List
Quiet = P, Second = S, Layer = HEN, North = N, India = I, Club = C, University = U, Honour = OBE, Fifty = L, International = I, Of in French = EN, Engineer - ER, Offer = O?, Hands = L,R, Too much = Over the top = OTT, Old = O, Books = NT, Old age pensioner = OAP, Time = T

Dr RKE's TalePiece

An African Adventure

Mr.TILER, the owner of African Adventures, runs a HARD SELL advertising campaign targeting water SKIERs to test their ENDURANCE on the River NIGER. It says "beat the ENNUI, take your long OVERDUE holiday, LOOK SMART,³69 for Niger beckons". For those used to skiing on the LAGGARD NILOTIC waters, the Niger proves to be a TORMENTOR, especially during the IDES of March, when the current is unpredictable. After PASSing the PORT OF ENTRY, you are SALUTED by a guide from Mr.Tiler's company. He takes you for a quick RISOTTO meal and then takes you through a TUTORAGE on the safety measures to be followed. He gives you a pill of NICOTINIC acid, a B vitamin, to improve the circulation of blood, so your hands won't become ASHEN, holding on to the ski cord. He takes you to the middle of the river in a motorboat and PUSHES you OVER the brim of the boat. You better hang on for dear life for the capricious river has TROUNCEd many a skilful skier. After 10 minutes of the best adrenaline rush, the boat slows down and you are given time to MARGINALly decelerate. Mr.Tiler's cameramen on the banks capture some exquisite shots, that make you look like you were in a TITLE ROLE in a movie like Jaws 2. The day ends with a grand riverside party with a NONET band and where beer is ON TAP. Aren't you tempted to go?