No 12954, Friday 05 Jun 2020, Gridman

RULES FOR POSTING COMMENTS ON FRIDAYS ONLY

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ACROSS

1   I admit hiding new offer is not clever (8) IGNORANT {I}{G{NO}RANT}

5   Deny the truth of all but fresh collections at sports venue (6) NEGATE {NEw}{GATE}

9   Number needed for one disgruntled regent (7) INTEGER {1}REGENT*}

10 Best odd trip with mother after work (7) OPTIMUM {TrIp}{MUM}<={OP}

11 Meat eater’s vehicle, new one, overturns (9) CARNIVORE {CAR}{N}{1}{OVER*}

12 Repeat show on urn-making (5) RERUN {RE}{URN*}

13 Otherwise, lees are to be thrown out (4) ELSE*

14 Is the French one a girl’s name worthy of respect? (9) ESTIMABLE {EST}{1}{MABLE}

17 Restore this crypt with three-panel art works (9) TRIPTYCHS*

19 Companion carries large truncheon (4) COSH {C{OS}H}

23 System of principles by alien greeting Catholic (5) ETHIC {ET}{HI}{C}

24 Will students take it and worshippers say it before time? (9) TESTAMENT {TEST}{AMEN}{T}

25 Jumper inside light-lunch eatery (7) TEAROOM {TEA{ROO}M}

26 Entertainer makes a stir with the disheartened (7) ARTISTE {A+STIR}*{ThE}

27 Such a child has many succeeding (6) ELDEST [CD]

28 Long voyages in sahityas — yes, Syd officially recalled (8) ODYSSEYS [T<=]

DOWN

1   Reportedly eyes codes to break follies (8) IDIOCIES {I+I+I+CODES}*

2   Characters saunter around (7) NATURES*

3   Recover, say, in Nair settlement (6) REGAIN {R{EG}AIN*}

4   Body’s signals network surveys Sen and Tom conducted (7,6) NERVOUS SYSTEM*

6   Endless times inside and outside (8) EXTERNAL {E{X}TERNAL}

7   Almost look up to young man, a high-ranking officer (7) ADMIRAL {ADMIRe}{AL}

8   Determinedly traps small mammal (6) ERMINE [T]

10 Hastening? Don’t get lost in brief hook-up! (3-5,5) ONE-NIGHT STAND* 

15 Questionable short detail on debt notices (8) SPECIOUS {SPECs}{IOUS}

16 Mad man aboard ship breaks up (8) SHATTERS {S{HATTER}S}

18 Tried again and got her up to dare anew (7) REHEARD {HER<=}{DARE*}

20 Be responsible for poetry in Old English (7) OVERSEE {O}{VERSE}{E}

21 Insect let off another insect (6) BEETLE {BEE}{LET*}

22 It’s in the desert a great many perform with hearty lust (6) CACTUS {C}{ACT}{lUSt}

Reference List
New = N, Work = OP, On = RE, Is in French = EST, Companion = CH(Order of the Comapanions of Honour), Alien = ET, Catholic = C, Time = T, Jumper = ROO(Kangaroo), Times = X, Ship = SS, Old English = OE, Great Many = C

Dr RKE's TalePiece

05.06.1960: Rear ADMIRAL Jason Burnings of the Royal Navy, the ELDEST son of the ESTIMABLE WW1 veteran Michael Burnings, was sitting in his office in a reminiscent mood. A flood of memories came to him as he gazed at a TRIPTYCH on his table. One of the three panels in the picture showed a young Jason on board HMS Albion when he was a midshipman during WW2.  

He remembered that eventful night in Southampton 18 years ago on this very date, when he had gone ashore from that vessel to the TEAROOM in the docks. His eyes were riveted on a petite young woman covered in an ERMINE stole. He struck a conversation with her and soon he was driving her Volkswagen BEETLE to her apartment, looking for an ONE NIGHT STAND. Though Jason was not IGNORANT of the navy ETHIC that mandated a return to the ship by 10 pm, he felt a rush of adrenaline that charged his autonomic NERVOUS SYSTEM and he was ready to throw caution to the winds.  She revealed remarkably little about herself except to say she was a performing ARTISTE in a visiting drama troupe, playing the 10th RE-RUN of “The ODYSSEY”.  “With your figure, I would not imagine you to be anything ELSE” gushed Jason.  

 Once they were inside the flat, Jason, being of an impatient NATURE, wasted no time and started fumbling around with her stole. It was then that he noticed the faintest of a tattoo of a CACTUS on her shapely arm. That made him REGAIN his caution for he knew that it was a symbol of her belonging to the “Siren Brigade”, a German organization that used women to lure military men and access official secrets. He was only thankful that he had not switched off the light before bedding her and this alone had helped him spot the tattoo. Jason made a hasty exit and headed back to his ship. His previous good record helped him escape the wrath of his commanding officer, who he was certain did not believe at all the SPECIOUS stories that he made up to explain his breaking the night curfew. He swore to himself on a copy of the New TESTAMENT that was on his bunker bed that he would never repeat that IDIOCY of an act. Nothing would SHATTER his resolve and he kept that promise, turning his youthful energy to military conquests rather than feminine ones. (Jason went on to win a OM for his valour in the war.) But even today Jason blushed because remembering that bomb of a woman after all these years, brought the same rush of adrenaline!