No 12988, Wednesday 15 Jul 2020, Gridman

Solution to 24A has been deliberately left unsolved and is to be answered only by a non-regular/novice commenter, with proper annotation. Those who have answered earlier in the week, please give others a chance.

ACROSS
1   Dismiss people drafted for sporting event (4,4) SACK RACE {SACK}{RACE}

5   A section of veterans we requisitioned (6) ANSWER [T]
9   Blemish attached to each escape (7) SCARPER {SCAR}{PER}
10 Bad rule maybe but designed to last (7) DURABLE*
11 Go trawling with small Spanish instruments (9) CASTANETS {CAST A NET}{S}

12 Nothing tear-jerking in talk (5) ORATE {0}{TEAR*}
13 Expert back in casino city (4) RENO<=
14 The spies with a bit of petulance throw fragmented rocks (9) PSEPHITES {THE+SPIES+Pe...e}*
17 Protected the elders at sixes and sevens (9)SHELTERED*
19 Sudden increase, with head of seraglio away, in desire (4) URGE sURGE
23 Fantastic — one after one, we have many spokes (5) RADII {RAD}{1}{1}
24 Man pushed son out, swore and struck (9) P?R?U?S?D (Addendum - PERCUSSED - {PERson}{CUSSED} - See comments)
25 Major player in military camp (7) LEAGUER [DD]
26 Somehow input a line relating to the wedding (7) NUPTIAL {INPUT+A+L}*
27 Laugh quietly as non-drinker’s caught in row (6) TITTER {TI{TT}ER}
28 City lines redrawn in Hong Kong by one (8) HELSINKI {H{LINES*}K}{1}

DOWN
1   It is used to open or close a window (4,4) SASH CORD [GK]

2   Song produced by partner’s child after tea (7) CHANSON {N}{SON} after {CHA}
3   Ring again to cancel (6) REPEAL {RE-PEAL}
4   Cleaner scolds one crying (6,7) CARPET SWEEPER {CARPETS}{WEEPER}
6   No Arctic product is a drug (8) NARCOTIC*
7   Where online we first booked servant (3,4) WEB PAGE {WE}{Bo...d}{PAGE} Semi&lit
8   Mention possessing English jacket (6) REEFER {RE{E}FER}
10 Fading away of detective inspectors’ front (13) DISAPPEARANCE {DI'S}{APPEARANCE}
15 Height of skill throws political leader out to install Left (8) ALTITUDE A(-p+l)LTITUDE
16 When idle, relax! Capital! (3,5) NEW DELHI*
18 Novel character’s short complaint gets a main outlet (7) HYDRANT {HYDe}{RANT}
20 Ran to get back issue — no English language! (7) RUSSIAN {R{ISSUe<=}AN}
21 Band member’s permission (6) ARMLET {ARM}{LET}
22 Strange tailless cat makes a racket (6) RUMPUS {RUM}{PUSs}

Reference List
Answer = A, Small = S, Line = L, Non-drinker = TT, Partner = N, English = E, Detective Inspector = DI, Left = L

Dr RKE's TalePiece

We lived in the 60’s in an old bungalow located on one of the RADII of Connaught Place, NEW DELHI. This was the Government quarters for the officers of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The house had a typical colonial look with a SHELTERED allee leading up to the front steps, windows with SASH CORDS and even a DURABLE pre-war CARPET SWEEPER. Our father was away at HELSINKI on an extended diplomatic mission and our mother had gone to Madurai to visit her ailing mother. So my brother and I had a run of the place and could get away with any RUMPUS.

One day we had the URGE to see how the fire HYDRANT in front of the house worked. We fiddled around with a small wheel-like control, but not having been used for ages, it was rusty. My brother, being a football LEAGUER, was much stronger than me. He covered it with his REEFER jacket and PERCUSSED it with a hammer so Parkash Bhaiyya, our aged live-in servant could not hear the noise. He hit it with all his might and it suddenly sprang to life, sending forth a gush of water, right through the open window, flooding the house. We tried our best to shut it off but the damned thing would not budge. We SCARPERed from the scene before Parkash could find us. Hiding behind a tree in the garden, we TITTERed, as we watched him wrestle with the control. He soon caught us and said “you have ruined the RUSSIAN carpet in the drawing room. I would have to throw it away. You both will have a lot to ANSWER for its DISAPPEARANCE when memsahib comes back tomorrow”. Dear old Parkash Bhaiyya, this was the harshest thing he could tell us, his chhota sahebs. We knew he would not squeal on us but to mollify him, we entreated him to sing one of his Rajasthani folk songs. This would usually bring him to his elements. He brought out his CASTANETS and to its rhythm he sang a rustic song about a bride, wearing a jingling ARMLET on her NUPTIAL night, that made enough noise to wake up the village!

So it was to my pleasant surprise, that when idly browsing through the Internet 50 years later, I stumbled upon a WEBPAGE that listed this folk song. I clicked on the link below to listen to the song. I must say our Parkash’s version was far more earthy.