No 13381, Wednesday 20 Oct 2021, Sunnet

Solution to 18D 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.

Our pangrammist is back. So is our TalePiece specialist.

ACROSS

1   Clever method’s nearly complete (6) ARTFUL {ART}{FULl}

4   Black’s proposal to get English aircraft (8) SEAPLANE {SEA}{PLAN}{E} (Addendum - JETPLANE {JET}{PLAN}{E} - See comments)

10 Do italics when correctly placed show the lengthening of a normally short syllable (9) DIASTOLIC*

11 Circle a sister’s retreat (5) OASIS {O}{A}{SIS}

12 Van has nothing left to sing (5) CAROL {CAR}{0}{L}

13 Cat’s killer? (9) CURIOSITY [GK]

14 Exotic chanter’s part (7) TRANCHE*

16 Store in second step (4) SHOP {S}{HOP}

19 Dull poet is sent back (4) DRAB<=

21 Author is the devil (7) DICKENS [DD]

24 One accustomed to covering society without a policy? (9) UNINSURED {UN}{IN{S}URED}

25 Trustee’s deed for plot (5) TRACT {TR}{ACT}

26 Nearly fool me at first with peculiar expression (5) IDIOM {IDIOt}{Me}

27 To prevent reproduction doctor/sister lie (9) STERILISE*

28 Mobile atlases to attract unknown levy (5,3) SALES TAX {ATLASES}*{X}

29 Run a little way to get a large quantity of paper (6) STREAM {ST}{REAM}

DOWN

1   Give Australian money to a metro enterprise (8) AUDACITY {AU}{DA}{CITY} (Addendum - {AUD}{A}{CITY} - See comments)

2   Gingerly ate crack in rest period (3,5) TEA BREAK {ATE*}{BREAK}

3   Before seen in the hunt I loved (5) UNTIL [T]

5   Settle scores with some traitorous partners (7) ESCORTS {SCORES+Tr...s}*

6   Expert to cross one fragment of chromosome of basic life form (9) PROTOZOIC {PRO}{TO}{Z}{1}{Ch...e} Z/Cross? (Addendum - {PRO}{TO}{ZO}{1{Ch...e} - See comments)

7   Charge like captain (6) ASSAIL {AS}{SAIL}

8   Papers point to sassy broadcast (6) ESSAYS {E}{SASSY*}

9   Stereotype of communist picketing insurance company (6) CLICHE {C{LIC}HE}

15 Charles gets new trims for Noel (9) CHRISTMAS {C}{H{TRIMS*}AS} (Addendum - {CH{TRIMS*}AS} - See comments)

17 Gloomy local has half the eggs (8) NEGATIVE {N{EGgs}ATIVE}

18 Geographical line that is more in theory (8) ?S?T?E?M (Addendum - ISOTHERM {IS{OTEHR}M} - See comments)

20 Coffee dispenser in taproom is beginning to tilt? Ay! (7) BARISTA {BAR}{IS}{Tilt}{Ay}

21 Reformed odd German trickster (6) DODGER {ODD*}{GER}

22 Shakes birds (6) QUAILS [DD]

23 Loyal crowd around the shores of India (6) FILIAL {FIL{IndiA}L}

25 Time to join a card game after missing husband’s turn (5) TWIST {T}{WhIST}

Reference List

Black = JET, English = E, Left = L, Second = S, One = UN, Society = S, Trustee = TR, Unknown = X, Australian = Money = AUD{Australian Dollar) , Point = E(East), Charles = CHAS, Time = T, Theory = ISM, Husband = H

TalePiece

(By Dr RKE)

Hope it doesn't sound like a CLICHE or a DRAB IDIOM, when I exclaim "what the DICKENS of a themed pangram!"  

Many TWISTs and turns in the grid and one has to be an ARTFUL DODGER to negotiate through them. If one is successful, one can reach The Old CURIOSITY SHOP and buy a vinyl L.P. record of a CHRISTMAS CAROL. Or a gift of a miniature ESCORTS TRACTor, a mark of your FILIAL affection towards your farmer father. Make sure you get a bill and that GST is charged - in case you didn't know, SALES TAX is now passe. 

As a doctor, I recommend a TEA BREAK after all that exertion of shopping- just to ensure that your DIASTOLIC blood pressure doesn't hit the ceiling- there is BARISTA outlet conveniently round the corner.  

So UNTIL the next of these Talepiece ESSAYS, au revoir

Dr.Ramakrishna Easwaran