No 13779, Friday 03 Feb 2023, Arden

RULES FOR POSTING COMMENTS ON FRIDAYS ONLY

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ACROSS

1   Cares about getting in from the back - it'll kill you (7) ARSENIC {ARSE{IN<=}C*}

5   American city buzz on a highwayman (7) LADRONE {LA}{DRONE}

9   Greek character once, occasionally picked a flower (5) RHONE {RHO}{oNcE}

10 Church worker cries, lacking energy to stop the devil (9)  SACRISTAN {SA{CRIeS}TAN}

11 It's hilarious till the loony bin (5,4) FUNNY FARM {FUNNY}{FARM}

12 Key bills going back and forth in capital (5) DACCA {D}{AC}<=>{CA}

13 Language restriction's back (4) HIND HINDi

15 Encroach with crude refining (8) INFRINGE*

18 Open standard rail (8) FLAGRANT {FLAG}{RANT}

19 About to sell a game (4) GOLF <=

22 Sailor protects another to retrieve capital (5) RABAT {T{AB}AR}<=

24 Criminal named him- love to go in for a personal attack (2,7) AD HOMINEM {NAMED+HIM}* over [O]

26 Cheat on drink, recalled from birth (9) CHARLATAN {CHAR}{NATAL<=} 

27 Cup recovered from a familiar game (5) GRAIL [T<=]

28 Track partners in "Godfather" (7) SPONSOR {SPO{N}{S}OR}

29 Right of the government over unclaimed property, as the case may be (7) ESCHEAT*

DOWN

1   A tendency to follow at sea (6) ADRIFT {A}{DRIFT}

2   Upset about old boy getting on with a winger (9) SPOONBILL {SP{O}{ON|}{B}ILL}

3   Rising river inundates New York in Queer Street (5) NEEDY {N{DEE<=}Y}

4   Mostly irregular rain damages tree (9) CASUARINA {CASUAl}{RAIN*}

5   Stand-in at the border, tank is exposed (5) LOCUM {LOC}{sUMp}

6   Becoming less rigid, finally coiling around tail end (9) DWINDLING {r..iD}{WIND{taiL}ING}

7   Pick, pick the middle of the eye (5) OPTIC {OPT}{pICk}

8   Close, getting almost close to 9 (6) ENNEAD {EN{NEAr}D}

14 Drug - number is around a fifty (9) DIGITALIS {DIGIT}{A}{L}{IS}

16 No way can fetch a cocktail... (3,6) FAT CHANCE*

17 ...ginger grated at the top of a fish goes with beer (9) GALINGALE {Gr...d}{A}{LING}{ALE}

20 Blast occurs at the plant (6) CROCUS* 

21 One's stubborn by nature, time to use charm (6) AMULET {A}{MULE}{T}

23 Wandering Bohemian, take him away to party (5) BEANO BOhEmiAN*

24 Innate expertise to find a flower (5) ASTER mASTERy

25 Following wise men caught in their spell (5) MAGIC {MAGI}{C}

Reference List

Energy = E, Key = D, Sailor = AB,TAR, Drink = CHAR, Partners = N,S, Old = O, Boy = B, Fifty = L, Time =T, Caught = C