No 13892, Thursday 15 Jun 2023, Afterdark

Solution to 5D 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.

Open for anyone to answer, if not solved by 1 PM.

ACROSS

1   Part of a plant at South Road is to close finally (6) SPATHE {S}{PATH}{c..sE}

4   Upset with pain hiring novice (6) TOUSLE {TOUS{L}E}

9   Single animal (4) STAG [DD]

10 A virtual assistant with new medico, best to turn up in a city in Egypt (10) ALEXANDRIA {ALEXA}{N}{DR}{A1<=}

11 Few uncles take one new sofa-bed to start with and mattresses (6) FUTONS Acrostic 

12 Bird on bark goes chipping (8) GROSBEAK*

13 What happened in 1947 is an ambush from the east, it's India's working (9) PARTITION {TRAP<=}{IT}{I}{ON}

15 Country's king seen regularly at yard by 1 (5) KENYA {K}{sEeN}{Y}{A}

16 Prayers on second thoughts against lord's mercies primarily (5) PSALM {PS}{Ag...t}{Lord}{Me...s}

18 Aide at 10 Downing's primarily a heartless narcissist (9) ATTENDANT {AT}{TEN}{Do...g}{A}{Na...sT}

22 Shower over and settle, turn around elegant (8) DEBONAIR {RAIN}{O}{BED}<= Shower has been incorrectly spelt

23 Key spies going west to find linguistic families (6) ALTAIC {ALT}{CIA<=}

25 New member of Congress gets good accommodation after bishop's move (10) BRIDEGROOM {G}{ROOM}<=>{B}{RIDE}

26 Idol found at ISKCON post Supreme Court's eviction order (4) IKON IsKcON

27 Progression in road travel... (6) STRIDE {ST}{RIDE} Semi&lit

28 ...narrow passage I & Smith crossed (6) ISTHMI {I+SMITH}*

DOWN

1   A fruit on last day of week? Some audibly against to begin with (7) SATSUMA {SAT}{(~some)SUM}{Ag...t}

2   Violent behaviour by a horse on first race leading to nought (5) AGGRO {A}{GG}{Race}{0}

3   Charlie going out, detaches defective headphones (7) HEADSET DETAcHES*

5   Speaker at Golden Gate? Indicator inside (6) O?A?O? 

6   Something to eat, hence wipe and dip into (4,5) SODA BREAD {SO}{DAB}{READ}

7   Crystalline growth type, new on axis 1 (7) EPITAXY {TYPE}* over {AX} and {1} Axis/AX ?

8   Unstable region? Fine, take time to find oversight of Idi Amin's, perhaps (5,2,6) REIGN OF TERROR {REGION*}{F}{T}{ERROR}

14 It's a difficult task to exchange dollar in territory (4,5) TALL ORDER {T{DOLLAR*}ER}

17 Mountain ranges in Spain? Yes, by mistake, though (7) SIERRAS {SI}{ERR}{AS}

19 Times some regularly use us for a Dutch humanist (7) ERASMUS {ERA}{SoMe}{US}

20 Capital? Has some connection to this square. 15 perhaps (7) NAIROBI [CD?]

21 Raising to follow naked Kratos! (3,3) WAR GOD {DOG}{RAW}<=

24 The first important part of the body (5) THIGH {The}{HIGH}

Reference List

South = S, Novice = L, New = N, Best = A1, India = I, King = K, Yard = Y,  Second toughts = PS, Over = O, Good = G, Bishop = B, Road = ST(Street), Horse = GG, Charlie = C, Fine = F, Time = T, Territory = TER, Yes in Spanish = SI