No. 12507, Wednesday 26 Dec 2018, Anon

On the whole an 18ac kind of puzzle. A few new words like ARBLAST, BROLGAS, LOGGIA but easily gettable from the wordplay. Nice stories in ENTRAPMENT, MARC, ENTERPRISE, STOCKPILE. Thanks to Anon.

ACROSS
1 Fully grown Oriental shouts about contaminators (11) ADULTERANTS [ADULT + Eastern + RANTS]
9 Criminal in Indian river signals (7) BEACONS [CON inside BEAS]
10 Tribes, unruly, remotest, missing regular urge (6) TOTEMS [REMOTEST - uRgE]*
11 Start to go from causeway to hill (5) RIDGE [bRIDGE]
12 Oddly awry explosion of trebuchet (7) ARBLAST [AwRy + BLAST]

15 Starts a fashion revolution online with hairstyle (4) AFRO [Acrostic]
16 Luring into committing crime, strange pattern overwhelms men (10) ENTRAPMENT [PATTERN* outside MEN]
18 Undemanding elf fosters discord (10) EFFORTLESS [ELF FOSTERS]*
20 Brandy brand, say (4) MARC [~MARK]
23 Crane sibling, at first, lit with petrol (7) BROLGAS [BRO + Lit + GAS]

24 Initially, the impoverished return as a contingent (5) TROOP [The + POOR <=]
26 Soldier in gaol confused by open gallery (6) LOGGIA [GI inside GAOL*]
27 Broad-minded doctor reliable, lacks empathy initially (7) LIBERAL [RELIABLE - Empathy]*
28 Official to even bench right wingers in dining halls (11) REFECTORIES [REF + bEnCh + TORIES]

DOWN
2 Rode south to gatherings (6) DROVES [DROVE + South]
3 Regularly look for ship’s disappearance (4) LOSS [LoOk + SteamShip]
4 Firm // initiative (10) ENTERPRISE [DD]
5 Insect to run away with animal (8) ANTELOPE [ANT + ELOPE]

6 Wild emu sect to expand abnormally (7) TUMESCE [EMU SECT]*
7 Sailor chastises trapped Republican who varies (9) ABERRATES [Able Bodied + BERATES outside Republican] Extra B in wordplay?
8 Look at // goose (6) GANDER [DD]
13 Nasty peacekeepers almost captivate worker (10) UNPLEASANT [UN + PLEASe + ANT]
14 Reserve goods in large quantity (9) STOCKPILE [STOCK + PILE]
17 Introduction for bizarre endless eulogy (8) PROLOGUE [PRO + EULOGy*]

19 Dispensed with one almost in furnace (7) FORGONE [ONe inside FORGE]
21 On ship, sailor takes crooked road (6) ABOARD [Able Bodied + ROAD*]
22 Injure the French at barn (6) STABLE [STAB + LE]
25 Obscure, cut short endorsement (4) BLUR [BLURb]

No.12506, Tuesday 25 Dec 2018, Lightning

Season's greetings to you all. Standing in for Colonel while he is enjoying holidays with his family.

This Christmas day lighting up the daily fix is Lightning with his usual smooth surfaces and uncomplicated wordplays. Liked THEME, RISHI, STRAINER, SHEATH, NAIVE and RAITA.

ACROSS
1 Saint, one protecting a park with foreigner (8) STRANGER [SainT + RANGER]
5 Rushed to check stick missing edges (6) HECTIC [cHECk sTICk]
9 Big lie fabricated left European in fit (8) ELIGIBLE [BIG LIE* + Left + European]
10 Pass nearly lost in water under the bridge (6) BYGONE [BYe? + GONE]
12 Segment of anthem expresses its essence (5) THEME [T]
13 Spell and say it along with civil engineer (9) PRONOUNCE [PRONOUN + Civil Engineer]
14 Intern at the French place of worship (6) TEMPLE [TEMP + LE]
16 Preparing a crop is boring (7) PROSAIC [A CROP IS]*
19 Accountant with knowledge about independent unit (7) CALORIE [CA + LORE outside Independent]
21 Insect’s caught on hard sedimentary rock (6) FLYSCH [FLY'S + Caught + Hard]

23 Solar unit damaged — it does not conduct electricity (9) INSULATOR [SOLAR UNIT]*
25 Gentleman returns greeting of saint (5) RISHI [SIR <= + HI]
26 Suddenly move around old waiting room (6) LOUNGE [LUNGE outside Old]
27 Set of beliefs of liberal institution in area (8) RELIGION [Liberal Institution inside REGION]
28 Flexible for the most part, store energy (6) SUPPLE [SUPPLy + Energy]
29 It could separate second coach (8) STRAINER [Second + TRAINER]

DOWN
1 Warm weather cracks sword’s primary hard case (6) SHEATH [HEAT inside Sword + Hard ]
2 Worried her allies will engage in disruptive behaviour (5,4) RAISE HELL [HER ALLIES]*
3 Lacking experience one enters central part of church (5) NAIVE [1 inside NAVE]
4 Overshadow European Commission with impudence, so exasperating at first (7) ECLIPSE [European Commission + LIP + So Exasperating]
6 Gloomy, yet rephrased history of a word (9) ETYMOLOGY [GLOOMY YET]*
7 Split houses, hospital — it could prick (5) THORN [TORN outside Hospital]
8 Held in mediocre den, ceded to belief (8) CREDENCE [T]
11 Masterstroke by policeman arresting union leader (4) COUP [COP outside Union]
15 Pearl, a gal tampered with lawyer’s assistant (9) PARALEGAL [PEARL A GAL]*
17 Approach revolutionary leader for attainment of rank (9) ACCESSION [ACCESS + NO.1 <=]
18 Unreturnable serves without gradient to one vulnerable at the heel (8) ACHILLES [ACES outside HILL]
20 Second to last chair for food (4) EATS [SEAT with Second at the end]
21 Stir up iron reactor, primarily intended to remove its core (7) FERMENT [FE + Reactor + MEaNT]
22 Top diet of champion without meal (6) DINNER [Diet + wINNER]
24 Puzzle and dismiss batsman this way (5) STUMP [DD]
25 Part of marinara (Italian) dressing (5) RAITA [T]

No 12505, Monday 24 Dec 2018, Incognito

ACROSS
8   Strip and beat (4) BELT [DD]
9   Spore develops into fibrous cords (5)  ROPES*
10 Insect used to be paralysed at first (4) WASP {WAS}{Pa...d}
11 Fight about headless animal (6) COMBAT {C}{wOMBAT}
12 Low chance of sailors capturing a sapper on English ship (8) RARENESS {R{A}{RE}N}{E}{SS}
13 Punch's cuter pup is running around (8) UPPERCUT*
15 Silly Barney's on hand (6) NEARBY*
17 A mite mutates once (3-4) ONE-TIME {ONE}{MITE}*
19 Normally, a South American university’s Head of Architecture is present at the beginning of lecture (2,5) AS USUAL {A}{S}{US}{U}{Ar...e}{Le...e}
22 Second PM of UK gets protection (6) SHEATH {S}{HEATH}
24 Flip fish on highway (8) TURNPIKE {TURN}{PIKE}
26 Make the opponent hit the floor and return. OK? (8) KNOCKOUT {OK<=}
28 Pulses ground with some chilli can be used to make Borscht (6)  THROBS BORScHT*
30 Enters details of blocks of wood (4) LOGS [DD]
31 Entrances founder of famous software company (5) GATES [DD]
32 Glue, taken after a student exits, results in fever (4) AGUE {A}{GlUE}

DOWN
1   At heart, Theron is a male lead in a movie (4) HERO {tHEROn}
2   Pieces of furniture displayed in the street are most steady (8) STABLEST {S{TABLES}T}
3   Commentator: "Kelvin and Earl left playing cricket around one" (6) CRITIC {1} in {CRICkeT}*
4   Special flower containing a bit of tannin produces volatile substances (7) SPIRITS {SP}{IRI{Ta...n}S}
5   Guitarists usually carry these as spare items of underwear (1-7) G-STRINGS [DD]
6   Country's god possesses magical stick (6) RWANDA {R{WAND}A}
7   Takes advantage of United States Employment Service (4) USES [DD]
14 Joke with child: “Make a hole” (5)  PUNCH {PUN}{CH}
16 Colour of sheep standing out from the flock? Half blue, with a cloudy pink at the end (5) BLACK {BLue}{A}{C}{pinK}
18 Master John is confused by girls in game (3-5) MAH-JONGG {MA}{JOHN*}{GG}

20 Extraordinarily strong person's extraordinary surname includes "Prince" (8) SUPERMAN {P} in {SURNAME}*
21 Communicate about Utah law (7) STATUTE  {STAT{UT}E}
23 A county's tax to get entry (6) ACCESS {A}{C}{CESS}
25 Winding street? Try again (6) RETEST*
27 Newton took a couple of eggs with leader of nabobs at midday (4) NOON {N}{OO}{Na...s}
29 But a ring is involved in fight (4) BOUT {B{O}UT}

GRID