No10274, Monday 03 Oct 11, Sankalak

ACROSS

1   - Old book about how healthy blood's regenerated (9,4) - DOTHEBOYS HALL* Definition? Is there a book by this name?

9   - With honour, girl gets a goblet (7) - CHALICE {CH}{ALICE}

10 - A big noise is the troop leader, barbarian, reformed red (7) - THUNDER {T}{HUN}{DER*}

11 - A learned unknown trained by Macedonian hero (9) - ALEXANDER {A+LEARNED+X}*

12 - Passive and indolent miner trapped within (5) - INERT [T]

13 - The hardest thing in the body (6) - ENAMEL [CD]

14 - Get together and treat bishop with measles (8) - ASSEMBLE {B+MEASLES}*

17 - Congenial, akin to Lincoln having taken a drop of liquor (8) - LIKEABLE {LIKE}{AB{L}E}

19 - Strong jute fabric, non-white, is getting weaker … (6) - EBBING wEBBING

23 - … but silk fabric is right in a cloak (5) - CRAPE {C{R}APE}

25 - Vain, aloof rambling is useless (2,2,5) - OF NO AVAIL*

26 - More clamorous (7) - NOISIER [E]

27 - Clutching returned visa, girl is devious (7) - EVASIVE {EV{ASIV<-}E}

28 - 1000 little ones, they are part of a family (13) - GRANDCHILDREN {GRAND}{CHILDREN)

DOWN

1   - Stop batting, say? (7) - DECLARE [DD]

2   - Maruti maybe, or Maybach? (9) - TRADEMARK [CD]

3   - Leave the country without a trace of grief for Dubai, say (7) - EMIRATE EMIgRATE

4   - Exaggerate about the same in brief (6) - OVERDO {OVER}{DO}

5   - Posed with girl (English) to mock (8) - SATIRISE {SAT}{IRIS}{E}

6   - One, born suave, turns rude (7) - ABUSIVE {I+B+SUAVE}*

7   - Large advantage derived from projection (5) - LEDGE {L}{EDGE}

8   - Posh, better-designed lab item (7) - BURETTE {U+BETTER}*

15 - General officer on sailing ship gets a rough ride (9) - BRIGADIER {BRIG}{A}{DIER*} In the Indian Army he is still a field officer, General officers start from Major General onwards.

16 - Deep colour, not of aristocratic origin? (5-3) - BLOOD-RED [DD]

17 - Swindle in U.S. city, one caught using few words (7) - LACONIC {LA}{CON}{I}{C}

18 - Country to which a master carries cooked rice (7) - AMERICA {A}{M{ERIC*}A}

20 - British notice on law-breaking tool (7) - BRADAWL {BR}{AD}{AWL*}

21 - Ship going to Sri Lanka city in action (7) - GALLEON {GALLE}{ON}

22 - The men she struggles to entangle! (6) - ENMESH*

24 - Imitating and losing time in recording (5) - APING tAPING

GRID

No 2654, Sunday 02 Oct 11

ACROSS
1   - Insect attracting bird and fish (9) - {COCK}{ROACH} COCKROACH
6   - Shrewd copper's note (4) - {CU}{TE} CUTE
8   - Who inspired poetry from Fuller at Oxford? (5) - ERATO [T]
9   - Worker after strong cloth, one with stripes (8) - {SERGE}{ANT} SERGEANT
11 - Society types? (9) - TAHITIANS [CD]
12 - Some spinach on a small piece of tortilla (5) - NACHO [T]
13 - She, girly with frock on, crushed an insect in Alice Through the Looking-Glass (7-5-3) - ROCKING-HORSE-FLY*
17 - What can it mean? (7,8) - ITALIAN VERMOUTH {ITALIAN} {VERMOUTH} Guessed this from the crossings
18 - Look initially at child lock (5) - {L}{AT}{CH} LATCH
20 - A uniform colour (5,4) - OLIVE DRAB [E]
23 - Short foreign side greeted with respect (8) - {CURT}{SIED*} CURTSIED
24 - Leading Greek character (5) - ALPHA [CD]
25 - Dog food (4) - CHOW [DD]
26 - Encouraged US readers abroad (9) - REASSURED*
DOWN
1   - Held fiercest criminal in Derbyshire town (12) - CHESTERFIELD*
2   - A short talk about a church after church dance (3-3-3) - {CH}{A}-{CH{A}-{CH}At} My COD CHA-CHA-CHA
3   - Rubbish round very large hen house (5) - {RO{OS}T} ROOST
4   - Confused sailors often are (2,3) - AT SEA [DD]
5   - Such a prediction may involve one's own house (9) - HOROSCOPE [CD]
6   - Silk dress in mag Hon. Sec. ordered (9) - CHEONGSAM

7   - Medicine to take endlessly (5) - {TO}{NICk} TONIC
10 - Obey top management or be ignored (2,2,3,5) - GO BY THE BOARD [DD]
14 - Girl's eating hot and extremely toothsome western dish (5,4) - {IRIS{H} 'S}{T)(E}{W} IRISH STEW
15 - Boatman, out of work, receives one in Greece (9) - {G{ON DOL{I}E}R} GONDOLIER
16 - Mineral in favourite parlour's fizzy (9) - {F}{LUORSPAR*} FLUORSPAR
19 - Feel better (5) - TOUCH [DD]? Touch up can be better, but just touch?
21 - Home help raised in Asian country (5) - {IN}{DIA<-} INDIA
22 - Archaeologist, knight, brought in ornate vase (5) - {EVA{N}S*} EVANS