No 13334, Tuesday 24 Aug 2021, Skulldugger

Solution to 3D 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.

ACROSS

5   Coaches retinues (6) TRAINS [DD]

6   Terrible person that might give you salmonella (3,3) BAD EGG [DD]

9   A victory party Hyderabad openers kicked off in Central Court (6) ATRIUM {A}{TRIUMph}

10 Loiter about in posh region’s western suburb, intentionally hidden (8) ULTERIOR {U}{LOITER*}{Re...n}

11 How a wild Arabian may be stopped — like this! (4) WHOA* Semi&lit

12 Vice cell to bust individual? On the contrary (10) COLLECTIVE*

13 Incapable of a light touch? (5-6) HEAVY-HANDED [CD]

18 Studies gripping screenplay’s drafts (10) CONSCRIPTS {CON}{SCRIPTS} (Correction - {CON{SCRIPT}S} - See comments)

21 Partially returned dragon’s smack (4) SNOG [T<=]

22 Mysterious ritualism left out in trattoria treat (8) TIRAMISU RITUAlISM*

23 Infrequent panics, in a manner of speaking (6) SCARCE (~scares)

24 Freeload off alcoholic (6) SPONGE [DD]

25 Staff accommodating, nearly ingratiating at first, to setter, among others (6) CANINE {CA{Ne...y}{In...g}NE}

DOWN

1   Mixture of oils and spices concocted in a dream (8) MARINADE*

2   Coming off as enigmatic (6) GNOMIC*

3   Find fault with the baroness’s core group of illustrious people (8) ?A?T?E?N (Addendum - PANTHEON {PAN}{THE}{barONess} - See comments)

4   Sorrowful feeling for feathered creature after summer’s end (6) REGRET {EGRET}<=>{s...eR}

5   Crusty as your old cakes and so on (6) TETCHY [CD] (Addendum - {T{ETC}HY} - See comments)

7   Inspect railway going up channel (6) GROOVE G(+r)RO OVE(-r)

8   Abandon a project, turn off life support (4,3,4) PULL THE PLUG [DD]

14 Very eager, excited, employing twice as many words (8) VERBIAGE {V}{ER{BI}AGE*}

15 Jumping for joy, extremely energetic tops staying inert (8) ECSTATIC {En...iC}{STATIC}

16 Blood libels regularly resulted in corpses (6) BODIES {BlOoD+lIbElS}

17 You got me to extol the virtues of head cook endlessly (6) TOUCHE {TO}{U}{CHEf} U/Virtues?

19 Salt in track discovered south of water body (3,3) SEA DOG {DOG}<=>{SEA}

20 Walk ostentatiously around tree, for example (6) SASHAY {S{ASH}AY}

Reference List

Posh = U, Left = L, Railway = R 

No 13299, Wednesday 14 Jul 2021, Skulldugger

Solution to 15A 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.

Paper says Vulcan but I think this is by Skulldugger!!

ACROSS

1   Slave girl acting very uppity (6) VASSAL {LASS}{A}{V}<=

4   Spooner’s allowed sharp projection for price of flying! (3,3) JET LAG (~ let jag)

9   Formerly fractionally ensconced (4) ONCE [T]

10 Meaning found here in city road development (10) DICTIONARY*

11 Regularly seen in first class assembly (6) PLENUM {PL{sEeN}UM}

12 Exposed duke’s man in disguise (8) UNMASKED*

13 Corrupt chairmen essentially toyed with well-oiled system (9) MACHINERY {CHAIRMEN}*{toYed}

15 Hand over this at a fast clip in disheartening inaugural (4) ?I?T (Addendum - FIST FIrST - See comments)

16 Technique employed by the French traitor (4) MOLE {MO}{LE}

17 Hesitation twice expressed by mature two-timer (9) ADULTERER {ER}{ER}<=>{ADULT}

21 Every article by grad student a detested thing (8) ANATHEMA {AN}{A}{THE}{MA}

22 In jail, he ensures you don’t wander about (6) WARDEN* &lit

24 Mass erupts frenziedly to meet standards (4,6) PASS MUSTER*

25 Money lodged to release bundle of hay reportedly (4) BAIL (~bale)

26 Party person loses head at religious festival (6) EASTER fEASTER

27 Unforeseen developments as tornados destroyed hospital ward (6) TWISTS TWISTerS

DOWN

1   Plain article in luxurious residence (7) VANILLA {V{AN}ILLA}

2   A bit of yarn with exquisite finish wrapped up in membrane (5) SKEIN {SK{e...tE}IN}

3   Ill portent when bass dropped once in the middle section (7) ABDOMEN (-b)A(+b)BD OMEN

5   Gamine poses riddle (6) ENIGMA*

6   Small-minded municipality chiefs dismissed after drubbing in emphatic election result (9) LANDSLIDE {SmALLmINDED}*

7   Chap dresses body part with this (7) GARMENT {G{ARM}ENT} &lit

8   Teaching assistant quite scared to alter an affinity gained by experience (8,5)  ACQUIRED TASTE {TA+QUITE+SCARED}*

14 Bad odour from opening at sea? Hoist sail (9) HALITOSIS*

16 Frenchman on a French dog: “Not great, quite ordinary” (7) MUNDANE {M}{UN}{greatDANE}

18 Uncultured Republican ousting southern-most Liberal in unsportsmanlike act (7) LOWBROW LOWB(-l+r)ROW

19 Hennaed maidens periodically captured by the opposition (7) ENEMIES {hEnNaEd+MaIdEnS}

20 Bird (goose originally) the Spanish served up with lentil (6) LEGUME {EMU}{Go..e}{EL}<=

23 Puzzle inspired by macabre business (5) REBUS [T]

Reference List

Acting = A, Very = V, Technique = MO(Modus operandi), The in French = LE, Bass = B, Teaching assistant = TA, Frenchman = M, A in French = UN, Republican = R, Liberal = L, The in SPanish = EL

No 13189, Monday 08 Mar 2021, Skuldugger

Solution to 16D 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.

ACROSS

1   Enlightens polite hipsters every so often (9) CIVILISES {CIVIL}{hIpStErS}

6   Cloak for head (4) CAPE [DD]

8   Strongman almost pulverised small unit (8) ANGSTROM STRONGMAn*

9   Don sackcloth and ashes and tear around Peru (6) REPENT {RE{PE}NT}

10 Rodeo that cowmen bulldozed signified return to reality (4,4,2,5) COME DOWN TO EARTH*

11 Innards of farm animals, livestock primarily (5) OFFAL {OF}{Farm}{An...s}{Li...k}

13 Current government controlling houses (8) REIGNING [DD] (Addendum - {REI{G}NING} - See comments)

15 Illicit drawings German institute acquired after manipulating tariff (8) GRAFFITI {G}{TARIFF*}{I}

18 Snake seen off and on in tree (5) ASPEN {ASP}{sEeN}

20 Collect donations from unorthodox Pharaoh’s student (4,3,3,5) PASS THE HAT ROUND*

23 First cake Alice baked for gluten-intolerant chap (6) CELIAC {Cake}{ALICE*}

24 Dramatic skits ran in old language (8) SANSKRIT*

25 Small matter for an associate of Dick and Harry (4) ATOM {A}{TOM}

26 Prince alluded to being held in high esteem (9) PREFERRED {P}{REFERRED}

DOWN

1   Kind of optimistic attitude exhibited by 50% of canids (dogs) (3-2) CAN-DO {CANids}{DOgs}

2   Run-down vicars without energy, guts (7) VISCERA {VISC{E}RA*}

3   Slow and dignified mythical ship at bottom of lake (5) LARGO {ARGO}<=>{L}

4   Lecture in future minister’s preparatory cut short (7) SEMINAR SEMINARy

5   Cynical of advanced experimentation into using sound waves (8) SARDONIC {S{ARD}ONIC}

6   Paint splatter under accountant’s head (7) CAPTAIN {PAINT*}<=>{CA}

7   Regret informal night surrounded by money (9) PENITENCE {PE{NITE}NCE}

12 Meant to wander under steadfast sky (9) FIRMAMENT {MEANT*}<=>{FIRM}

14 Post-date suggestion involving throwing back booze and animated chat with Penny (8) NIGHTCAP {GIN<=}{CHAT*}{P}

16 Mussolini’s system for division to leave Hungary after France advanced (7) F?S?I?M (Addendum - FASCISM - {SChISM}<=>{F}{A} - See comments))

17 Repent at leisure if you act thus, proverbially (2,5) IN HASTE [CD]

19 Rude gesture by queen in pool (7) SNOOKER {SNOOK}{ER}

21 Wingless wasp’s colour (5) TINGE sTINGEr

22 Diana bewitched water nymph (5) NAIAD*

Reference List

Government = G, German = G, Institute = I, Prince = P, Energy = E, Lake = L, Penny = P, Hungary = H, France = F, Advanced = A, Queen = ER 

No 13163, Friday 05 Feb 2021, Skulldugger

RULES FOR POSTING COMMENTS ON FRIDAYS ONLY

All those who are not regular commenters but who are rookie commenters or silent followers of the blog are requested to post answers with annotations in the comments section. In your own interest please avoid looking up the answers from the interactive version. Don't hesitate to post your annotations, in case you make a mistake in the annotation someone will correct it with the right annotation.

PLEASE NOTE, SOLUTIONS WITHOUT ATTEMPTING THE ANNOTATIONS WILL BE DELETED

Each commenter is requested to post only 5 answers thereby giving others also a chance to participate. Please provide all your answers in one comment.

Regular solvers/Veterans can post 1 answer each, but after 11 AM only

The regular blog will replace the clues at 4 PM.

Thanks for the response, here's the regular blog.

ACROSS

5   Penetrating government circles (6) GORING {G}{O}{RING}

6   More or less self-possessed presenter needing no introduction (6) ALMOST {cALM}{hOST}

9   Creature’s very energy absorbed by other creature (6) BEAVER {BEA{V}{E}R}

10 Studying about person of unusual beauty (8) REVISION {RE}{VISION}

11 Smile for broadcast (4) BEAM [DD]

12 Impart real potential before walking down the aisle (10) PREMARITAL*

13 Squeezing tenants slim with monthly payments, for instance (11) INSTALMENTS*

18 Write paper after turning spy (10) WIRETAPPER*

21 Upset about love (4) EROS<=

22 Scam here perhaps? How would I know? (6,2) SEARCH ME*

23 Bath accessory smuggled in through a foolhardy insurgent (6) LOOFAH [T<=]

24 Mostly traipse about with Malayan mammals (6) TAPIRS TRAIPSe*

25 Retrograde prison part of extremely lousy inheritance (6) LEGACY {Lous{CAGE<=}Y}

DOWN

1   Top Valencia manager dealt with most serious part of complaint (8) GRAVAMEN {Va...a+MANAGER}*

2   Beguile retiring colleague no end (6) ENTRAP PARTNEr<=

3   Advanced evil bot programmed to go on and on (8) BLOVIATE {A+EVIL+BOT}*

4   Tiny tree for me, an elitist from the South (6) BONSAI {I}{A}{SNOB}<=

5   Old man’s expressions of annoyance and hesitation (6) GEEZER {GEEZ}{ER}

7   Taboo violated by duke. What a pity! (3,3) TOO BAD {TABOO*}{D}

8   Momentary slips causing wardrobe malfunctions? (5,6) BRIEF LAPSES {BRIEF}{LAPSES}

14 Careers featuring revolutionary dons (8) TEACHERS {TEA{CHE}RS}

15 The best boat sails on a regular basis, avoiding strong waters (8) TEETOTAL {ThE+bEsT+bOaT+sAiLs}

16 Reserved like gin in champagne! (6) SILENT Definition by example

17 Scientific discipline leading baker brought back to a US city (6) BOTANY {Ba..r}{TO A<=}{NY}

19 Debauched roué, odd peer, Spaniards, Croatians found here (6) EUROPE {ROUE*}{PeEr}

20 Support opinion initially neglected by Republican leader (6) RELIEF {Re...n}{bELIEF}

Reference List

Government = G, Very = V, Energy = E, About = RE, Advanced = A, Duke = D

No 13132, Wednesday 30 Dec 2020, Skulldugger

Solution to 13A 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.

ACROSS

1   Issue involving 101 heirs (6) SCIONS {S{C}{1}ONS}

4   Lawrence to support uprising for sure (3,3) YOU BET {TE}{BUOY}<=

9   Small-scale criticism (4) FLAK FLAKe

10 Chemical weapon Territorial Army guards misused in Mississippi (7,3) MUSTARD GAS {TA+GUARDS}* in {MS}

11 Frank is able and accomplished (6) CANDID {CAN}{DID}

12 Institute’s new member (8) INITIATE [DD]

13 Political factions overwhelming Sri Lanka. Crumbs! (9) ?A?T?C?E? (Addendum - PARTICLES {PARTI{CL}ES} - See comments)

15 Shift cooler (4) STIR [DD]

16 Snow is acceptable in these times (4) COKE {C{OK}E}

17 Bad sentry harassed onlooker (9) BYSTANDER*

21 Unorthodox priest embraced by high school cool cats (8) HIPSTERS {H{PRIEST*}S}

22 Employ language used here for short time (6) ENGAGE {ENG}{AGE}

24 Funny U.S. comedian stingy with the truth (10) MENDACIOUS*

25 Gather swarm from the East (4) MEET<=

26 She doesn’t turn up for food. That hurts! (2-4) NO-SHOW {NOSH}{OW}

27 Captured fearful Camelot maiden supplanted by knight (6) SNARED S(-c+n)NARED

DOWN

1   Fruit for royal consort (7) SULTANA [DD]

2   Exasperated, she nearly quit, neglected responsibility (5) IRKED shIRKED

3   Middlemen quit daemonic organisation, unsettled (7) NOMADIC DAeMONIC*

5   Cook a pistachio’s innards for African creatures (6) OKAPIS [T]

6   Game involving birds! (9) BADMINTON [CD]

7   She defects with traditional bread technique from the South (7) TRAITOR {ROTI}{ART}<=

8   Probably takes on a silly avatar (2,6,2,3) AS LIKELY AS NOT*

14 Consider Arsenal and Chelsea, say, but favour one over the other (4,5) TAKE SIDES {TAKE}{SIDES}

16 High Court ordered illegal alien to become Santiago resident (7) CHILEAN {HC*}{ALIEN*}

18 Diabolical senator’s duplicity (7) TREASON*

19 Intellectual like Humpty Dumpty? (7) EGGHEAD [DD]

20 Fastening material for straying lover beginning to cheat (6) VELCRO {LOVER+Ch..t}*

23 Less cowardly RPG enthusiast (5) GAMER [DD]

Reference List

100 = C, Lawrence = TE. Mississippi = MS, These times = CE, Knight = N

 

No 13060, Wednesday 07 Oct 2020, Skulldugger

Solution to 18A 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.

ACROSS
1   Lady friend whisked to a marina (9) INAMORATA*
6   Warm club closing early on fourth of July (4) COSY {COSh}{julY}
8   Foolishly tackle a bishop in Darjeeling, perhaps (5,3) BLACK TEA {TACKLE+A+B}*

9   Propositions he’s set on dismantling (6) THESES*
10 Woods, farm closed off by imminent danger (5,2,8) SWORD OF DAMOCLES*
11 Poetry’s not as good when read aloud (5) VERSE (~worse)
13 Idea professor’s aide snuck into writing system (8) NOTATION {NO{TA}TION}
15 Cadet misbehaved! (5,3) ACTED OUT {CADET}* [RA]
18 Plumb vertically (5) ?H?E? (Addendum - SHEER [DD] - See comments)
20 Mischievous person, liar, smuggled fentanyl; ultimately, it ended up at gallows (15) FLIBBERTIGIBBET {F{f...yL}IBBER}{IT<=}{GIBBET}
23 Bones, antlers left out carelessly (6) STERNA {ANTlERS}*
24 Doing a volte-face on issue? Never mind (2,6) NO MATTER {ON<=}{MATTER}
25 Dynamism amidst lugubriousness (4) BRIO [T]
26 Captivated with heated CNN ruckus (9) ENCHANTED*

DOWN
1   Heartily find flaws in relative (2-3) IN-LAW {fINd+fLAWs}
2   Grants contracts (7) ACCORDS [DD]
3   Transcend alfresco party (5) OUTDO {OUT}{DO}
4   Recklessness with live music? (7) ABANDON {A BAND ON}
5   Matt’s pet, Goofy, has a go (8) ATTEMPTS*
6   Team laid off in shock transformation strategy (4,3) CREW CUT {CREW}{CUT}
7   Dock worker’s severed toe almost fixed (9) STEVEDORE {SEVERED+TOe}*
12 You might get a rise out of it! (9) ESCALATOR [CD]
14 She sort of left homesteader convulsing in chair (8) MODERATE {hOMesTEADER}*
16 Obstruction business scholar passed through consequently (7) EMBARGO {E{MBA}RGO}
17 Huge mongrel in attic (7) TITANIC*
19 Slightly overwhelmed by bowler, perhaps in home turf (7) HABITAT {H{A BIT}AT}
21 Magma formation that’s found just before delta (5) GAMMA*
22 Deplorable men do somewhat improve (5) EMEND [T]

Reference List

Bishop = B, Left = L

No 13032, Friday 04 Sep 2020, Skulldugger

RULES FOR POSTING COMMENTS ON FRIDAYS ONLY

All those who are not regular commenters but who are rookie commenters or silent followers of the blog are requested to post answers with annotations in the comments section. In your own interest please avoid looking up the answers from the interactive version. Don't hesitate to post your annotations, in case you make a mistake in the annotation someone will correct it with the right annotation.

PLEASE NOTE, SOLUTIONS WITHOUT ATTEMPTING THE ANNOTATIONS WILL BE DELETED

Each commenter is requested to post only 5 answers thereby giving others also a chance to participate. Please provide all your answers in one comment.

Regular solvers/Veterans can post 1 answer each, but after 11 AM only

The regular blog will replace the clues at 4 PM.

Thanks for the response, here's the regular blog.

ACROSS
5   After vacation, dress code ignored in ball outfit (6) LIVERY deLIVERY
6   Is able to reproduce appetiser (6) CANAPE {CAN}{APE}

9   Stops going off to bars (6) ABORTS*
10 Hang around in exotic maidens’ unmentionables (8) LINGERIE {LINGER}{In}{Ex...c}
11 Fantastic beast still independent (4) YETI {YET}{I}
12 Insensitive nutcases and nincompoops (10) NUMBSKULLS {NUMB}{SKULLS}
13 Manage a limo, develop narcissistic personality disorder (11) MEGALOMANIA*
18 Birds flying past margin (10) PTARMIGANS*

21 Excellent base (4) MEAN [DD?]
22 Modern perception presidents ignored catastrophically (8) NEOTERIC {pERCEpTION}*
23 Fired drunk (6) CANNED [DD]
24 Comedy routine in small boat (6) SKETCH {S}{KETCH}
25 Badger and hound (6) PESTER [E]

DOWN
1   More income by and by (8) OVERTIME [DD]
2   Every so often, permit child porridge (6) PRISON {PeRmIt}{SON}
3   White chemical substance derived from Asian gem (8) MAGNESIA*
4   Mark-up on revolutionary Gulf country’s dessert (6) GATEAU {TAG<=}{UAE<=}
5   Heaved novice and alumnus onto garden plot (6) LOBBED {L}{OB}{BED}
7   Capable of being polished off and put away! (6) EDIBLE [CD]
8   Exuberance represented by a flamenco (11) FLAMBOYANCE*
14 Trippy stoner music? (4,4) ACID ROCK {ACID}{ROCK}
15 Exemption for married Frenchman breaching international accord (8) IMMUNITY {M}{M} in {I}{UNITY}
16 Unrestrained, extremely eager, singular creatures (6) OTTERS {OTT}{EageR}{S}

17 Rush wildly through one’s life’s work (6) CAREER [DD]
19 Corrupt internet torrent partially backed up (6) ROTTEN [T<=]
20 Almost ooze confidence (6) SECRET SECRETe

Reference List

Independent = I, President = P, Small = S, Novice = L, Alumnus = OB(Old Boy), Married = M, Frenchman = M, International = I,  Unrestrained = OTT(Over the top), Singular = S

Dr RKE's TalePiece

Norbu Dorje was leading Daniel Taylor on the slopes near the Menlung Glacier. Taylor, an American, who had made it his CAREER to explore wildlife. He was here in the Himalayas to unlock the SECRET of the YETI, a search that had been mounted by several explorers since the giant footprint in ice, photographed by Eric Shipton in 1951 was published. They had had little to eat since the CANNED beans they had carried had become ROTTEN and unEDIBLE, unusual for the cold weather. All Taylor could do was to eat the tasty CANAPE and GATEAU which were only in his mind’s eyes. Dorje had caught a white grouse and said he could curry it for dinner. “Is it a PTARMIGAN” asked Taylor. Dorje said “I don’t know what a ptarmigan MEANs but this is a snowcock”.  

By noon, they were famished and rested in a hollow. Dorje started telling one of his usual tales about a NUMBSKULL Sherpa, who had declared once with FLAMBOYANCE about how he had escaped from the Drapchi PRISON (none had actually managed it so far) . OVER TIME, they grew weary of the search and were about to give up their quest when Taylor spotted a big hollow in the rock. “Am I imagining it or does it actually look like the abominable snowman’s foot?” He went closer and there were the unmistakable marks of the front paw with a separate thumb. He exclaimed “Norbu, we have found it, we have found it”. Norbu knew well that such hollows were caused by the ACIDic water containing MAGNESIA dripping through the cave but he had nothing to gain by dumbing down the enthusiasm of the NEOTERIC American.  “Take photo and let the world know” was all he said. After all, the wise old Thumpa Lobsang has said “there is nothing called absolute truth, only relative truth”

No 12968, Monday 22 Jun 2020, Skulldugger

Solution to 24A 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.

ACROSS
1   Dull dog running amok in filthy place (6) STODGY {ST{DOG*}Y}
4   Scolding sailor (6) RATING [DD]
9   Bond secured by banknotes (4) KNOT [T]
10 Saw repair easily done (4,4,2) LAID EYES ON*
11 Mystical symbol found in British island or Asian territory (6) BRUNEI {B}{RUNE}{I}

12 Central principle in toy seen by Kirkpatrick (8) KEYSTONE {Ki...k}{TOY+SEEN}* What is the Anind?
13 Love poems by loony lasses overwhelmed regent (9) MADRIGALS {MAD}{RI}{GALS} RI/Regent?
15 Exploits laws (4) ACTS [DD]
16 Reddish-purple benches for the audience (4) PUCE (~pews)
17 Attractive-looking after side change (9) APPEALING APPEA(-r+l)LING
21 Rum label redesigned for protection (8) UMBRELLA*
22 Revolutionary’s stone-filled coffers (6) CHESTS {CHE{ST}S}
24 Winters when the bear’s in limbo (10) ?I?E?N?T?S  (Addendum - HIBERNATES* &lit- See comments)
25 Jagged hill by mountain side (4) TORN {TOR}{m...iN}
26 Understood right away and spoke breathlessly (6) GASPED GrASPED
27 Nation is legitimate after a promotion (6) ISRAEL {IS}{R(+a)AE(-a)L}

DOWN
1   Crooned revolutionary tune with drink (7) SANGRIA {SANG}{AIR<=}
2   Regularly decimal! (5) OFTEN {OF TEN}
3   Unmanned horse! (7) GELDING [CD]
5   Primate from Madagascar? Yes, indeed (3-3) AYE-AYE {AYE}{AYE}

6   Foreign dialect is not at all dissimilar (9) IDENTICAL {DIALECT+IN}* Is or In?Seems to be an error here
7   Dogs run amok in estate surroundings (7) GROUNDS*
8   Lens kit largely happens to improve boozy visions (4,9) PINK ELEPHANTS {LENS+KIT+HAPPENs}*
14 Archivists’ instruments (9) RECORDERS [CD]
16 Persistently questioning ditching duke for prince (7) PUMPING (-d+p)PUMPING
18 Tolerates old flame’s pointless bad language (7) EXCUSES {EX}{CUsSES}
19 North-flowing brown river not man-made (7) NATURAL {TAN<=}{URAL}
20 Deflect German weapon (6) GLANCE {G}{LANCE}
23 Outside art retrospective by person in Bollywood scene (5) EXTRA {EX}{ART<=}

Reference List
British = B, Island = I, Side = L,R, Stone = ST, Right = R, Duke = D, Prince = P, Old flame = EX, German = G

Dr RKE's TalePiece

No tale today as the Dr is busy

No 12935, Thursday 14 May 2020, Skulldugger

Day 51 of 54 Stay safe at home

Solution to 11A 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.

ACROSS
1   Epic flare blazed here (9) FIREPLACE* Semi&lit
6   Defeat with sword (4) FOIL [DD]
8   Vehicles for stretch of land or seafront (8) TRACTORS {TRACT}{OR}{Sea}
9   Showing strength, English replacing top midfielders, score four times (6) EIGHTY (-m+e)EIGHTY
10 Blow your top? On the contrary, retain your garment (4,4,5,2) KEEP YOUR SHIRT ON (opposite of LOSE YOUR SHIRT)
11 Knockout for upper class society fiend (5) ?E?S? (Addendum - BEAST BEA(-u+s)ST - See comments)
13 Old fogey in Sun Radio broadcast (8) DINOSAUR*
15 Upstanding vicar let off (8) VERTICAL*
18 Essentially leased foyers, patio until now (2,3) AS YET {leASed}{foYErs}{paTio}
20 A pleasing tool to deploy for someone who brings up the past! (15) PALAEONTOLOGIST*
23 Revolutionary game nicely captured; pictures shown here (6) CINEMA [T<=]
24 Superficial kiss in unchanging environment (8) EXTERNAL {E{X}TERNAL}
25 Goals in finals (4) ENDS [DD]
26 Cheeky send-ups senior newspaperman put on ice (9) SUSPENDED {SEND+UPS}*{ED}

DOWN
1   Army’s strength (5) FORCE [DD]
2   Directions for research taking impressive turn (7) RECIPES {RE{EPIC<=}S}
3   Still a bit of light? Not quite (5) PHOTO PHOTOn
4   Confident after the first crusade’s devastation (7) ASSURED cRUSADES*
5   Hen leapt around with toothsome creature! (8) ELEPHANT*
6   Shapes in mathematics (7) FIGURES [CD]
7   Put forward ingenious reduction (9) INTRODUCE*
12 Initially rejected exhibition, with very liberal trading, achieves promotion (9) ELEVATION rE(-v+l)LE(-l+v)VATION
14 Ascot Bar’s rum tumblers (8) ACROBATS*
16 Eliot incorporated enthusiastic long passages (7) TRAVELS {T{RAVE}{L}S}
17 Landlords’ correspondence (7) LETTERS [DD]
19 Sweetened, spiked drugs with apple skin (7) SUGARED {DRUGS+ApplE}*
21 Bit of water, say, in fertile region from the South (5) LITRE [T<=]
22 Be on your feet or stomach (5) STAND [DD]

Reference List
English = E, Upper class = U, Society = S, Kiss = X, Very = V, Liberal = L, Long = L

Dr RKE's 100th TalePiece

Sometime in the EIGHTIES (1980s),  the workers of a cement company who were digging up with TRACTORS for limestone near Balasinor, Gujarat, turned up some peculiar objects. These were passed on to the Geological Survey of India and a discerning geologist there identified them as fossil DINOSAUR eggs. The geologist teamed up with a PALAEONTOLOGIST and carried out more lateral and VERTICAL explorations of the area and along the ELEVATIONs on the banks of the Narmada. Their efforts were FOILed by the monsoon and the mission was temporarily SUSPENDED. They returned 3 years later and were able to get some PHOTOs of fossilized footprints much larger than an ELEPHANT's. What they needed was the find of fossil bones to identify the BEAST. A series of LETTERS were exchanged between the Indian team and the famous Dino Digger, Prof. Jeffrey A Wilson of Michigan around the turn of the CENTURY. 

The American professor, appropriately nicknamed JAW, TRAVELled down to the exploration area in 2002. He INTRODUCED advanced technique and equipment, AS YET unavailable here. His experience and the diligence of the Indian scientists was a RECIPE for ASSURED success. They unearthed the world's largest dino nesting site and some eggs were said to have held 2.5 LITREs of yolk! They chanced upon skull, vertebral, leg and jaw bone fossils to be able to identify the first Indian dinosaur. They were able to reconstruct FIGURES of the giant predator, that showed it to be 2-3 metres tall while STANDing on all fours and 6-11 metres long from head END to the tail tip. Its EXTERNAL features could only be guessed but were thought to be close  to dinos from Madagascar and South America, as all these were probably a single land mass in the mesozoic era. Their jaw bones indicated that they would have crushed thier prey with an enormous FORCE. They gave the Indian dinosaur a nice Indian sounding name- Rajasaurus narmadensis.The place where they were found near Balasinor, Gujarat is called the Jurassic Park of India, after the Spielberg movie that ran to packed houses in Indian CINEMAs in the 90's.  

No 12902, Monday 06 Apr 2020, Skulldugger

Day 13 of 21 Stay Safe at home

Some nicely hidden anagrams today.

ACROSS
5   Recluse to ignore a thing’s trading limits (4-2) SHUT-IN SHUtTINg* (Addendum - SHU(-n+t)T-I(-t+n)N - See comments)
6   Coming out pithily expressed (6) GNOMIC*
9   Charged policemen for being odious (6) RANCID {RAN}{CID}
10 Neighbourhood in old city all decked out (8) LOCALITY*
11 Fellow gobbled up bread spread (4) FETA {F}{ATE<=}

12 She might tie you up in knots! (10) DOMINATRIX [CD]
13 Swiping for thrills and spills like a man smuggling illegal pot (11) KLEPTOMANIA {LIKE+A+MAN}* over {POT}*
18 Sick maiden at LA ranch treated by self-proclaimed physicians (10) CHARLATANS {Sick+AT+LA+RANCH}*
21 Promise grain for horses with lisp (4) OATH (~ oats)
22 Overwrought interface wants a redesign (8) FRENETIC INTERFaCE* [CA]
23 Bore old woman’s bed-mate! (6) PILLOW {PILL}{O}{W}
24 Bureau’s power to act (6) AGENCY [DD]
25 Spiritual calling! (6) SEANCE [CD]

DOWN
1   Turning up at fight (boxing championship inaugural) from bar-hopping (3-5) PUB-CRAWL {UP<=}{B{Ch...p}RAWL}
2   Glossed over, flagrantly lied in grand case (6) GILDED {Gra{LIED*}nD}
3   Creature in a Canon ad broadcast (8) ANACONDA*

4   Fetish you tolerate after morning (6) AMULET {AM}{U}{LET}
5   Drivel from someone known for manhandling! (6) SLAVER [DD]
7   Tom loves this anti-PC establishment (6) CATNIP*

8   Showiness in peregrine falcon, maybe (11) FLAMBOYANCE*
14 Dry-run for performance (8) PRACTICE [DD]
15 Seaweed around beluga, ginger essences that promotes respiration (4,4) IRON LUNG {NORI<=}{beLUga}{giNGer}

16 Mountaineer assesses her pack’s contents (6) SHERPA [T]
17 Mark's achievement (6) STROKE [DD]
19 Forest official in peril runs for aid finally (6) RANGER (-d+r)RANGER
20 Food for drinker! (6) SUPPER [DD]

Reference List
Fellow = F, Old = O, Woman = W, Run = R

Dr RKE's TalePiece

People are SHUT IN their houses in our LOCALITY due to the COVID outbreak. My neurosurgical PRACTICE is low as there are hardly any traffic accidents. One reason is that tipplers can no longer PUB CRAWL. I still have to go to hospital to attend emergency cases of STROKE, while everyone else is at home. After all, as a doctor I have taken the Hippocratic OATH. We are worried that given the shortage of ventilators, we might have to go back to the good old IRON LUNG. Of course, every  AGENCY of the government has been pressed into FRENETIC service on a war-footing to contain the scourge.

I reached home hungry last night for a late SUPPER. Due to the power outage the FETA from the fridge had turned RANCID and I had to eat plain bread. Fed up with the depressing news from the TV news channels, I turned to Animal Planet channel, for a show on an ANACONDA  being caught by a RANGER in the Amazon forest. Propped up on a PILLOW,  I lazily switched channels and landed in a tele-shopping channel, where CHARLATANS were selling a GILDED AMULET,  that would ward off the coronavirus! I must admit that they did it with FLAMBOYANCE

No 12870, Friday 28 Feb 2020, Skulldugger

RULES FOR POSTING COMMENTS ON FRIDAYS ONLY

All those who are not regular commenters but who are rookie commenters or silent followers of the blog are requested to post answers with annotations in the comments section. In your own interest please avoid looking up the answers from the interactive version. Don't hesitate to post your annotations, in case you make a mistake in the annotation someone will correct it with the right annotation.

PLEASE NOTE, SOLUTIONS WITHOUT ATTEMPTING THE ANNOTATIONS WILL BE DELETED

Each commenter is requested to post only 5 answers thereby giving others also a chance to participate. Please provide all your answers in one comment.

Regular solvers/Veterans can post 1 answer each, but after 11 AM only

The regular blog will replace the clues at 4 PM.

Thanks for the response, here's the regular blog.

ACROSS
1   Legal officer taken in by woman’s loss (6) DAMAGE {DAM{AG}E}
4   Get used to Bill’s hanging around flat (6) ADAPTS {AD{APT}S}
9   Foxtrot on the heels of this resounding tone (4) ECHO [DD]
10 Fail to pull out useful scrabble tile (4,1,5) DRAW A BLANK {DRAW}{A BLANK}
11 Jack’s doctor is inattentive (6) ABSENT {ABS}{ENT}
12 Warship incapable of being penetrated by cold rain at sea (8) IRONCLAD*
13 Speak contemptuously of domesticated lamb mixing with wild sheep (9) BLASPHEME {LAMB+SHEEP}*
15 Nice pals in Guam island (4) AMIS [T]
16 Cutback for presses! (4) PINS<=
17 Thespian essentially concerned with maturity as a function of intelligence (9) ESPIONAGE {thESPIan}{ON}{AGE}
21 Posh officer groomed by hairstylist (8) COIFFEUR {U+OFFICER}*
22 Moderator’s university supplanted by European conglomerate (6) EMPIRE (-u+e)EMPIRE
24 Waffle design hero developed framed by artist (10) LOGORRHOEA  LOGORRHOEA {LOGO}{R{HERO*}A}
25 Colt for a stick-up (4) ARAB {A}{BAR<=}
26 Go steady so far (2,4) TO DATE {TO}{DATE}
27 Secretary position temporarily free (6) PAROLE {PA}{ROLE}

DOWN
1   Unit of volume! (7) DECIBEL [E]
2   Low, extremely secretive creature (5) MOOSE {MOO}{Se...vE}
3   Maker removed roof off cage to halve expenses (2,5) GO DUTCH {GOD}{hUTCH}
5   Monster to persist (6) DRAGON {DRAG ON}
6   Law enforcers, professional killers pursuing American politician (9) POLICEMEN {ICEMEN}<=>{POL}
7   Footwear made of wood and string originally (7) SANDALS {SANDAL}St...g}
8   Rico hugs momma, tripping on hallucinogen (5,8) MAGIC MUSHROOM*
14 Fig adorns sculpture with poise (9) SANGFROID*
16 Religious leader dispersed troops around Vatican city (7) PROVOST {PRO{V}OST*}
18 Picked up flour arrangement in a bake off! (7) IKEBANA* (Flour arrangement ~ flower arrangement)
19 Hamburger with cheese ultimately appropriate (7) GERMANE {GERMAN}{c...sE}
20 Hunt animal(6) FERRET [DD]
23 Optimal info regularly typed out with keyboard (5) PIANO {oPtImAl+iNfO}

Reference List
Bills = ADS, Jack = AB, Posh = U, University = U, European = E, Artist = RA, Low = MOO, Vatican = V

No 12838, Wednesday 22 Jan 2020, Skulldugger

ACROSS
1   Patience for American hard rock (9) SOLITAIRE [DD]
6   Image shared on the internet by two setters (4) MEME {ME}{ME}
8   Ruins buckets (8) SCUTTLES [DD]
9   Improve heartless children with therapy (6) ENRICH CHIldREN*
10 Explosive TV comic took a lot out of context (7,8) MOLOTOV COCKTAIL*
11 Exhausted priest dispatched boxes (5) SPENT {S{P}ENT}
13 Poems by Southern woman’s prefaced by scribble on the margins (8) S?S?I?A? (Addendum - SESTINAS {Sc...lE}{S}{TINA'S} - See comments)
15 Toothsome animal cooked, too damn tasteless in the end! (8) MASTODON {TOO+DAMN+t...eS}
18 Associates uncovered evidence of a fire (5) EMBER mEMBERs
20 On cloud nine? On the contrary! (5,3,7) UNDER THE WEATHER [CD]
23 After vacation, Malawi king has a party for old Japanese chief (6) MIKADO {Ma..wI}{K}{A}{DO}
24 Dandy’s flamboyance is showcased in headlights (8) FOGLAMPS {FO{GLAM}PS}
25 Murders posh folk with decapitation (4) OFFS tOFFS
26 Damask hem blotted out in silk-screen process for American mufflers (9) SILENCERS {SILk+SCREEN}*

DOWN
1   Oddball so normal in retrospect (5) SICKO {SIC}{OK<=}
2   Enable depressing anticlimax (7) LETDOWN {LET}{DOWN}
3   Idea, for example, held by hotel concierge (5) TELCO [T]
4   Creatures surrounded by wings (7) INSECTS Anno pending (Addendum - {IN}{SECTS} - See comments)
5   Drill duty binds regent (8) EXERCISE {EX{ER}CISE}
6   Red Cross censored matriarch’s new language (7) MARATHI MATRIArcH*
7   The maniac’s deranged scheme (9) MACHINATE*
12 Party in a suit! (9) PLAINTIFF [CD]
14 Insurrection leader’s underlying issues! (8) EDITIONS (-s)EDITION(+s)S
16 So great tampering with despicable people (7) TOERAGS*
17 Necessary to be vigilant for hospital close to prison (7) NEEDFUL (-h+n)NEEDFUL
19 Made up the name for a gas (7) METHANE*
21 Urge to get radically snogged without restraint (3,2) EGG ON sNOGGEd*
22 Shows screened by multiplex possibly (5) EXPOS [T]

Reference List
Priest = P, King = K, Party = DO, Dandy = FOP, So = SIC, Regent = R, Red Cross = RC, Hospital = H