No 12155, Monday 06 Nov 2017, xChequer

ACROSS
7   Hatred of maiden for time being (6) ENMITY EN(-t+m)MITY
8   Misers in rags, God extremely irritated (8) NIGGARDS {IN+RAGS+GoD}*
9   Display area having hundred rows, high and low counter (8) SHOWROOM {H+ROWS}*OOM Anno pending (Addendum - {H+ROWS}*{MOO<=} - See comments)
10 Lumbar aid, erotically supporting stripper (6) RAIDER [T]
11 Swallows from vessel without reproach (5) SWIGS {S{WIG}S}
12 New kitchen appliance needing a special series of services (6) NOVENA {N}{OVEN}{A}
14 12.5%? This could get you drunk (3,4,3,5) ONE OVER THE EIGHT [DD]
17 The French gathered in equal number (6) ELEVEN {E{LE}VEN}
18 Loaf around eating fine variety meats (5) OFFAL {OF{F}AL*}
22 Maintenance of higher stock (6) UPKEEP {UP}{KEEP}
23 Council members toppling leader, heartless man (8) ALDERMEN {LEADER+MaN}*
24 Lacking heart — silly to take pulse? (8) INHUMANE {IN{HUM}ANE}
25 Back of beyond, in the open, at times best (6) O????O? (Addendum - OUTFOX {OUT}{OF<=}{X} - See comments)

DOWN
1   Likely one then discharged gas (2,3,4) IN THE WIND {1}{THEN*}{WIND}
2   Celebrity police officer with major cases (6) BIGWIG {B{IG}{W}IG}
3   Shiny long stocking material (5) NYLON [T]
4   Pain if one's ever nervous riding on a horse (8) AGGRIEVE {A}{GG}{1+EVER}*
5   Shot him a mail, he's missing another El Dorado (8) MAHIMAHI {HIM+A+MAIl+He}*

6   Stole key to carry out criminal deed (5) EDGED {ED{G}ED*}
8   Main objective, here Cryptic Crossword Puzzle? (4,2,3,4) NAME OF THE GAME [DD]
13 Solver answers setter's question (3,3,3) WHO ARE YOU [CD]
15 Started communicating or commenced firing? (6,2) OPENED UP [DD]
16 Model free/free model — either side holds answer (8) EXEMPLAR {EXEMPt}{L}{A}{R}
19 Dread killing a thing close to any manner of beast (6) F?R??? (Addendum - FERITY {FEaR}{IT}{anY} - See comments)
20 Kettle in stone washed out (5) SPENT {S{PEN}T} Pen/Kettle? See comments
21 Silly vow mouthed one time (5) IDIOT {I}{D{1}O}{T}

GRID

The Sunday Crossword No 2968, Sunday 05 Nov 2017

ACROSS
1   Fraudster, initially careless, forgetting small limp (6) FLOPPY {Fr...r}{sLOPPY}
4   Had a fight cancelled (8) SCRAPPED [DD]
9   Entertain like a monarch with energy (6) REGALE {REGAL}{E}
10 Suggestion from union newly filled with purpose (8) INNUENDO {UNION}* over {END}
12 Business with land involving severe anxiety (13) CONSTERNATION {CO}{N{STERN}ATION}
14 Friends, coming round, put up with knockabout comedy (9) SLAPSTICK {PALS<=}{STICK}
16 Measure uniform in good time (5) GAUGE {G}{A{U}GE}
17 Projecting parts, large, mostly overweight (5) LOBES {L}{OBESe}
19 Pests, not very restricted by barrier, start to grow (9) GERMINATE {vERMIN} in {GATE}
21 Recreation of scene with sad value a bit before verse by soldier? (7,6) TABLEAU  VIVANT {VALUE+A+BIT}*{V}{ANT}

24 Sailor with cargo finally left, carrying meat most importantly (5,3) ABOVE ALL {AB}{cargO}{VEAL}{L}
25 Much occupying one when about to make expedition (6) SAFARI {1}{AS}<= over {FAR}
26 Man with cheers interrupting broadcast isn't lacking confidence (8) HESITANT {HE}{SI{TA}NT*}
27 Plan that is for small-minded person (6) MEANIE {MEAN}{IE}

DOWN
1   Predicted luggage emptied in part of ship (10) FORECASTLE {FORECAST}{Lu...gE}

2   Newspaper belonging to senior gangster (5) ORGAN [T]
3   Illustrations about one system of exercises (7) PILATES {P{1}LATES}
5   Crusty representation of Saturn on cake (12) CANTANKEROUS*
6   A fool, admitting offence, causing laughter (7) AMUSING {A}{MU{SIN}G}
7   Write slight, unfinished article, making point? (9) PENINSULA {PEN}{INSULt}{A}
8   Give up work to follow northward road (4) DROP {RD<=}{OP}
11 Five in one group joined by capital songwriter (6,6) IRVING BERLIN {1}{R{V}ING} {BERLIN}
13 Anger after referring to saucy old range (10) REPERTOIRE {RE}{PERT}{O}{IRE}
15 Brass, a lot, playing Fleetwood Mac tune (9) ALBATROSS*

18 Branch of study for citizen (7) SUBJECT [DD]
20 Copy? Some acclaim it at exhibition (7) IMITATE [T]
22 Cool under cooker once more (5) AGAIN {AGA}{IN}
23 Frustrate lawyer with silence (4) DASH {DA}{SH}

GRID

No 12154, Saturday 04 Nov 2017, Dr. X

Across
1. Common trouble when wife’s ignored — Overwhelming outcry ending in melodrama (8) ORDINARY {wOR{DIN}{melodramA}RY}
5. Classified // description of emotionally well-balanced person (6) SORTED (DD)
10. Roves around Russian town (5) SEROV {ROVES*}
11. One who harasses chaps in hills (9) TORMENTOR {TOR}{MEN}{TOR}
12. Please // take into consideration (9) ENTERTAIN (DD)
13. Struggling from envy in group (5) VYING (T)
14. Ruffian outside toilet perhaps revealing a lot? (3-3) LOW-CUT {LO{W-C}UT}
15. Wants mother to cook hot aromatic French bean (7) HARICOT {H+AROmaTIC}*
18. Moving towards land, schooner sinks! Many killed (7) ONSHORE {ScHOONER}*
20. Soldiers thrash one at island (6) TAHITI {TA}{HIT}{I}
22. Curiously loves small rodents (5) VOLES {LOVES*}
24. Performer who likes his meals very hot? (4-5 ) FIRE-EATER (D&CD)
25. Break down? Hurry to confer with top doctor (3,2,4) RUN TO SEED {RUN} {TO} {SEE}{Doctor}
26. Pain of fractured finger! Needs splinting essentially (5) GRIEF {FInGER}*
27. On reflection, setter stops and rewrites (6) EMENDS {ME<=}{ENDS}
28. In a way, sweater perhaps protects one (2,2,4) AS IT WERE {SWEATER*} around {I}

Down
1. Eviction of suspicious outsider lacking identification (6) OUSTER {OUTSidER*}
2. Dreadful dinosaur gobbles bone and stretches (9) DURATIONS {DINOSAUR*} around {T}
3. No disagreements? Hardly the motto of those solving this! (5,1,5,4) NEVER A CROSS WORD {NEVER} {A} {CROSSWORD}
4. Cancel religious education sermon (7) RETRACT {RE}{TRACT}
6. Fractionally drunk? (3,4,3,5) ONE OVER THE EIGHT (CD)
7. Expression of disapproval is rejected by African people (5) TUTSI {TUT}{IS<=}
8. Disparage and slaughter revolutionary in meeting (8) DEROGATE {D{GORE<=}ATE}
9. One twisting with promiscuous woman around castle (6) WRENCH {W{R}ENCH}
16. Leave no margin for error! // Use the shredder? (3,2,4) CUT IT FINE (DD)
17. Gossip — Film features bit of nudity with extremes of sleaze (8) CONVERSE {CO{Nudity}VER}{SleazE}
19. Towering personality from France? (6) EIFFEL (CD)
20. Abuses one breaking traffic signal primarily (7) TIRADES {T{I}RADE}{Signal}
21. Nothing // to treat frivolously (6) TRIFLE (DD)
23. Caught in alley with sharp weapon (5) LANCE {LAN{C}E}

Reference List
Wife=W, Hot=H, Many=C, Soldiers=TA, One=I, Setter=Me
Identification=Id, Bone=T, Religious Education=RE, Castle=R, Caught=C

Colour/Font Scheme
Definition, Solution, Component letters, Embedded links, Anagram Indicator, C/C indicator, Reversal Indicator, Hidden word Indicator, Letter Pick indicator, Deletion Indicator, Homophone Indicator, Movement Indicator, Positional Indicator, Substitution, Indicator, Link/Connector, Extraneous

GRID

No 12153, Friday 03 Nov 2017, Anon

ACROSS
1   Wild parties shut on the floor above (2,3,6) UP THE STAIRS*
9   Disregards cop, starts nicking minerals (7) IGNORES {IG}{Ni...g}{ORES}
10 Orders captured alien to basins (6) BIDETS {BID{ET}S}
11 Make a difference to poll (5) COUNT [DD]
12 Representation outside the law (7) STATUTE {STATU{T}E} T for the?
15 Smell initial odour emanating from gin (4) NOSE NOoSE
16 Doctor paves attic, delights (10) CAPTIVATES*
18 Performs with tools (10) IMPLEMENTS [DD]
20 Painter of Indian caste? Not quite (4) DALI DALIt
23 Salute Assistant Commissioner of state (7) ACCLAIM {AC}{CLAIM}
24 One monk’s tree (5) ILAMA {1}{LAMA}

26 Allows Government rhetorics (6) GRANTS {G}{RANTS}
27 Shorten a card game (7) ABRIDGE {A}{BRIDGE}
28 Those who go hungry traveling in boat somehow (11) STARVELINGS {S{TRAVELING*}S}

DOWN
2   Agreement on admitting one into party (6) PARITY {PAR{1}TY}
3   Is finally introduced into fiery mob (4) HOST {HO{iS}T}
4   Double agent (10) SUBSTITUTE [DD]
5   Remove source of carcinogen from habit-forming preservative (8) ADDITIVE ADDIcTIVE
6   Betrayer besieges Indian company with short taps (3-1-3) RAT-A-TAT {RA{TATA}T}
7   Maybe scions win in US State (9) WISCONSIN*
8   Suffers from Bedouin curse (6) INCURS [T]
13 Dissents, adopts children (5,5) TAKES ISSUE {TAKES} {ISSUE}
14 Draw out snake one valued (9) ASPIRATED {ASP}{1}{RATED}
17 European, oddly bleary, on ship (8) BERLINER {BlEaRy}{LINER}
19 Scavenger to bag rodent (4,3) PACK RAT {PACK} {RAT}

21 Adam initially has pupil’s prizes (6) AWARDS {Adam}{WARDS}
22 Lubricate, tamper with drilling equipment (3,3) OIL RIG {OIL} {RIG}
25 Starts bringing another rationalist into Italian city (4) BARI Acrostic

GRID