No.11040, Monday 24 Mar 2014, Arden

Arden's entertaining 4th missed out in online TH. Thanks to Deepak for typing in all the clues

ACROSS

1   Master class with many absent and sick (7) MACABRE (MA CAliBRE)

5   Keep away from a black mark (7) ABSTAIN (A B STAIN)

9   Sir Francis marked off dismissing first mate (5) DRAKE (mARKED*)

          Sir Francis Haddock is more popular with me!

10 Is it amusing or funny? He doesn’t know (9) IGNORAMUS (AMUSING OR)*

11 Sadhus sent penitent back inside, it’s an absurdity (9) INEPTNESS (T<)

12 Tungsten has and advantage over Iron (5) WEDGE (W(=symbol for wolfram/tungsten) EDGE)

13 & 1dn. Football team on field gets publicity – free (4,6) REAL MADRID (REALM AD RID)

15 Pre-fab structure for parking in the area (8) TERRAPIN (P in TERRAIN)

18 Troublesome American private (2,6) IN CAMERA (AMERICAN*)

19 Law and order could be temporal (4) LOBE (L OBE)

          Reminded me of Calvin's lobotomy!

22 Fix with a little chat, perhaps (5) LATCH (L CHAT*)

24 Playing tic-tac-toe Charlie goes for power shift (9) PETTICOAT (TIcTACTOE+P)*

26 Naval officer’s men involved in one night stand (9) COMMODORE (OR in COMMODE=nightstand)

27 Sheet immersed in oil of Olay retrieved (5) FOLIO (T<)

28 Covering the seed in air (7) DRAPERY (RAPE(seed) in DRY)

29 Boa stretched over some distance (7) FURLONG (FUR LONG)

          For long we used this measure

DOWN

1   See 13 Ac.

2   Each melon when crushed will change colour (9) CHAMELEON (EACH MELON)*

3   Cry when in trouble at least (5) BLEAT (T)

4   Saga of unfinished food – the rumblings start from here (9) EPICENTRE (EPIC ENTREe)

          For me, the rumblings start in the area of importance to the omphaloskeptic

5   She was for a long time without name (5) AGNES (AGES without(=outside) N)

6   Crazy southern men dance (9) SCREWBALL (S CREW BALL)

7   Zeroed in on me with help from outside (5) AIMED (ME with AID outside)

8   Want to have a good man who fitted things together (6) NESTED (NEED has ST)

14 See tipsy Thomas finish the wine it’s disgusting (9) LOATHSOME (LO THOMAS* E)

16 Poor Astor’s complaint over the dish (5,4) ROAST BEEF (ASTOR* BEEF)

17 Complication in accommodating fifty one in a big room, perhaps (9) IMBROGLIO (LI in (BIG ROOM)*)

20 Quiet, extremely powerful and corrosive thing (6) PLACID (PL ACID)

21 Brave astronaut lost a member (6) STRONG (armSTRONG)

23 Ram down on a place in Florida (5) TAMPA (TAMP A)

24 Flower power, may be one year later (5) PEONY (P ONE* Y)

25 Decide hell is a no-no (5) INFER (INFERno)

No 2783, Sunday 23 Mar 2014

ACROSS
1   Absurd, like the team that always loses? (9) POINTLESS [C&DD]
6   Start of Boléro- unaltered arrangement (5) BASIS {B}{AS}{IS}
9   Peacock's last put in to annoy Bohemian poet (5) RILKE {RIL{K}E}
10 Guide showing policeman clergyman's residence (9) DIRECTORY {DI}{RECTORY}
11 Managed to invite endless resentment (7) RANCOUR {RAN}{COURt}
12 Fiery type, husband associated with Proust novel (7) HOTSPUR {H}{PROUST*}
13 Oddity in terribly icy dairy sons may reveal (12) IDIOSYNCRASY*
17 Gofer may make off with diamonds, jewels originally in our vaults (6,6) OFFICE JUNIOR {OFF}{ICE} {J}{UNIOR*}
20 Rally rounding on head of state (7) MONARCH {M{ON}ARCH}
21 Weird row on street (7) STRANGE {ST}{RANGE}
22 Game not about to be brought round in place of cheese (9) ROQUEFORT {cROQUE{FOR}T}
23 Water animal and swine beheaded (5) OTTER rOTTER

24 Guide showing prophet round heart of marketplace (5) STEER {S{T}EER}
25 Stand for the Queen over there (9) REPRESENT {ER<=}{PRESENT}

DOWN
1   Picture - left artist with it (8) PORTRAIT {PORT}{RA}{IT}
2   Poorly in one in very large state (8) ILLINOIS {ILL}{IN}{O{1}S}
3   Tired and emotional and shabby (3,5,3,4) THE WORSE FOR WEAR [CD]
4   Embarrassed, the Parisian put up church official (5) ELDER {EL}{DER}<=
5   Additional payment made by cleaner entering sweep (9) SURCHARGE {SUR{CHAR}GE}
6   Having completed a circuit, but no further forward? (4,2,6,3) BACK TO SQUARE ONE [CD]
7   Careless in dock, arrested by undercover agent (6) SLOPPY {S{LOP}PY}
8   Crime writer wasted year on board (6) SAYERS {S{YEAR*}S}
14 Happy hour - binge in one next door (9) NEIGHBOUR*
15 Duff gen? Vet it for sketch (8) VIGNETTE*
16 Genuine Greek and Italian film (4,4) TRUE GRIT {TRUE} {GR}{IT}
18 Feels upset and annoyed in trading centre in centre of Nassau (6) SMARTS {naS{MART}Sau}
19 Single and alone (6) UNIQUE [DD]
21 Build scenery at university (3,2) SET UP {SET} {UP}