No 2789, Sunday 04 May 2014

ACROSS
1   Check opening for caretaker (7) STOPGAP {STOP}{GAP}
5   Groom leader of Hispanic American group (7) HUSBAND {H}{US}{BAND}
9   Deposit for gatehouse (5) LODGE [DD]
10 Right one developing small firearms (9) REVOLVERS {R}{EVOLVER}{S}
11 Simultaneously, however (2,3,4,4) AT THE SAME TIME [DD]
13 Sound coming from car with disc on (5) AUDIO {AUDI}{O}
14 In doubt, new curate about new home (9) UNCERTAIN {U{N}CERTA*}{IN}
16 Delivery securing wicket before end of league game (9) BAGATELLE {BA{GATE}LL}{E} Remember playing this game as a kid

18 Bird, yellow, all but head (5) RAVEN cRAVEN
20 Eventually seeing rather remarkable rare lot (6,2,5) SOONER OR LATER {SOONER} {OR LATER}*
23 Noticing novel written by Oscar under an assumed name (9) INCOGNITO {NOTICING*}{O}
24 Racket revealed by informer, one inside (5) NOISE {NO{1}SE}
25 Reflect it's good to pay attention (7) GLISTEN {G}{LISTEN}
26 Former player, demanding type (7) EXACTOR {EX}{ACTOR}

DOWN
1   QC in second class (4) SILK {S}{ILK}
2   Spinster's game (3,4) OLD MAID [DD]
3   What a soldier may have on in fine film (9) GREATCOAT {GREAT}{COAT}

4   Always going up to Montpelier, a criminal (9,6) PERPETUAL MOTION*
5   Brand new item from carpenter shouldn't be defective? (4,1,5,5) HAVE A SCREW LOOSE [C&DD]
6   Work out volume in one (5) SOLVE {SOL{V}E}
7   A married girl in the USA (7) AMERICA {A}{M}{ERICA}
8   Having good taste, Cinders poured out gin cocktail (10) DISCERNING {CINDERS*}{GIN*}
12 Hearing, sadly, about graduate's lengthy scolding (10) EARBASHING {EAR{BA'S}HING}
15 Land of Hope and Glory's fourth air aunt and I performed (9) RURITANIA {gloRy+AIR+AUNT+I}*
17 Dumplings and odd-looking conch collected by soldier (7) GNOCCHI {G{CONCH*}I}

19 Finding of court in support of composer (7) VERDICT {VERDI}{CT}
21 Freighter's crew? (5) EIGHT [T]
22 Raise back (4) REAR [DD]

No.11075, Saturday 03 May 14, Incognito

Incognito continues to keep his puzzles within the reach of most solvers. There are a lot of good clues here, liked HERON, CHESSMEN, ATTEND, NEWT, GO RED, TYCOON. Of course there is my pet peeve of giving away more than half of the answer in clues (2d, 4d, 20d, 24d). Mandela makes an appearance keeping intact Incognito's promise of at least one personality per puzzle. I didn't spot any other theme, but if you see something I didn't, chime in.

ACROSS
8 Chase away Station House Officer with an egg (4) SHOO [S H O + 0]
9 Invitation to engage in further intercourse or invitation to strike the lady, maybe? (4,6) COME HITHER [COME + HIT + HER]
10 Partisan United Nations fete (6) UNFAIR [UN + FAIR]
11 Doubts unique selling proposition in clans (8) SUSPECTS [USP inside SECTS]
12 Predicting consumption around four or six (8) DIVINING [DINING outside IV or VI]
14 Mandela’s offer is rejected in Madras airport (6) MADIBA [BID<= inside MAA]
16 Master and child define a unit of speed (4) MACH [MA + CH]
17 Elsinore hunter carries back a bird (5) HERON [T<=]
18 I left Southern Ohio for London area (4) SOHO [S + OHiO]
19 Dump the lady in water for a mountaineer (6) SHERPA [HER inside SPA]
21 Gets off when alien occupies the sewers (8) DETRAINS [ET inside DRAINS]
23 Officer error leads to breakdown (8) COLLAPSE [COL + LAPSE]
26 Caught husband! Rather fat! (6) CHUBBY [C + HUBBY]

                                                                                              Cartoon by Rishi

27 Bones soldiers take to American city (10) SACRAMENTO [SACRA + MEN + TO]
28 Renovate morgue after loss of Magnesium to get money (4) EURO [mORgUE]*

DOWN
1 State capital where Chinese actor and British princess hold Indian fort (10) CHANDIGARH [CHAN + DI + GARH]
2 Warrant Officer Manish was rather feminine (8) WOMANISH [W O + MANISH]
3 Tax castor oil compound after extraction of sulphur and aluminium (6) OCTROI [CasTOR OIl]*
4 A minor prophet almost released lieutenant (4) AMOS [AlMOSt]
5 They are found on board: Revolutionary members of the Schutzstaffel (8) CHESSMEN [CHE + SS MEN]
6 Participate in a table tennis final (6) ATTEND [A + TT + END]
7 Salamander went away (4) NEWT [WENT]*

13 Mauled by a bull? Feel embarrassed! (2,3) GO RED [GORED]
15 Place where soda-jerks were arrested and put (6,4) BEHIND BARS [C&DD]
17 Thump ape around thermal equipment (4,4) HEAT PUMP [THUMP APE]*
18 Detectives have fake applications (8) SHAMUSES [SHAM + USES]
20 Administrators rule in Rajya Sabha (6) RULERS [RULE + RS] Was confused by the 'in' initially
22 Businessman sprawled? Not coy! (6) TYCOON [NOT COY]*
24 Country woman is decapitated (4) OMAN [wOMAN]

25 Northerner hides a bird (4) ERNE [T]