No 13572, Thursday 02 Jun 2022, Arden

Solution to 29A 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

9   Managed to get a wicket and a countryman (7) RWANDAN {R{W}{AND}AN}

10 Country air polluted, points to another country (7) UKRAINE {UK}{AIR*}{N}{E}

11 She sings about a crime boss in “Bad Man” (7) MADONNA {A}{DON} in {MAN}*

12 Show couple of workers (7) PAGEANT {PAGE}{ANT}

13 Andre Alba cast as a star (9) ALDEBARAN*

15 Buttocks — locals have four less (5) NATES NATivES

16 A countryman has bottle opener and tumbler (7) ACROBAT {A}{CRO{Bo...e}AT}

19 Are comics wrong to expose hidden character? (7) OMICRON {cOMICs+wRONg} What's the role of 'are'? Hidden also appears to be superfluous

20 Extremely tasteful, eating uncooked fish (5) TRAWL {Ta..{RAW}..uL

21 Gray elected before Attlee, perhaps (9) INCLEMENT {IN}{CLEMENT}

25 Shifting magnetic poles, at once go missing — look! (7) GLIMPSE {MaGnetIc+PoLES}*

26 Fat all around, a horse is a slow mover (7) LAGGARD {L{A}{GG}ARD}

28 Saw it wasn't frozen (7) NOTICED {NOT ICED}

29 Self admission of an old man leads to a holdup (7) I?P?S?E (Addendum - IMPASSE {I'M PASSE} - See comments)

DOWN

1   Misdeed, a part of 10 once (6) CRIMEA {CRIME}{A}

2   Police department will come around and open (6) CANDID {C{AND}ID}

3   Programming essentially to find God... (4) ODIN cODINg

4   ...if a run out is unsporting like (6) UNFAIR*

5   Meet a wanderer on a horse (4,4) BUMP INTO {BUM}{PINTO}

6   Force against blocking the main vessel (10) BRIGANTINE {BRI{G}{ANTI}NE}

7   One wearing coat looks like a column (8) PILASTER {P{1}LASTER}

8   The spray is not correct — ditch (8) JETTISON {JET}{IS+NOT}*

14 Shock absorber's fat from top to bottom in the rear (6,4) BUBBLE PACK {(-p)BUBBLE(+p)} in {BACK} 

16 Against left? That's a tragedy (8) ANTIGONE {ANTI}{GONE}

17 Set rails, set by those who are down to earth (8) REALISTS*

18 Has the propensity to get sick in the final parts (4,4) TAIL ENDS {T{AIL}ENDS}

22 Port of call brief, like one is in France (6) CALAIS {CALl}{A{1}S} Semi&lit

23 Proceed with ease, taking rounds (6) ELAPSE {E{LAPS}E}

24 Bank takes one day to make it look neater (6) TIDIER {T{1}{D}IER}

27 Open wide at the top — get another pink envelope (4) GAPE Acrostic

Reference List

Wicket = W, Points = N,E, Horse = GG, Force =- G, EASE = E's = EE, Day = D  

No 13571, Wednesday 01 Jun 2022, Arden

Solution to 22A 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   Country sides are noisy inside and overcast outside (6) CLOUDY {Coun{LOUD}trY}

4   Club King discarded, go away! (5,3) CLEAR OUT {C}{LEAR}{OUT}

9   Watched the Queen return by the night flight (6) REDEYE {EYED}{ER}<=

10 Leader shot right at the back — sign of impending trouble (3,5) RED ALERT {LEADER*}{RT}

12 Plant or a wild lion? Harbouring a doubt (8) ABUTILON {A}{BUT}{LION*}

13 It's a short launch — has got some capital (6) BOGOTA {BO{GOT}At}

15 One's altogether in it, perhaps (8,4) BIRTHDAY SUIT [CD]

18 Fellow scientist had standing, I dropped out as he became a monster (12) FRANKENSTEIN {F}{EINSTEIN} over {RANK}

21 One more graduate, right away begins simple life (6) AMOEBA {A}{MOrE}{BA}

22 Advice to promote mediocrity — shun a drink (8) ?E?E?A?E (Addendum BEVERAGE {BE aVERAGE} - See comments)

24 It's not even innate pride that makes one fearless (8) INTREPID {InNaTe}{PRIDE*}

25 Biased press has only questions (6) POSERS {P{O}SERS*}

26 Knockabout in Australia — it's hard and many go from east to west (8) HANDYMAN {H}{AND}{MANY<=} (Correction - {H}{AND}{(+y)YMAN(-y)} - See comments)

27 Cut it, indeed disorganised (6) EDITED {ED{IT}ED*}

DOWN

1   With a rub can produce a natural wax (8) CARNAUBA {A+RUB+CAN}{A}

2   Used to protect those who resist change (3,5) OLD GUARD {OLD}{GUARD}

3   Loot is there for all to see (8,7) DAYLIGHT ROBBERY [CD]

5   Cover point brought in — one wasn't truthful (4) LIED {LI{E}D}

6   Calibration does go wrong for a performance enhancer (8,7) ANABOLIC STEROID*

7   Exposed previous state (6) OREGON fOREGONe

8   Big man shows interest in a painter (6) TITIAN {TIT{I}AN}

11 Plea for help by girl behind those in the middle (7) HOSANNA {ANNA}<=>{tHOSe}

14 Old woman brought in and welcomed (7) USHERED {US{HER}ED}

16 Nowadays in modest surroundings but dissolute overall (8) DECADENT {DEC{AD}ENT}

17 Crazy end since one was mad (8) INCENSED*

19 Michael Jordan is, however, part European (6) DANISH [T]

20 Maybe later pick up some dumplings (3,3) WON TON NOTNOW<=

23 Climate inland is capital (4) LIMA [T]

Reference List

Club = C, Queen = ER, Fellow = F, Only = O, Hard = H, Point = E, Interest = I