No.10697, Friday 15 Feb 13, Gridman

Once again many good clues in EMBARGO, TOPSPIN, ODDS, AD-LIBBER, SMOKELESS ZONE, SECOND but the best for me is MORTAL

ACROSS
1 Hoping for the best, work! Tim is motivated at first (8) OPTIMISM (OP + TIM + IS + M)
5 50-50 chance to secret service in revolt (4-2) TOSS-UP (TO + SS + UP)
9 Mob rage over trade stoppage (7) EMBARGO (MOB RAGE)*
10 Ball bearing? (7) TOPSPIN (CD)

11 Get hot — Reagan too may possibly do so! (2,2,1,4) GO,ON,A,TEAR (REAGAN TOO)*
12 Dazzle with a way-out puzzle (5) AMAZE (A + MAZE)
13 They could be even // scraps (4) ODDS (DD)
14 When you __ __ __ something, you see it for the first time (3,4,2) SET, EYES, ON (E)
17 Makes uneven container in difficult situation (5,4) ROUGH, SPOT (ROUGHS + POT)
19 Restrain no keen beginner in hill-slope (4) BRAE (BRAkE)
23 Balances // alternative to 13 (5) EVENS (DD)
24 If you __ __ __, you must live in it to make it a home (3,1,5) OWN, A, HOUSE (E)
25 Naughty old boy noticed reportedly (7) OBSCENE (OB + ~SEEN)
26 Note Long Island worker showing confidence (7) RELIANT (RE + LI + ANT)
27 Work diligently on the river. Very much! (6) DEEPLY (DEE + PLY)
28 Be ribald, going round as a make-up artist? (2-6) AD-LIBBER (BE RIBALD)*

BLEAT IT

DOWN
1 Rise above a level beyond destroyed grove (8) OVERGROW (GROVE* + ROW)
2 Label transformation of idol in sensational newspaper (7) TABLOID (TAB + IDOL*)

MANUFACTURING NEWS

3 Male tense in exam — like all of us (6) MORTAL (M + T inside ORAL)
4 Where you can’t fume… (9,4) SMOKELESS, ZONE (CD)
6 In a rush, Peron had left alone (8) ORPHANED (PERON HAD)*
7 Singer, therefore, belted out no rap (7) SOPRANO (SO + NO RAP*)
8 Boatman — // one in the betting shop (6) PUNTER (DD)
10 A hat could be — or an electoral contest — without a fourth angle (5-8) THREE-CORNERED (DD)
15 Urges the man and learners to get thin porcelain (8) EGGSHELL (EGGS + HE + LL)
16 Device that will find lie, motion or metal (8) DETECTOR (CD)
18 Steer across the diocese (7) OVERSEE (OVER + SEE)
20 Fruit of background conversation on the stage (7) RHUBARB (DD)
21 Inferior // support? (6) SECOND (DD)
22 Pepper country, we hear (6) CHILLI (~CHILE)

LINK TO SOLUTION

No 10696, Thursday 14 Feb 13, Gridman

ACROSS

1   They are relatively close to each other (8) SIBLINGS [CD]

6   I’m laid back with two females — does this cause offence? (4) MIFF {MI<=}{F}{F}

9   Lot in company is shoddy (6) CHEAPO {C{HEAP}O}

10 E.g., Corel drawing of ancient painter (2,5) EL GRECO*

13 They are played again if losers’ requests are upheld (9) REMATCHES [CD]

14 Doctor and I, by the way, are slightly wet (5) MOIST {MO}{I}{ST}

15 Study the first impression (4) DENT {DEN}{T}

16 Self-control? Teens in cab are all for it! (10) ABSTINENCE*

19 Teller puts money in it (or takes from it) (4,6) CASH DRAWER [E]

21 Love to drink on return from work (4) OPUS {O}{PUS<=}

24 I wander back to a tribal (5) MAORI {MAOR}{I}<=

25 Foreign office party takes us back behind time (9) CONSULATE {CON}{SU<=}{LATE}

26 Ordinary guy’s double negative about woman (3-4) NON-HERO {NO}{N-{HER}O}

27 Take away the rating channel (6) ABDUCT {AB}{DUCT}

28 Desi’s strange aspect (4) SIDE*

29 Woolgatherers in the fold are listeners after seconds (8) SHEARERS {S}{HEARERS}

DOWN

2   Popular and hard fellow following union that’s cruel (7) INHUMAN {IN}{H}{U}{MAN}

3   Fast to grab a circular building (4-2) LEAN-TO {LE{A}N-T}{O}

4   Nothing novel will do for one with this fear (9) NEOPHOBIA [CD]

5   Vital stats for some glasses (5) SPECS [DD]

7   Boy contracts half a deficiency of a European peninsula (7) IBERIAN {I{BERIberi}AN}

8   Ten informers gathered to find those who live on the border (12) FRONTIERSMEN*

11 Playing recklessly (6) GAMING [E]

12 Foretells about last word in bad situations (12) PREDICAMENTS {PREDIC{AMEN}TS}

17 “With that, you get this as well” business (3-2,4) TIE-IN SALE [CD]

18 Present note on worship (6) ADMIRE {AD}{MI}{RE}

20 Indulged in courtship stirringly? (7) SPOONED [DD]

22 Old Hindi actor, one serving well, not a strutter (7) PRANCER {PRAN}{aCER}

23 More rubicund, I abandoned the steering aid (6) RUDDER RUDDiER

25 Shortens farm yields (5) CROPS [DD]

LINK TO SOLUTION