No.10859, Fri 23 Aug 2013, Textrous

Keep 'em coming, Textrous !

ACROSS

8 Write home before rough tide (6) INDITE (IN TIDE*)

9 Sailor’s observer captured at a remote place (8) SEAFARER (SEER around AFAR)

10 Set off to cycle around platform (8) PEDESTAL (PEDAL around SET*)

11 Find fault with extremely elegant rug (6) CARPET (CARP EleganT)

12 Twist to turn around in speed (6) ROTATE (TO< in RATE)

13 Retiring cadet, autistic partly, offered a position (8) SITUATED (T<)

14 A glass substitute for every gender having power (7) PERSPEX (PER+ SEX having P)

16 Study nice characters assembling in small church (7) SCIENCE (NICE* in S Church of England)

20 Grapple with a popular word game (8) SCRABBLE (2)

23 Discuss grant (6) CONFER (2)

25 Change direction around north-eastern front (6) VENEER (VEER around NE)
          Yesterday we had Rishi, today we have Veer

26 Again make intense efforts to hold back (8) RESTRAIN (RE STRAIN)

27 Desire head’s image (8) LIKENESS (LIKE NESS)

28 Recover without drug, as a matter of fact (6) REALLY (RALLY without=outside Ecstacy)

DOWN 

1 Beast to canter after tiny creature with energy (8) ANTELOPE (ANT E LOPE)

2 Picture in camera damaged in the absence of artist (6) CINEMA (IN CAMEra)*

3 The tea’s blended by English connoisseur (8) AESTHETE ((THE TEA'S)*E)

4 It’s no good to conserve (7) USELESS (2)

5 Reduction in duty time…chop chop (3,3) TAX CUT (T AX=chop CUT=chop)

          Chop used in two different senses

6 Union’s hurt by one in fury (8) MARRIAGE (MAR+1 in RAGE)

7 Bridge opponents to surrender and withdraw (6) SECEDE (S E CEDE)

15 The basis of altitude measurements (3-5) SEA LEVEL (GK)

17 Bird guaranteed to be brash (8) COCKSURE (COCK SURE)

18 Female wearing cold, short fabric (8) CHENILLE (HEN in C ILLE) Anno not clear ) ('EN in CHILLEd) See comments

19 Cure is to change one’s habit (7) REDRESS (2)

21 Conservative and extraordinarily inert dunce (6) CRETIN (C INERT*)

22 Food brought up hesitation — fast food (6) BURGER (GRUB< ER)

24 Regular girl seen near lake (6) NORMAL (NORMA L)

No 10858, Thursday 22 Aug 2013, Mover

Moved quickly today.

ACROSS
1   Good fortune enjoyed by a setter, perhaps? (4,2,3,5) LUCK OF THE IRISH [C&DD] With Irish coming from RISHI* (See comments for more on this)
10 Decapitated coiffure set as a kind of wave (5) RADIO hAIRDO*
11 Adapted clone data based on unscientific observations (9) ANECDOTAL*
12 Sartre’s misguided apprehensions (7) ARRESTS*
13 Charges air-conditioning expenses (7) ACCOSTS {AC}{COSTS}
14 It can clear the nose when fun is turned into science fiction (5) SNUFF {S{NUF<=}F} I never knew that snuff is made from tobacco leaves!
16 Some black-market art I bravely turned over to judge (9) ARBITRATE [T<=]
19 Fennec or Field Marshal Rommel (6,3) DESERT FOX [DD]
20 Shaky movie boxer? (5) ROCKY [DD]
22 Broke stones as king slept (7) KNAPPED {K}{NAPPED}
25 Central, though it could be unclear (7) NUCLEAR*
27 Unstuck though taken in by the underworld (9) DISLODGED {DIS}{LODGED}
28 Quietly, Frost becomes first (5) PRIME {P}{RIME}
29 Disjointed all-rounder? (3,2,4,5) MAN OF MANY PARTS [CD]

DOWN
2   Offers meats at a lower price? (9) UNDERCUTS [C&DD]
3   We hear the sniffer is acquainted with the facts (5) KNOWS (~nose)
4   It enables one to raise the standard in Arizona (9) FLAGSTAFF [DD]
5   Animal desire in this year (5) HYENA {H{YEN}A} 'in' on double duty

6   Limits of Indonesian dictator lacking true signal (9) INDICATOR {IndonesiaN}{DICtATOR}
7   Radicchio tastes good in little bits (5) IOTAS [T]
8   Roman leader’s domain where you’d hear only the blessed Adriatic (4,3) HOLY SEE {HOLY} {SEE(~sea)}
9   Humorously sarcastic publicity for nymphs (6) DRYADS {DRY}{ADS}
15 Admonition follows if returning with asbestos? (9) FIREPROOF {FI<=}{REPROOF}
17 Occasion for a pugilist after Christmas (6,3) BOXING DAY [CD]
18 In vain he sought to get gold from St. Michael (9) ALCHEMIST*
19 Head of Daimler, U.K. brought back style to noble estate (7) DUKEDOM {D}{UK}{EDOM<=}
21 Inhabitant of English city likely to bowl out a batsman? (6) YORKER [DD]
23 The crime committed by the firing party? (5) ARSON [CD]
24 Belief created when retreating deity meets mother (5) DOGMA {DOG<=}{MA}
26 A crop deviously handled will yield oil (5) COPRA*