No 11528, Saturday 17 Oct 2015, Lightning

Across

8 Slow at first, with help, lets it rip to arrive just on time (5,3,7) SPLIT THE WHISTLE {Slow} {WITH HELP LETS IT}*
9 Call for help to take case to philosopher (8) SOCRATES {SO{CRATE}S}
10 Gradually develop the core of a pistol (6) EVOLVE {rEVOLVEr}
11 Greek makes a copy of popular ammunition (9) GRAPESHOT {GR}{APES}{HOT}

12 Head of army’s pretty serious (5) ACUTE {Army}{CUTE}
15 Crucial to form oval pit (7) PIVOTAL {OVAL PIT}*
17 Muscle pattern around organ (7) FOREARM {FOR{EAR}M}
19 Drug // to move fast (5) SPEED (DD)
20 Cosy meet arranged to admit southern community (9) ECOSYSTEM  {COSY MEET}*+S
23 Assimilate // summary (6) DIGEST (DD)
25 Outrage at Delhi, say providing asylum to heads of racketeering organizations (8) ATROCITY {AT}{Ra..ing}{Or..ons}{CITY}
26 Desiring boxes, almost completely believe fantasy (7,8) WISHFUL THINKING {WISH{FULly} {THINK}ING}

Down

1 Loud cry follows raised racket (6) UPROAR {UP}{ROAR}
2 Very small, silly hope to capture nuclear instrument (10) MICROPHONE {MICRO}{HOPE*}+N

3 Perhaps old Hyderabad’s male politician (9) STATESMAN {STATE}{S}{MAN}
4 Strain in tenor’s second last song masked by returning interference (7) TENSION {T}{E{soNg}SION<=}
5 Primary wish list for a driving aid (5) WHEEL {W}{HEEL}
6 Go slow showing a capital (4) OSLO (T)
7 Operate a lever to lift (8) ELEVATOR {A LEVER TO}*
13 Dessert that evokes a smile can’t be had and ate at the same time (10) CHEESECAKE {CHEESE}{CAKE}
14 Prepare to follow arguments against force (9)  CONSTRAIN {CONS}{TRAIN}
16 Understood that one minute parking is allowed (8) IMPLICIT {I}{M}{P}{LICIT}
18 Ordinary insects outside court form equal sections of a circle (7) OCTANTS {O}{CT}{ANTS}
21 Former lover to wait on offer (6) EXTEND {EX}{TEND}
22 Pluck letters from last rummage (5) STRUM (T)
24 Repeat after oriental actor-politician from Chennai (4) ECHO {E}{CHO}

Reference list

Greek=Gr, Southern=S 
Nuclear=N, Tenor=T, One=I, Minute=M, Parking=P, Ordinary=O, Court=Ct, Oriental=E 

Color/Font Scheme

Definition,Solution,Component letters,Anagram Indicator,C/C indicator,Reversal Indicator,Hidden word Indicator, Letter Pick indicator,Deletion Indicator,Homophone Indicator,Movement Indicator,Positional Indicator,Substitution Indicator

GRID

No 11527, Friday 16 Oct 2015, Incognito

Note: Starred clues have no definitions but share a common theme.

ACROSS
7   Spy an investment (4) BOND [DD]
8   He might have an ace up his sleeve, playing a harpischord in absence of old Indian husband (9) CARDSHARP {A+ hARPiSCHoRD}*
10 Horrified Turkish leader is on the street (6) AGHAST {AGHA}{ST}
11 Southern trekker is an exhibitionist (8) STRIPPER {S}{TRIPPER}
12 Disastrous when talc is spilt around Indian millet (8) TRAGICAL {TALC}* around {RAGI}
14 Tell, for example, an author (6) ARCHER [DD]
16 Weaving machine energised in Britain? That's a mistake (7) BLOOMER {B{LOOM}{E}R}
18 Dancer going around in Turkey (7) DERVISH [CD]

21 Get going, leaving it dancing and get a drink (6) EGGNOG {GEt+GOiNG}*

23 Rose breed mutation seen around the Spanish laboratory initially (8) REBELLED {BREED}* around {EL}{La...y}
25 Announce: “Setter is in favour of shelled creature” (8) PROCLAIM {PRO}{CLA{I}M}
*27 Game bird (6) GROUSE 

29 At first, friend went after Indian Telephone Company (9) INITIALLY {IN}{ITI}{ALLY}
*30 A type of bovine food (4) BEEF

DOWN
1   Silly poetry about heartless doll embracing mad George (8) DOGGEREL {DolL} around {GEORGE}* &lit
2   Papers each carry; that's a thought! (4) IDEA {ID}{EA}
3   Type of acid made by hermit in absence of Sulphur (6) ACETIC AsCETIC
4   Fight to take away the French ... (7) WRESTLE {WREST}{LE}
5   ... identity used, before giving your password (8) USERNAME [CD]
*6   Food fish (4) CARP
*9   Physical exercise by First Lady (5) PEEVE {PE}{EVE}
*13 Green coloured horse (5) GROAN {G}{ROAN}
*15 Six entered erstwhile Kolkata briefly (5) CAVIL {VI} in {CAL}
17 Bonus from great model individual surrounded by self-help group (2,6) EN GRATIS ??? around {GREAT}* Anno not clear (Addendum - EX GRATIA {EX} {GR}{A{T}{I}A} - See comments)
19 They sow in ploughed demesnes (8) SEEDSMEN*
*20 Perambulating — perambulating avoiding taipan (7) GRUMBLE {pERaMBULatinG}*
22 Sounds like Alexei Maximovich Peshkov's town in Russia (5) GORKI {~ gorky)
24 Enemy aircrafts usually encountered on golf courses (6) BOGEYS [DD] There are some more meanings for bogey
*26 Child's cot (4) CRIB
28 Circles roundabout in front of Royal Bank of Scotland (4) ORBS {O}{RBS}

GRID