Garry Gillard > crosswords > solutions > 27165
ACROSS
1. DISH,WASHER (kitchen device) to 'dish (up)' something is to mess it up; 'ruin' is a loose synonym
6. P,AIR (item)
9. PURITAN (austere religious follower) UR (of the Chaldees) inside PIT (hell) + AN (in the clue)
10 RE,MAR,RY (join again) RE is a note in the solfa scale, if you 'cut' something you may MAR it, RY = railway (lines)
12 RED HERRING (don't follow it) (herd)* + ERRING
13 OWL (something that swoops) LOW (near the ground) with the O put at the front (head right back)
15. COLONY (group of settlers) a COLON here is a (punctuation) stop + Y
16. ECLECTIC (taking a broad view) start with 'electric' - take out R(epublican), add C(onservative
18. LIFE-BUOY (marine marker) L + YOU rev. around 1 FEB
20. VIOLIN (instrument) NIL around O(ld) IV (quartet) - all rev.
23. MA(i)D (servant) where MAD = 'cracked'
24. IN GOOD NICK dd, cryptic def. where NICK = prison
26. DOLEFUL (suffering grief) start with BALEFUL (threatening) and replace BA (graduate) with DO (party); the indicator/operator (as it often is) is 'for'
27. MARQUE,E (display area)
28. L,ARK (a bit of fun)
29. DAWN CHORUS (what you get up to) cryptic def.
DOWN
1. DO,P,E (information)
2. SURREAL (of unusual paintings) SUR(e) + REAL(m)
3. WATCHING BRIEF (transient opportunity for obversation) a WATCH (may be a hunter) + (gin)* + BRIEF (transient)
4. S,ENTRY (number of competitors)
5. EARPIECE (listening device) (i creep)* following EA(ch)
7. AIRPORT (transport hub) (PAIR)* (from 6 across) without P(ower) + PORT (left)
8. ROYAL ICING (sugary coating) (cy original)* from C(onfectioner)Y
11. MAGNETIC NORTH (something of an attraction) (gothic remnant)*
14. SCALE MODE,L (representation)
17. MONGOLIA (country) LOG NO rev. inside AIM (target)
19. F(r)IDDLER (one cheating)
21. LACQUER (varnish) LAC(e) + QUER(y)
22. COMMON (usual) CON around O + MM
25. MESS (part of military base) MESS(age)
to abbreviations which may have been used
(raga man)* = anagram of 'anagram'
cd = cryptic definition
dd = double definition
incl. = inclusive (hidden word) - a simple inclusive has the letters next to one another, tho perhaps rev.; a 'complex inclusive' has the letters are in plain view but not adjacent
def. = definition (synonym, literal)
rev. = reversed
anagind = anagram indicator
homophind = homophone indicator
surface - the apparent meaning of the clue, disguising what's really going on
&lit. - a clue in which the whole clue is the 'definition'
COD = clue of the day (imo); FOI, LOI, first/last one written in
Garry Gillard | New: 10 October, 2018 | Now: 10 October, 2018; puzzle downloaded 0711; this solution (almost) completed at 0829; thanks for Di Gorman for explaining 26a