Times 27174

ACROSS

1 One spouting about companion frequently (8)
CACHALOT - CA CH A LOT - it's a sperm whale

5 Pack skimpy garment to cover middle of torso (6)
THRONG - R inside THONG

10 One dipping into US writer, inferior author (9)
POETASTER - a TASTER of POE

11 Head over for a knees-up (5)
BEANO - BEAN + O

12 Foxtrot, lively dance, short and uninhibited (4)
FREE - F(oxtrot) + REE (l)

13 Tip of asparagus removed before mixing with English vegetables (5,4)
SUGAR PEAS - a(sparagus e)*

15 What sounds like wrongdoings by people, on leaving US city (10)
CINCINNATI - homophone for 'sin' (twice) + NATI(on)

17 It's OK for Bordeaux to supply sparkling wine (4)
CAVA - in Bordeaux, on dit 'ça va' for 'OK' - dd

19 Facility's rent reduced by pounds (4)
EASE - (l)EASE

20 Writer's appearing in short TV sequence: Name Of A Poet (10)
SPENSERIAN - PEN (writer) inside S(hort) + SERIA(l) + N - of the poet Edmund Spenser >>

22 Planned to have kid kept back after school (9)
SCHEDULED - SCH(ool) + DELUDE rev.

24 Peform song on piano (4)
PLAY - P(iano) + LAY

26 In revolution he died a certain western hero (5)
BOONE - OB rev. ('he died') + ONE (a certain person) - Richard Boone, best remembered for Have Gun Will Travel

27 Feeling cold lrish veg should be dished up around noon (9)
SHIVERING (irish veg n)*

28 Country property in Virginia, say (6)
ESTATE - E(astern) STATE

29 One study about keeping bird in cage? (8)
INTERNED - I DEN rev. outside TERN

DOWN

1 Bluebottle on bottom of Barbary ape (4)
COPY - a COP ('bluebottle' is a slang term for a police officer) + (Barbar)Y

2 Prepare to speak about king, having rewritten a short note (5,4,6)
CLEAR ONE'S THROAT - C LEAR + (a short note)*

3 Learner turfed out by newly acclaimed teacher (8)
ACADEMIC - (accaimed)*

4 Explorer gives address, forgetting first letter of road (5)
OATES - O(r)ATES - Lawrence Oates, he of the famous last words >>>

6 Port's illegally obtained, boozer admitted (6)
HOBART - BAR inside HOT (stolen)

7 Look down in the mouth, perhaps, for language test (4,11)
ORAL EXAMINATION - dd

8 Start to go astray, crossing land in shiny coat (5,5)
GLOSS PAINT - G(o) + LOST outside SPAIN

9 Cow just getting stuck in swampy ground (8)
FRIGHTEN - RIGHT (just) inside FEN

14 Easily understood tax in account: l will get billed regularly (10)
INACCESSIBLE - IN + AC(count) + CESS (tax) + I + BLE (alternate letters of 'billed')

16 Brief requirement to fence off borders for some Asian folk (8)
NEPALESE - NEE(d) outside PALES - an old word for pickets as in a fence, still seen in 'palings'

18 Be endlessly pleased, cooking cheese (3,5)
BEL PAESE - (be please)*

21 Least likely to work, namely after imbibing litres (6)
IDLEST - ID EST, i.e. 'i.e.' (namely - tho that is more usually 'viz.) outside L(itres)

23 Worker in night club and pub supplying spirits (5)
DJINN - D(isc) J(ockey) + INN

25 Characters in carriage driven over the hill? (4)
AGED - incl. in carriAGE Driven

KEY

to abbreviations/terms/symbols which may have been used

(raga man)* = anagram of 'anagram'
cd = cryptic definition
dd = double definition
incl. = inclusive (hidden word)
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

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Garry Gillard | New: 20 October, 2018, 0806/0851 | Now:20 October, 2018