Last night I had five unsolved. I got 24A this afternoon as I'd heard it on the news; all that googling ancient cities wasted. When will I learn? Four clued red penned as I'd had to peek for those answers.
1A - Father backing mother. That's obvious! (8)
Definition is "obvious" "Father backing" means reverse PA to AP and add a synonym for "mother" APPARENT.
5A - Pigs so sick? Idle chatter! (6)
We want a word for "Idle chatter" and "Pigs so sick" where sick is an anagrind. Mix up "Pigs so" for GOSSIP.
9A - With show of deference sweetheart to amaze (4,4)
We want a phrase to mean "To amaze" "with a show of deference" is to BOW and your "sweetheart" is a LOVER for BOWL OVER. (I admit I had the B in place and had thought Blow Away)
10A - Model fears injury in attack from the air (6)
"attack from the air" is our definition. "Model" = T "injury" is an anagrind for FEARS, mix those up for STRAFE.
12A - Redhead carry out some rich European cake? (5)
"Redhead" is a one word command to take the first letter of Red = R, and a synonym for carry = TOTE mix together for TORTE, a European cake.
14A - PE schools arranged for old Greek dramatist? (9)
"PE schools arranged" where arranged is an anagrind, mix up "PE schools to get SOPHOCLES, a Green dramatist.
15A - Seize if Cat's once out of order (10)
Ok, so a lot of anagrams in this one. "out of order" is a bold hint of an anagram and "Seize" is our definition. Mix remaining letters in "if Cat's once" to get CONFISCATE.
16A - Fool in bars going around West Indies (4)
We want a word for "Fool" and it must have the letters WI inside from "West Indies" and I guessed TWIT, so a T is a bar?
18A - Some meat Charles? (4)
Did not get this. There is a man named Charles whose last name is a four lettered meat animal LAMB. Sadly, I'd never heard of him before. Philistine that I am.
19A - Doc Palmer a problem for old giraffe (10)
Another anagram, here "problem" is our anagrind and we want to get a word for "old giraffe" or more like an old word for giraffe. Mix up "Doc Palmer a" to get CAMELOPARD, which I was delighted about I shared the word on Facebook with my word nerd friends.
21A - Lost again? Problem looking back wistfully? (9)
Another anagram. Also using "problem" as its anagrind. Definition is "looking back wistfully" mix up "lost again" for NOSTALGIA.
22A - Don't ever listen to Arab leaders in alluvial area at river mouth (5)
Definition is "area at river mouth" and the word "leaders" is a hint to look at the first letters of words to get out answer "Don't Ever Listen To Arab" to give DELTA. I'm not sure what "alluvial" has to do with this clue.
24A - Beer? Pop off to old Syrian city (6)
Beer = ALE and "Pop off" is telling us to mix up the letters in POP to get ALEPPO, a Syrian city. I got this one late after watching the news. I'd been searching for an "old" Syrian city with little luck.
25A - I crawl out around six for national factional dispute (5,3)
Anagram!! We want a phrase for a "national factional dispute" "I crawl out" where out is an anagrind and we're put those letters "around six" or VI. Mix up "I crawl VI" to get CIVIL WAR.
27A - Last time sense trouble for old Judaic sect member (6)
I didn't get this one. It's not easy to google and get an answer, even knowing the definition was "old Judaic sect member" but is we take the "Last" of "time" to get the E and add "sense troubled" where troubled is an anagrind SENSE + E gives ESSENE.
28A - Avoided last two wives revolutionary married (8)
Definition is "Avoided" "last two wivES" instructs us to take the last two letters of wives, add a "revolutionary" CHE and a synonym for "married" or WED and put together for ESCHEWED.
1D - Australian doctor with sex appeal in range (5)
Charades clue. We want to take the A from "Australian", add an abbreviation for "doctor" MB and a word for sex appeal that's only two letters IT for AMBIT, a synonym for "range", which I'd never heard before. New words are great.
2, 26D - Prisoner with women (only women) starts conference with Indians (3,3)
We want a two word phrase for a "conference with Indians" Now, I had the cross letters for 2D and found "Prisoner" = POW, then "women only women starts" tells us to use the first letters to get WOW for POW WOW.
3D - Wild horde is a problem for old Zimbabwe (8)
Oh look! There's "problem" again! I think we have another anagram. One that's going to give us the name for "old Zimbabwe" We also get "Wild" as an extra anagrind? Mix up "horde is a" for RHODESIA.
4D - As Eden requires modification (5,1,6)
This is part anagram where "As Eden" gives us the 5,1 and we want a phrase that means "requires modification" we get NEEDS A CHANGE. so "requires modification" does double duty here as both definition and anagrind.
6D - Work it up? Active choice? (6)
I had all the cross letters here O_T_O_ and we're told to "Work IT up" and since this is a down clue we put the I after the T so it goes "up" the grid. Definition is "choice" so OPTION is our answer. I'm not sure where we find the P or final N.
7D - Bird to follow closely in formal coat (11)
We want a word for a "formal coat" Bird = SWALLOW follow = TAIL for SWALLOWTAIL. It promptly brought to mind this favourite Tom and Jerry cartoon.
8D - Clothing fastener for newspaper boss (5,4)
This clue made me feel a bit uncomfortable. We want a phrase that's a "fastener" but is also a "newspaper boss" and we get PRESSED STUD, which makes me wonder if someone is schmoosing the editor a bit. I got this after getting all the cross letters.
11D - A crooked cop carries the sign for old pharmacists (12)
I don't know if this is a homophone clue, it's not got any homophone indicators that I recognise. I could get "A crooked COP" and then "carries" say them together and it sort of sounds like APOTHECARIES. Well it did enough for me to get the answer. Otherwise I'm not seeing how this is parsed. A POC THE CARRIES but where's the -R? Unless the "sign for old pharmacists" is RX and we're to assume that means cross out the R? But we still have an extra C.
13D - Circus performers call Herald sports reporter, Roy (11)
I don't get this clue. I could figure out from "Circus performers" and the cross letters that the beginning was RING and from there I got stuck because I couldn't think of an 11 word beginning with RING that's a circus performer. Well, I've come a cropper on a compound word again. The answer was RINGMASTER. I always thought those were two words.
15D - In Panama port Dean rebuilt set of evenly-spaced Doric supports (9)
Nope, can't get this one either. The answer is COLONNADE which are a series of spaced columns. But how I get that from the first part of the clue? Ok Google Panama ports and look for a hit, yes there's a COLON port, and "DEAN" is rebuilt, or mixed up at the end to get our answer. That was a less fun clue.
17D - Sigh stupidly about aged fellow producing piscine pet (8)
Definition is "Piscine pet" "SIGH stupidly" where stupidly is an anagrind and we put that around a synonym for aged = OLD and steal the F from "fellow" because we're a letter short (and I looked up the definition of piscine) Mix them up for GOLDFISH.
20D - Venomous snake in Malta? I panicked badly (6)
We want a "Venomous snake" hidden in "MalTA I PANicked" TAIPAN. I'm not sure why "Badly" is in there. I'd think it was an anagrind, but it's not.
23D - Harsh? Getting current free? (5)
"Harsh" is our definition, but I'm not sure how to parse this clue. "Getting current free" Current = AC but how Free = RID for ACRID I'm less confident about. I suppose if you rid yourself of something is to be free of it, like rat infestations or addictions. Yeah, ok I think I get it.
26D - See 2-down
Ah. There! done. Damn these posts take so long to write! You have no idea. I'm exhausted. Must stop with the two in one day stuff.
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