Yes, it's still oddly pink - I've fixed the printer now so it'll be less pepto from now on. On to the clues:
1A - Plead with upstart at French island to mesmerise... (7)
"Plead" = BEG and "upstart" is a clue-in-word where we want to take the "start" of "up" or U and "French for island" is ILE for BEGUILE, a synonym for "mesmerise"
5A - ...as Jones treated in old Californian capital. (3,4)
"Treated" in an anagrind with "as Jones" being the fodder, mix those up to get an "old Californian capital" SAN JOSE.
9A - Reserves Hot Sprite in Library Fitting (9)
Definition here is "Library fitting" and "reserves" = BOOKS, "Hot" = H and "Sprite" = ELF for BOOKSHELF.
10A - Show to seat you, me, and that woman (5)
Definition here is "show to seat" where "you, me" = US "and that woman" = HER for USHER.
11A - Doctor Laker begs to get turns on the pitch (3-6)
Here the word "Doctor" is an anagrind with "Laker begs" the fodder, rework that to get LEG BREAKS, which I'm not exactly sure how that works with the rest for a definition. "turns on the pitch" and leg breaks? Is this some sporting reference I've not heard before? I know "Break a leg" as an acting line. Wait - this is crypticland, always check for a cricket reference. There it is.
12A - They go crazy. Student after some alcohol (5)
"They go crazy" is telling us the word THEY is to be mixed up with a "Student after" and here we want to one letter used for a student L for learner. Mix together to get ETHYL, a type of alcohol.
13A - One giving evidence watching international match, otherwise... (8)
Definition is "One giving evidence" now I thought "Watching" was a hint that we were to see a visual answer somewhere, but that didn't seem to occur. "Watching international match" I'm guessing means AT TEST and we're talking cricket here again, and "otherwise" = OR for ATTESTOR.
14A - ...if Ella managed to produce ribbed silk fabric (6)
"Managed" is an anagrind and "if Ella" is the fodder, remix those to get FAILLE, a type of "ribbed silk fabric"
16A - Evans disturbed about upstart's birthmark (6)
"Evans disturbed" where disturbed is the anagrind and EVANS the fodder, and we take the U from "upstart" because it's a one word instruction "up start", mix them up for NAEVUS.
18A - Begin with leading urger (5,3)
In this, I had the cross letters for the 3-letter word and knew it was OUT and found the synonym for "begin" = START for START OUT. Now where "leading urger" comes into this I'm not sure. It's not a cricket term from what I can see, we're not using the U from "urger" and by definition I don't see how it links to start out.
21A - Drastically affect university writer opening debate (5)
Definition is "Drastically affect" with "university" = U, "writer" = PEN and "opening Debate" = D for UPEND and gosh I dislike these clues. It seems random in how we're expected to know to just use the U in university but a synonym for writer. I have yet to develop that "You just know" sixth sense.
22A - Do pass our unusual dinosaurs (9)
"unusual" should jump out as an anagrind and with "do pass our" having nine letters, like out solution, run those through your preferred anagram solving technique to get SAUROPODS.
24A - Acceptable the day before; about to call forth (5)
"Acceptable" = OK and "the day before" = EVE mix those up to get EVOKE, for "to call forth"
25A - Scar Eric's cat? I managed (9)
Definition here is "Scar" and "managed" is an anagrind. Mix up the remaining letters "Eric's cat I" for CICATRISE, a word I've never heard of before but have added to my notebook of cool words.
26A - Is the first technique about dressmaker? (7)
Definition here is "dressmaker" and I had many of the cross letters and found the answer using a thesaurus. "first" is shortened to IST where I = 1 and "technique" = MODE and we're to put that "about" IST to give MODISTE.
27A - Pat Hahn drunk, producing coal tar solvent (7)
Definition is "coal tar solvent" and "drunk" is an anagrind with "Pat Hahn" the fodder. Mix those up to "produce" NAPHTHA.
1D - Ruth left place of confusion (5)
Everytime I see or hear Ruth I get Nick Danger, Third Eye in my head "Ruthlessly""I wonder where Ruth is" which is a curse I happily share. On to the clue, Ruth = BABE and we take the L from left to give BABEL for "a place of confusion"
2D - Burns, boxer's supporter, an old king? (6,3,6)
Definition is "an old king" and we have to figure out which "Burns" do we want George or Robert, a "boxer's supporter", Well I could never decide and left this. it becomes GEORGE THE SECOND.
3D - Covers at home? Certainly son! (7)
I'm not entirely sure how this clue is parsed. Definition is "Covers" and a synonym is INSURES. Certainly = Sure but I'm not confident on the rest.
4D - Problem to reveal lift? (8)
Definition is "lift" and "problem" is an anagrind, mix up "to reveal" to get ELEVATOR.
5D - State festival is most secure (6)
"State" = SA (South Australia) and "festival" = FEST for SAFEST, or "most secure"
6D - Postulations new in Pacific island capital (7)
I needed help with this one and turned to The Cryptic Crossword Society on Facebook for help. Definition is "Postulations" and we want to insert "new" = N into a "Pacific island capital" and if you scan down the list you'll see two that start with N which is our starting cross letter from 5A and only one fits NOUMENA. Here, I don't agree that noumena and postulations are direct synonyms. Postulations being hypothesis, conjecture or suspicions and noumena meaning soul, heart, feeling. I guess in the feeling side, to have a feeling or inkling.
7D - That Polish gloom troubled eye man (15)
We should suspect "troubled" is an anagrind and it is, Definition is "eye man" and the phrase "That Polish gloom" will shuffle around to make OPHTHALMOLOGIST. which I had put in and erased many times from sheer misspelling.
8D - Registration in Lorne, returning troops ending transit (9)
Definition is "Registration" "Lorne, returning" means to reverse Lorne = ENROL and here I struggled to understand the second half. We want a synonym for "troops" REGIMENT, but we only want the ending MENT for ENROLMENT. I thought that had a double L, so there's me tripping on British English/American English
13D - Sauna made trouble to disgusting extent (2,7)
Hone in on "trouble" as a possible anagrind, where "Sauna made" has nine letters and remix those for AD NAUSEAM, as "disgusting extent"
15D - Model certain to return; about to preserve old western Italian (8)
I didn't get this one. Definition is "old western Italian" and I had some cross letters to guess "preserve" = CAN but how "model certain to return" gives ETRUS (sure + T?) but the answer is ETRUSCAN.
17D - Strip a French doctor? The last on ship? (7)
Definition is "Undress" French = UN (When seeing something like "French" we need to run through a list of Le, La, En, Un, Une to find one that fits. Same with Spanish, German etc.) doctor = DR and I'm not sure, but I figures a ship = SS, so I don't know how we get the E but the answer is UNDRESS.
19D - Proof to destroy Ridge? (7)
When we see "destroy" we should suspect it's an anagrind. "proof to" has seven lettters and if mixed up we get ROOFTOP, a word for Ridge.
20D - Rider may end with revolutionary soul (6)
Definition is "soul". Here "Rider" is used to mean an amendment to a document or letter, we know that as PS. In some clues you may see "Riderless" and it's an instruction to remove the letters PS from a word. "May end" means the end of the word may = Y and a famous revolutionary is CHE for PSYCHE.
23D - Female graduate in place of old queen (5)
"Female" is SHE and a graduate has a BA giving SHEBA, the name of an "old queen" which I didn't get.
There, done. Doesn't that feel good to finish something? Especially with an answer sheet and a friend?
I'll see you again soon. I have some baby blankets to work on for a friend expecting in August. I'll share crochet pictures soon once they've started coming together more. At the moment one is mostly done but needs edging and the other is still a bunch of granny squares.
Have a great day! Beware of dwarves brandishing pickles.
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