Guardian Cryptic by Picaroon for Friday 18th, July

I thought I would give the Guardian a go. Wow that was hard! So many comments about what a delight,  fun, puzzle this was but it was really hard for me. I'm not sure how to parse most of the clues. I can grasp bits here and there, but most of them are beyond my abilities. I hit that cheat button a lot just to see where the clues were going, then tried breaking the clues back down in reverse. So many fails.

I did find a few that worked for me like 26A, 3D, 4D and 7D. Then there was 1D which is a complete mystery. I'm not at all up on my history of British PMs or common UK puzzle slang, although I did know a "Johnny" was slang for a condom.

This is still a journey for me, even though I try my hand at the role of teacher - I'm not. I'm just trying to sort all of this cryptic solving stuff as I hope some of you are. Come along with me, let's work together, let's learn together how to break these codes.

Apologies up front, I didn't red pen the grid this time. I admit to cheating a lot, let that be enough. The good thing about these Guardian crosswords in that they are a challenge with an answer key right there to help. If we can break down the harder puzzles, they'll eventually become easier once we know the tricks and shortcuts. (Oh, now it sounds like I'm overcompensating!)

1A - Twirling journalist wearing clown's suit (6)
Right from the start, I got lost. "Twirling" had me thinking it was an anagrind, then I thought maybe it meant "journalist" had to go in backwards? Wearing clown's? The definition is "suit" and the answer is SPADES. Even if "journalist" = ED backwards, what do clowns and SPAS have to do with anything? I don't think they do, not any spa I want to be a part of,anyway. Yuck, clowns in speedos
"wanna honk my horn?" No, please make the images stop!

5A - Explorer back in country, one caught spying on royalty (8)
"Explorer" = POLO (Marco Polo) "back IN" = NI, "country" = US to give us "one caught spying on royalty" POLONIUS.

9A - Acceptable payment to occupy empty London club (4,4)
I cheated here, the answer is LONG IRON for "club"  I could get that "empty London" meant we want the first and last letters LN, but I couldn't think of an "acceptable payment" to then "occupy" LN. "Payment" = GIRO, so does that leave "Acceptable" = ON?

10A - Most of sheep in the rain? One of them (6)
I'm not exactly sure if we are supposed to take most of the beginning of "sheep", the end or just the middle. Are we supposed to think sheep in the rain being WET? Is it that simple? Does "one of them" have to mean HER? It could've been him, but that doesn't make a word like WETHER, does it?

11,23A - Conferred with footballer needing to be paid off? (8)
I've not encountered a clue like this before. It's an 8 letter answer, split into two. The full definition is an eight letter word, but the cluing is for a (4,4) Definition is "Conferred" meaning to bestow, or following clue tense BESTOWED; "footballer" = BEST (George Best, I'm guessing and if it isn't cricket it's soccer) and "needing to be paid off" = OWED.

12A - Scots bash vessels navy moored in bay (5,5)
"Scots bash" is our definition and knowing there are only two Scottish holidays to choose from, Hogmanay or BURNS NIGHT. Now, Do we take the B from "Bash"  and have "vessels" = URNS? How do we get "navy moored in bay" to become NIGHT?

13A - PM losing head in conflict with European (6)
I got this with cross letters and a list of prime ministers on wikipedia. I'm guessing "losing head in conflict" means conflict = BATTLE -B "with European"  means to take the E for ATTLEE.

14A - What makes baker stop (5,3)
As cross letters fell in, I'd try different combinations and hit the "Check" button. Finally guessing BREAK OFF.  It doesn't make much sense to me. When thinking of work, we usually go ON a break, so I'm unsure why it's OFF here.

16A - Verbally abuse Tory minister? Party leader's appalled (8)
Definition is "appalled" and to "verbally abuse" is to DISS a Tory minister...well I don't know any of them in UK anymore, "Party's leader" doesn't want a P...I don't get it. Answer by deduction and thesaurus DISMAYED.

19A - Nothing wrong with a car that's kind of blue (6)
"A car" that is also a "kind of blue" is OXFORD. Well, the FORD part for car, anyway. I guess "nothing" = O and "wrong" = X because we mark wrong answers with an X.

21A - Reluctant to explore a hot and steamy novel (4-2-4)
I took a guess with cross letters. "Reluctant to explore" means you STAY AT HOME. I could also see "A HOT and STEAMY" would make STAY AT HOME but I didn't appreciate or recognise "novel" as an anagrind until much later. (it is one right? or was it explore?)


24A - Not public school receiving royal backing (8)
"Not public" is the definition and "school" = SECT "receiving royal backing" = ER(Elizabeth regina) reversed RE going into SECT for SECRET.

25A - Uncovered bird or rodent or mammoth (8)
Definition is "mammoth" and an "uncovered bird" = HEN -H, "or rodent" means to "uncover" a rodent but this time from the end as MOUSE -E to give EN + MOUS so if we take the extra "OR" before mammoth we can get ENORMOUS.

26A - Farm fertiliser has stable particle (8)
"Farm fertiliser" makes us think of manure, right? What manure maker has a stable? And a particle in its name? STALLION.

27A - Decline in the west has society getting soft (6)
I cheated. SUNSET. The Sun sets in the west but I can't figure out how "society getting soft" fits.

2D - Left idea for saucy yarn's beginning with one's newspaper (8,2,5)
I'm genuinely without any clue. Nothing. No part makes sense. PROPERTY IS THEFT. What does the answer mean, never mind the clue. Wiki offers old French anarchy. Still not clear.

3D - Like some computers? Very nearly like the whole lot! (7)
You just have to think laterally. Answer is like, DIGITAL.

4D - Flora and Johnny involved in fling (9)
I, being filthy minded, imagined butter lubed condoms - as you do. That said, this clue took me a while because I had not anticipated the use of American slang. "Flora" = SHRUB and "Johnny" = RUBBER put together for SHRUBBERY. You just have to add the Y?

5D - Criticise American pressure about promoting political unity (3-4) 
Definition is "political unity" and "criticise" = PAN "American" = A as we take the proper noun's first letter and from here I get lost. Pressure in science is reduce to PA and I thought promoting would be PR but somehow we need RAB. Full answer is PAN-ARAB.

6D - Cruciverbalist's sidekick with some incredible wisdom (5)
I don't get it. Sorry, you have to hear that a lot this time around. Answer is LEWIS. I know "cruciverbalist" is a cryptic crossword compiler but if there's one named Clark, I don't know him. "with some incredibLE WISdom" shows the answer but I never twigged the hidden word, or its meaning.

7D - Tip for cooking, stuffing cut carp (7)
I did get this one! "for cooking" is an anagrind and we want to mix TIP and "stuffing" it into a synonym for "cut" = NICK to give NI (TPI) CK or NITPICK, meaning to carp.

8D - Seek out cheerful, hazy line in futuristic picture (3,3,5,4)
There were hints in the comments for this puzzle, which was interesting because they seem very averse to blatant hints. I knew it was Star Wars related, and when a few cross letters showed I knew it. USE THE FORCE LUKE.

15D - English wound up? In France, we could be easily aroused (9)
Answer is EROGENOUS. I think we take the E from "English" "wound" = GORE and being a down clue those will be put in the grid backwards as the instruction "up" indicates, EROG + E then "French" = NOUS for EROGENOUS meaning "easily aroused"

17D - After 31 days, Examination of a government official (7)
"Government official" is the definition and I got this with cross letters. MAY does have 31 days and a type of "Examination" is ORAL for MAYORAL.

18D - Teacher, with age defends right to be a bore (5,2)
Not too dissimilar from the DA clue from Friday, here our "Teacher" is a DR with "age" = EON but not sure how we parse the middle ON which gives DRONE ON (or is the ONE the EON with an extra ON on the end?)

20D - Diver, turning up gold fish's head, fed (7)
"Diver" is our definition and I could only get the "gold fish's head" part meant GF but the rest I don't understand. Answer is FROGMAN, a term I have heard.

22D - Taunt a trio intermittently, giving musical instruction (5)
"Intermittently" is the word we want to hone in on, and the words before reveal "TaUnT a TrIo" to give TUTTI, a "musical instruction"

There, sorry it wasn't more informative. I have to keep challenging myself. See you Tuesday.