Guardian Cryptic by Tramp from 25th July,

Tackling the Guardian cryptic from Friday the 25th set by Tramp. Another new compiler for me. I really should get into these more, do a few from each from the archive list. If only these puzzles only took me a half hour to solve - one day. To have all the knowledges of the scary puzzles. 

I did all right. I got a lot of them by guessing and can't parse the clues, which is frustrating. Some clues are bewildering - 24D? 1A, 10A? Yet others seemed straightforward to me that folks in the comments were stumped by, like 2D - although I'd already had the last letter in place by cheating. 

All red pens are cheats. I got 20A in first which bolstered up my confidence, even though I was going "DBs? Douchebags? Dog's bollocks?"

Here's the snap:

8A - These might help one pick up jewellery? (8)

Yeah, I didn't get this. I may be missing something here, but EARDROPS are not jewellery. I can see something needing picked up may have been dropped, but this was not a happy start for me.

9A -  Go into two hospital departments (5)

I'm not sure if this is a double definition clue, or not. I was looking for the acronyms of two hospital depts - having exhausted things like wards, units, wings. With a couple cross letters I saw ENTER. I can see ER (although Brits call that A&E) so I'm wondering if NTE means anything? Not looking likely.

10A -  Toy Story's central character on stage (4)

Completely flummoxed. Central character is Woody, or do I want the middle letter from "Toy Story" or Woody either way it's an O - nothing works for me. "On stage"? Answer was LEGO. Not a hidden word -  Help me out, friends!

11A -  Hef row — Playboy gutted it affected his partner? (6,4)

Had to dissect this a bit. Definition is hard to grasp but it's "Playboy's partner" and we are dealing with an anagram/charade hybrid clue - I think that's what we call this. We need the letters from "Hef row" then we do as we're told "Playboy gutted" and remove the middle letters from Playboy leaving PY, "it affected" was hint enough to take IT. So we have HEF ROW PY IT - mix those up to get TROPHY WIFE.

12A -  Right, left rubbish (6)

So short! No hand holding here. I didn't know where to go so I cheated. Definition is "Right" or more on the side of right. Breaking this down we need "left" = L and "rubbish" = AWFUL for LAWFUL.

14A -  One could upset retiring vicar — lay to rest outside (8)

I probably have this wrong, and I cheated on this clue. "One could upset retiring vicar" could mean to mix up some of the letters of "retiring" -G and use the V from "vicar" and get a misspelled "invertir" which is close to the real answer INVERTER. As it is possible to "upset retiring vicar" you won't get the whole answer that way. Let's not ignore the other half of the clue, "Lay to rest"  = INTER. That goes "outside" so where are we to get the ER if IN (V) (ER) TER is how this is solved?

15A -  Slander in A Bug's Life? Pixar films' executive ultimately seizing power (7)

"Slander" is our definition. I got this with cross letters and a thesaurus, otherwise I have no idea how to get ASPERSE. I see "ultimately" and think first letters but only the SP, where's the rest of the clue? Last letters? 

17A -  Plans where PM lives without owning — tense? (7)

I'm a bit more comfortable here. "Plans" is the definition. "Where PM lives without owning" Well the UK PM lives in 10 Downing St. so we write TEN and "without -owning" leaves just the D. I suppose we want to make that IN TEN D and "tense?" is asking us to make that grammar complaint with "Plans"  giving us INTENDS.

20A -  At home, David Beckham primarily surrounded by footballers' wives — they talk a lot (8)

First clue out. "At home" = IN "David Beckham primarily" means take first letters giving us DB. "Surrounded by footballers' wives" = WAGS and it's put together like this: W (IN) (DB) AGS For WINDBAGS - "They talk a lot"

22A -  Plant used to be a bit short (6)

"Plant" is the definition. "used to be" = WAS and "a bit short" means drop the last letter from "bit" -T = ABI for WASABI. Should read "sinus clearing plant" or "fiery tongue death plant"

23A -  State that's rarely encountered scenes with cars crashing (10)

I'm guessing this a comment on how we're in a privileged society compared to others on this planet? "State that rarely encountered" is the definition and "scenes with cars crashing" is fodder (scenes cars) and anagrind (crashing) yielding: SCARCENESS.

24A - Loud bar for Sibelius? (4)

I didn't get but I keep missing this clueing. I've had this recently! I could kick myself. "loud" = F for forté and "bar" = INN for FINN. I don't quite get the parsing. I know Sibelius was Finnish because wiki tells me but that's about all I get from this. Why do I still feel like I'm missing something?

25A -   One goal pulled back includes header from Manchester City (5)

Please correct me if I get this wrong - I just had letters and mixed them like an anagram. "One" = I, "goal" = AIM "pulled back" means we shunt the letters - the M drops off, everything shifts to the right and the M pops back to the beginning giving MIAI "Includes header from Manchester" tells us to take the first letter "header" from Manchester and "include" it in the available letters giving us a "city" = MIAMI.

26A -  Playing concertina not on without core piece (8)

"Without core piece" is our definition. "playing concertina not on" tells us playing is an anagrind and "concertina" the fodder but we don't want the letters ON included (not on) so ConCERTINA will remix to give ACENTRIC.

1. 
   
2. 1D - Identifiers close to brave volunteers, guns heartlessly support war (4,4)
3. With cross letters and getting a few clued letters I got this. "Identifiers" is the definition. I think "brave volunteers" is TA for territorial army. "Guns heartlessly" = GS by removing the "heart" of the word guns. "War" = NAM. Answer becomes NAME TAGS. I'm still short the E - where did it come from?
4. 
   
5. 
   
6. 2D - Earth not even, pulled up tuber (4)
7. We want a "tuber", "Earth" = E and "not even" = ODD and "pulled up" means for a down clue, to write the words in reverse from bottom up giving EDDO.
8. 
   
9. 
   
10. 3D - Deadly weapon changing hands in the end (6)
11. Having the DA so recently, this was more obvious. "Deadly" is the definition "weapon" = MORTAR "changing hands in the end" since the last letter in R, we want to make it "left handed" by adding an L to give us MORTAL.
12. 
    
13. 
    
14. 4D - Gradual acceptance to mind big, second sister (7)
15. This was mostly guessing with cross letters. "Gradual acceptance" is the definition OSMOSIS the answer. I can see SIS coming from "sister" but that's it. Was I supposed to think "big" was COSMOS? Bewildered.
16. 
    
17. 
    
18. 5D - Partners own casing for nineteen locks: Yale set here (3,5)
19. Again, cross letters and I'm from New England. Once I looked at Yale as not being a lock, but the university it was easier. NEW HAVEN. How does "partners own" fit as it's not a possessive but a plural so I was thinking of co-ops. "casing" meaning it goes around a word for "nineteen locks" but no Roman numerals here and nothing about hair - well there's WAVE  - but I'm very lost here.
20. 
    
21. 
    
22. 6D - One serving on board's ratatouille? Dear dished out seconds (10)
23. Had to cheat. "One serving on board" is the definition. "Ratatouille" = STEW "Dear dished" is fodder + anagrind DEAR and somehow I'm supposed to figure out to take the two SS's from "out seconds" to give us STEW (ARDE) SS for STEWARDESS.
24. 
    
25. 
    
26. 7D - Toy model gun (6)
27. Couldn't make it easy and give us a dessert clue. Double definition clue - maybe? The word "model" throws me. "Toy" = TRIFLE as in to meddle with something and a "Toy" = T, "gun" = RIFLE = TRIFLE. Not a satisfying clue.
28. 
    
29. 
    
30. 13D - All runners suffering in performance test (5,5)
31. With cross letters I had a good guess on the second word being TRIAL for "test" but the first word never came to me. I thought "suffering" was an anagrind but I couldn't find the fodder. Answer is FIELD TRIAL for "performance test"
32. 
    
33. 16D - "Porky" cut over tease (5,3)
34. Did not get - yuck. I think I was starting to get fed up and tired. SPARE RIB is the answer. I guess that is a "porky cut" and to "tease" someone can mean to give them a ribbing.
35. 
    
36. 
    
37. 18D - Suave Bond — middle of sea, Craig's stripped off (8)
38. Feeling better again - I liked this clue! "Suave" is the definition. Take all of "Bond"  even though it's a proper noun and we often want to steal only the first letters from proper nouns - here we want it all. "middle of sea" = E, the middle letter in sEa, "craig's stripped off" means remove outer letters from "c-rai-g" leaving only RAI and all those letters will be mixed per the "off" instruction. Put together we get BOND+E+RAI gives us DEBONAIR.
39. 
    
40. 
    
41. 19D - Uprising of South Africa and one gets old spear (7)
42. "Spear" is the definition "uprising of South Africa" where uprising is an instruction  to put the SA from "South Africa" (remember, proper noun rule - doesn't always apply but here it does) reversed in a down clue becomes AS. "one" = I and "gets old" = AGES put together like this AS (SEGA) I for ASSEGAI, a kind of spear. Looks like we wanted "I + AGES" uprising too, that's what the "and" was telling us.
43. 
    
44. 
    
45. 21D - Revenue work out economics: detailed cost hidden (6)
46. I took a good guess. "Revenue" is the definition. I was trying to figure out the answer and I think there's a deletion at play with "economics" because the letters for INCOME are there. The word "out" looks like a deletion signpost and the word "hidden" looks like a hidden word signpost - maybe an overly obvious one. We can't remove the entire word "cost" from "economics" as there's no T, but the rest we can - so I'm not sure I'm on the right path, here and yet that works...doesn't it?
47. 
    
48. 
    
49. 22D - Drunk rocker in the ’50s? (6)

I could get that "Drunk" = WASTED but I have no idea what "50's rocker" I'm supposed to know. Was Ted? Teddy Boys?

1. 
   
2. 24D - Cup to drink, not a lot (4)

I have no idea. Tramp even mentioned in the comments "I don't really like fa = cup " so I don't feel so bad about not getting it. I'm guessing it's a football thing? FA Cup? But where do I get the TE for FATE?

This puzzle has an Easter Egg in it. That's gamer talk for a sneaky, hidden extra. In cryptic crosswords they're called Ninas. They get that name from Al Hirshfeld, an artist who would hide the name of his daughter, Nina in his character art. Here if we look to the outer edge single squares (called unches - and that's not in a dictionary, it's what compilers call them) you'll see a listing of Pixar movies NEMO blends into MONSTERS INC, blends into INCREDIBLES leaving us with WALL-E. Yay! My first Nina puzzle!

That's how it went, that's how it was. I'll tackle today's puzzles later and have something up for tomorrow. Hope you had a great weekend and that your Monday is kind to you.