Here's the pic:
1A - Novelist bottled gas by attachment (1.1., 5)
You can see I'd written a short list of authors that fit the enumeration. None of those fit, even P.S. Rider isn't a real author but a try at working "attachment" at the definition. I shouldn't have tried. "Novelist" is our definition and "bottled" is a container signpost and if we look closer at "gAS BY ATtachment" we see the name A.S. BYATT. (Yes I searched around LPG and butane and other bottled gases first)
5A - Distributed fuel volume via a narrow ship (7)
I can see "Distributed fuel" as an anagrind and fodder, "Volume" = CC and I'm guessing "via a" means take the A to get FELUCCA. An Egyptian sailboat. I'm not sure it counts as a "narrow" boat or narrow is supposed to help with getting the A.
9A - Hardy girl grips reddish blue boomerang with meagre reliability (15)
Drat, I could not get this and I was so sure there was a Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys thing going on. No we're back to Tuesday's puzzle again with TESS of the D'Urbervilles. TESS "grips reddish" T(RUST)ESS and here I'm lost again. I thought "blue boomerang" meant turn blue backwards since a boomerang returns, but no. I also don't know how to work in "meagre" unless it's the THIN bit. Full answer is TRUSTWORTHINESS.
10A - Funny tummy trouble inflated midriff twenty-fold (5)
I'm stumped here. "Funny is the definition and the answer is COMIC but I toiled with words for pregnancy, IBS, gas, gut, bloat, Roman numerals...bah. "Trouble" looks like an anagrind but I can't even figure out what type of clue I'm working with here.
11A - Who's drummer stitched up the kimono? (5,4)
I got this one first. Definition is "Who's drummer" "stitched up" is a kind of anagrind I guess but I spotted right away "the kimono" was an anagram of KEITH MOON.
12A - Voguish nightclub swiped notice (7)
I'm guessing this is a double definition? I can see "Voguish nightclub" as a HOTSPOT but needed DA Tripper (DAT) MaryV to explain the rest "12A – swiped as in “stolen” and notice as in “see” "
13A - German joiner isn't joining underneath Rolls console (7)
I was going nowhere here. German to English googling gave schreiner as a word for "joiner" but that was too many letters. "isn't joining underneath" None of it was working. I'm still in the dark. Answer is HEARTEN. Oh! Wait, just reread DAT note from Ben "That’s what he means by roll. Take the German joiner away from underneath, scramble the rest. " I never took German but I'm guessing it's -UND from "underneath" and that leaves the letters for our answer., "Roll" is an anagrind, definition is "console".
15A - Small computer that offers ample dates (7)
It was hinted that "dates means fruit" by Mort at DAT then it clicked date PALM and lapTOP come together for PALMTOP. (I used to have a Psion5. Damn that thing was cool.)
17A - Pond creature is upright a little at the front (7)
This took a while because what you call a TADPOLE, I call a polliwog. I could get "A little at the front" was TAD, but wasn't sure about "is upright" meaning POLE.
18A - Argue with nice occupants overtaking to prepare for the fire, perhaps (4,5)
Definition is "argue with" and I had bits of this, but couldn't make them come together. I could see "nice occupants" meant the letters IC were occupying nice. But how to get me to guess CHOP LOG for "prepare for the fire" without having herd the expression CHOP LOGIC before? Wasn't going to happen without any cross letters to work with.
20A - Yak is West Africa (5)
Definition is "Yak"meaning to talk excessively and I've never heard of the country of GABON before. Geography fail.
22A - Tip for a tennis star going ballistic after end of set? (8,7)
I'm told "Tip" is the definition. "Going ballistic" is an anagrind and "for a tennis star" is partial fodder - we're one letter short. "after end of set" means take the letter T from the end of "set" and put it first then scramble the lot to get TRANSFER STATION. I did not know Aussies called their dumps/tips a transfer station. Always learning.
23A - Bosses veto contents in iPod extra (7)
I think I had to give up and come at this with a belligerent sarcasm. I was calling the "Bosses" Big Heid Bummers like a Scot when I thought Bosses = Heids = HEADS and "veto contents" mean the ET inside vETo to get HEADSET. Why does becoming obnoxious make these answers easier?
24A - Spooner mimics a pony for posy (7)
My 10 year old solved this for me. I said to her "mimic a pony" and she said "Neigh!" so this becomes "goes neigh" and Spooners into NOSEGAY for "posy"
1D - Old Mexican zither even out within acoustic extremes (5)
I was so chuffed I solved this clue unaided. Definition is "Old Mexican" "zither evens" means pull out the even letters from "zither" (does this mean the second 2nd, 4th, and 6th? not always! In fact not often enough but damn it really should! It just means every other letter from the first one chosen) to get ZTE then that goes "within acoustic extremes" meaning take the extremes from "acoustic" AC and put those around ZTE to get AZTEC. There's a doodle on the pic to show this.
2D - Road covering flower, we hear, plus others (4,5)
Even knowing the answer this took me a while to answer. "Road covering" is the definition, which I had figured because you can see my attempts to break down various road covering materials ("ass fault" was a favourite) but it's one I'd never "heard" of before. "Flower" = BLOOM and "plus others" = ET AL, say that together and you should hear BLUE METAL.
3D - They distrust bread when bread rolls are served by 10-across one (15)
Stumped. I understand "bread" is being used to mean money, and "The distrust bread" means ANTICAPITALISTS but what does "when bread rolls are served by COMIC one" mean? Well DAT offer lots of suggestions as this was a mega stumper. I still don't get it.
4D - Nutcase maybe stole it - around $50 (7)
I had this partially. I could guess the "$50" = L as the Roman numeral and it went in the middle. I could also see "stole it" as IT was being put in somewhere. I had the K from 11A and thought KIT, I had the T from 1A but did I ever think "Nutcase" = TOOL? Nope. TOOLKIT.
5D - Plump seafood cut by a tourist on vacation (7)
Definition is "Plump" and "seafood" = FISH which is to be "cut by tourist" could give a T but how do I get the extra AT from FATTISH? Or is a "tourist on holiday" an ATT? DATer Ray to the rescue again " “vacation” here has a meaning as in “vacate” or “empty” and is applied to the word “tourist”. So “a tourist on vacation” –> “a t t”. " I'd never have seen that, but will remember next time, I hope.
6D - Concrete wryly resembling creative output, you say when on dope (10,5)
DAT says the definition is the fist two words "Concrete wryly" but I do not understand. This clue had many hints on DAT and I got it via Julienne's " definition for 6D is the first two words. The first word of the answer is an inner west Sydney suburb named after an Australian explorer – I actually live in the municipality. " which was easy enough to find on wikipedia, LEICHHARDT then the second word is "you say when on dope" becomes GRASS (I pencilled in "HI" which is valid, right?) and I've heard the phrase "hard graft" is that what it's supposed to be "you say" for the homophone? "like hard graft?"
7D - Clubs overhaul personal principals (5)
Aha! I got this, but kept it light pencil because I wasn't 100%. Definition is "personal principals" but how did I get there? I had the O from 11A and figured CREDO fit better than MOTTO. I was right. How does "Clubs overhaul" give CREDO? I don't know.
8D - Quality evident in fine-style rhyme (9)
I've not encountered many "Eye-spy" clues and I don't know how else to describe this. It's an eye-spy for the ear. Did you make the connection? Are you a grammarian? We are supposed to recognise the particular style of "rhyme" going on with the clue. I'm no poet so never noticed the ASSONANCE. Which is sad because I absolutely adore alliteration and always annoy my kids with the ability. Ahem.
12D - Bear up on losing ring, joining the spirit of kids' game (9)
With help from Ray I got this. "first cross letter from a “Bear up” (4 letters) that has lost a “ring”. " So we want POOH and he "loses a ring" or -O for POH and that goes "up" in the grid so being a down clue we write it HOP. Then the "spirit" was easy after that to get HOPSCOTCH, a popular "kids' game"
14D - Bothersome actors removed gym jewellery (9)
I thought "Bothersome" was an anagrind, but no, it's our definition. I guessed "jewellery" was BLING but how "actors removed gym" works I don't know. Answer is TROUBLING.
16D - Temping, recycling, colouring (7)
Sweet clue. "Colouring" is our definition, "recycling" is an anagrind and "Temping" the fodder to scramble to get PIGMENT. It's very clever and concise.
17D - Starts to dine to suit pub, say (5,2)
I thought "TUCKS IN" but thought it couldn't possibly be that as we had that clue on Wednesday. Well I guess we do have repeat clues, or cruciverbalist cross-over. I didn't write it in because I couldn't figure out the parsing is "Starts to dine" was the definition. I'm definitely missing a homophone here.
19D - An indigenous lobbyist rose to be president (5)
I got this by reading it clue as a quick clue. I was thinking of the Obama birth certificate scandal and how he became president. I don't know how to solve this cryptically. OBAMA. I've had little joy googling "indigenous lobbyist" to find a name or organisation that can enter the grid in reverse to give Obama as an answer.
21D - Kid's mum not initially sounding musical (5)
"Kid's mum" is our definition. "not initially" means take the N from "not" and put it before a "musical" and choose the right one to "sound" to get "Nanny" (N + ANNIE)
A shorter puzzle with only 28 clues, but really that was plenty.
On a side note; I do admire how the compilers choose their grids. I wonder if it's planned ahead of time, or they emerge after choosing key clues. I look at the grids with a crafter's eye, seeing granny squares or quilting patterns. Celtic knots and cables. I like the symmetry of some over the chaos of others. Here, I see lower case "i" and corners with dice rolled on four. The massive plus sign in the middle. Is all of that random, half planned or is it fully considered before any word is entered.
Thursday's NS, which I didn't get to finish, had four "H"s running through the grid and I wondered if the was a 4H ink - but there's no 4H in Australia, is there? Then I noticed the four letter "i"s and thought it was a very friendly puzzle indeed saying "Hi" many times.
As always, please let me know if you have an answer for me to help in this learning process. If you've got a better solution, please share. I'm looking forward to kicking off more next week. (Apologies if the post has errors or garbled sentences. I've run out of time for a detailed edit.)
I hope you enjoy your weekend.
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