I got 20A wrong because I didn't use the second part of the clue, the cryptic side, at all. That meant I struggled to get 14D and 18D but I had enough correct letters that I didn't know I was wrong. The answers worked in some cross clues, but not others. It's annoying when that happens.
1A - I wonder hourly at movement to act without reserve (3,4,4,4)
"To act without reserve" is the definition and "movement" an anagrind, so mix up "I wonder hourly at" to reveal LET YOUR HAIR DOWN.
9A - George to perforate cooking plate (7)
"Cooking plate" is the definition and we want to take the G from "George" and "perforate" = RIDDLE (think riddled with holes) to give us GRIDDLE. (Makes me look at The Riddler in a whole new light)
10A - Diana in Iolanthe? First for the great Italian composer (7)
"Great Italian composer" is the definition (or matter of opinion, you can remove "great" if you disagree) and we want "Diana" = ROSS (not the princess for once) use the available IN and take the I from "Iolanthe" for ROSSINI.
11A - Some battery problem so great? (7)
I didn't get this. I can see "problem so great" where problem is the anagrind and "so great" the fodder to be mixed to give us STORAGE, and I guess some batteries do have storage as their main problem. I found this clue confusing. "Some" I thought was telling me to take partial letters from "battery" and I was thinking "battery" meant assault.
12A - Tip Anne off; it's feather-like (7)
"Tip Anne off" where "off" is the anagrind and "tip Anne" the fodder to be mixed to give us PINNATE, a word meaning "feather-like"
13A - Gossip writer E is a hostile infiltrator (5,9)
I got the second word of the answer with cross letters and thinking it a synonym with "writer" = COLUMNIST. But then It went cold for me. I had cross letters for the 5-letter word but no idea what was going on. I have no idea how "Gossip writer E" Gets FIFTH COLUMNIST. I had to look that up, too.
17A - Every step in his treatment, being allergic (14)
"Being allergic" is the definition and "Every step in his treatment" is fodder and anagrind, mix up the first four words to render HYPERSENSITIVE.
20A - Popular set pouring out (2,5)
I may have fallen into an obvious trap. I didn't care about the cryptic side of this clue "pouring out" I just went with "Popular set" = IN CROWD but if I'd taken a moment to look closer, I'd have realised "out" was an anagrind and "pouring" becomes IN GROUP, which doesn't sing as nicely in crowd.
22A - Changes position about it, returning driving forces (7)
"Driving forces" is our definition, "changes position" = MOVES and that gets split about "it, returning" means reverse IT = TI to give MO (TI) VES
24A - Plethora certainly? Fellow inside has sex appeal (7)
"Plethora" is the definition. "Certainly" = SURE "Fellow inside" = SUR (F) E then "sex appeal" = IT so put all together to get SURFEIT.
25A - Women with barrel upset songbird (7)
"Women with barrel upset" We need the W from "women" and "BARREL" is fodder for the "upset" anagrind to give us WARBLER.
26A - In winning addition problem while entertaining (6,3,6)
Here, I did notice "problem" was an anagrind. "In winning adding" becomes WINING AND DINING for "entertaining.
1D - Extremely licentious in the past Nigerian port (5)
"Extremely LicentiouS" means take the first and last letters LS "in the past" = AGO and that goes "in" the LS: L (ago) S for the "Nigerian Port" LAGOS.
2D - Journey to Hotel Malawi ends in Lebanese port (7)
"Journey" = TRIP "tO HoteL MalawI ends" means take the last letters of previous words: OLI and put together for a "Lebanese port" TRIPOLI.
3D - Star model ruined great painter of the 16th century (3,6)
"Star model ruined" is fodder and anagrind remixed to give OLD MASTER for "Painter of the 16th century" and Oh Thank Goodness we didn't have to trawl through lists of 16th century painters! Rabbit hole averted!
"Always" = EVER and "turning up" for a down clue means we put that in from bottom to top - but it's "carrying thE last" so need to put an extra E in there which gives us REEVE. I didn't get this."Manorial steward" made me only think of Alfred Pennyworth, the butler from Batman.
5D - Unusually cool Paris, for old citadel (9)
"Unusually cool Paris" anagrind + fodder = ACROPOLIS as our "old citadel"
6D -Transgress again making varnish ingredient (5)
I do not quite how to make this work. I could see the answer was RESIN and then I googled a bit to confirm resin was a varnish ingredient - it is. So in word play, the word "transgRESs" or just "trans" means something? I can see RES in there and then "agaIN" but why would I remove the AGA? I don't know how this clue works, but I could see the answer - does that make sense?
7D -Love to equip French mate for some Asian art (7)
"Love" = O "to equip" = RIG and a "French mate" = AMI for ORIGAMI, the Asian art.
8D -Tie's tone oddly nut brown (8)
I must be improving, I could see this one immediately. "Tie's tone oddly" is fodder + anagrind to give us NOISETTE, a nut brown...ok it's a cut of meat and a nut flavouring according to the dictionary, but I know it's a colour because I've been looking at paint samples!
14D -Laine, an artist, holding cash for old queen (9)
I didn't get this. I had a cross letter wrong and it didn't make sense, now I see the answer I wouldn't have gotten this with the clues. Definition is an "old queen" and "Laine, an artist" = CLEO Laine and "Holding cash" = PAT Cash and I guess we need to take an A from either "an" or "artist" to give us CLEOPATRA.
15D -Making skeletal parts, Mr Tate is a problem (9)
Hey there's that word "problem" again, let's treat it as an anagrind since "Mr Tate is a" has nine letters. We mix them up to get METATARSI which are bones and count as "skeletal parts".
16D - Tea in South Australia starting with power tool (8)
I liked this clue. I like it because I got it. "Tea" = CHA we use the available IN. We take the first letters of directions and proper nouns (not always but often), "South Australia" and finally we need "starting With" = W to give us CHA + IN +S +A +W = CHAINSAW. The "Tea" could have been "CHAI" but then where would the N come from? Here I can see we needed to snatch the word IN from the clue.
18D - Quietly returned soldier to press for crude moulded metal (3,4)
I had this wrong. I'd googled "crude moulded metal" and found something called PAC IRON, and I put that in. Now I'm looking closer with the right answer PIG IRON. "Quietly" = P for piano the music instruction to play quietly. "Returned soldier" = GI backwards: IG then "to press" = IRON for PIG IRON. I've never heard of this before.
19D - Five to four on? Chain store? For great composer? (7)
"Five" = V and "four" = IV and "chain store" = ALDI for VIVALDI.
21D - Being pacific once a problem (5)
A friend of mine would go insane reading this clue. She hates when people say "pacific" instead of specific. Why don't we look at the other end where our now favourite signpost "problem" sits with a convenient 5-letter fodder "once a" can mix to become OCEAN for "pacific" Grammar nerds can calm themselves now.
22D - In debt for a thousand, did some trimming (5)
"In debt" = Owed "for a thousand" = M and "did some trimming" means MOWED.
23D - Betting on outfit getting a small spray (5)
I got this late and with the idea of "small spray" meaning a kind of bouquet. I don't know how "betting on outfit getting" brings us to SPRIG. Well I can just see "outfit" = RIG, but betting on as SP?
There, done! I did have a go the Guardian puzzle by shed which was well out of my skill set. I did get a few clues:
4D - Beer is consumed in passageway (5)
"Beer" = ALE and that "consumes" IS to become A (IS) LE for passageway.
5D - Former magistrate drives into empty bus (7)
Working from the end, "empty bus" = BS as we remove the U to make "bus" empty and "drives" = URGES" which goes "into" like this B (urges) S = BURGESS. Which one? I don't know but I went with Franklin Burgess.
7D - LA district (but not "hood"), clad in stones, generates queasy feeling (12)
HOLLYWOOD (-HOOD) = OLLYWO "clad in stones" = COBBLES so we must put cobbles around like this C (OLLYWO) BBLES. And it was here I gave up because if this is a grid with words like Collywobbles I was not in the mood. I'm not British enough to survive this without breaking something.
Clues I found completely perplexing:
8A - Not wholly uncorked wine, perhaps, is unusually like hard work (7)
I got as far as "uncorked" = OPEN but "not wholly" meant to remove a letter (-N) and that was it. Answer is OPEROSE.
1D - Animal turning king into solid gold (7)
Definition is an animal, but that's it. I got nothing. Even with the answer I get nothing. ROEBUCK. Too much for mid-level newbies like me.
I know my limits, I tried them. I know when to back down and have a glass of wine and go watch TV. That time is now. Have a good night!
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