The Age cryptic by DA #20,379 from 8th August

I had a dreadful time with this puzzle. After many hours of trying, stopping floundering I had six clues filled by the end of the day. One of those was in the wrong grid place (confused 12A for 21A) and two were incorrect. Usually I go for the anagrams first because they show themselves and with those solved I can break into the other clues with a couple cross letters. No such joy this week. My good solves didn't help me start out the cross clues. In the end, I had to wait for the solution to be published and solve this in reverse. I had no eureka moments. Working the puzzle backwards with the answers was still tough.

1A - Top user discovered Chrome for one (7)
Needed cross letters because I kept looking for words with CR in them thinking atomic table. I needed to think internet. "Top user" does not mean U, "discovered" doesn't show me letters to remove. If the clue had just read "Chrome, for example" or if we'd not look at the clue too cryptically, we could get BROWSER.

5A - Trim Opposition leader (7)
I got this one first then thought - maybe that was too easy? But each way I looked, it was a double definition leading me to SHORTEN, our current opposition leader for the Labour party.

9A - 17-down thematic essence in backstory (5)
Skip down to 17D to see that solution - Does that help? Not me, it didn't. Well it seems to become the definition and the answer was TRANSMIT. "Thematic essence" if meaning to take the middle "essence" of thEMAtic to get EMA, but how we get IL from "in backstory" I cannot see. Answer is EMAIL. *Edit to add, answered on Twitter by Steve Dee @tinstargames "Essence of THEMATIC is MA, story is LIE, put back is EIL."

10A - PI shows card before lucky race? (4,5)
I got this one completely wrong. We want the name of a private detective but an Australia-centric one. I put in Dick Tracy (card = ID and "race" had some letters of Tracy) and had all kinds of bother, especially since the C worked in 5D, reinforcing my choice. Here, the "card" = JACK, the playing card. "Lucky race" was supposed to get me to IRISH, and it was suggested "luck of the irish" but where does race fit? I'll have to watch/read JACK IRISH now.

11A - Develops video capturing uncontrollable shakes (5,5)
"Develops" is our definition. I was hung up with "uncontrollable shakes" as DTs or something. "Video capturing" means we're to take a synonym for "video" = TAPE and wrap it around another word - That's where "uncontrollable shakes" comes in. Mix that up to get TA(KES SHA)PE.

12A - Maleficent not recorded when rewound (4)
We're looking for a word that describes "Maleficent", "not recorded" = LIVE "When rewound" means to reverse the word to get EVIL.

14A - Eagerly, Joker wishes to ensnare Batman in closing piece (4,4,4)
We want a phrase that means "eagerly" and this clue is hard to break even knowing the answer. I think it goes like this: "Joker" = WIT "wishes" = HOPES "iN closing" = N, and "piece" = ARM like a firearm. Put the bits together like this: WIT(HOPE(N)(ARM)S) to get us WITH OPEN ARMS.

18A - Hardly the sort of member a casino welcomes (4-8)
I saw this with cross letters in place; CARD-CARRYING. Yes, they prefer cash but I think they'll take your money any way they can.

21A - Musical bordering on romance territory (4)
I got this one, only I didn't put it in 21A, I put it in 12A which caused me extreme frustration. We want a musical, and there are only a couple I know of with four letters, "bordering on RomancE" = RE  as we take the borders of "romance" and "territory" = NT for Northern Territory, to give us RENT.

22A - Acquire divine, naked bath as flyer's prerogative (6-4)
"Flyer's prerogative" (I can never hear that word without hearing this) and "acquire" = WIN, "divine" = DOWSE, "naked bATh" means to remove the outer letters from bath for AT. Put together like this: WIN+DOWSE+AT to give WINDOW SEAT.

25A - Lulu craving jacket $15.01?
We want a synonym for "Lulu" but it's nothing related to the singer. "Craving" = HUNGER and 1501 = MDI in Roman numerals. Put together for HU(MDI)NGER, where "jacket" works to say put MDI inside or HUNGER around MDI like a coat.

26A - Beached, discharged silver bullet (5)
"Bullet" is our definition and "Beached" = AGROUND "discharged silver" means to remove the atomic letters for silver which are AG leaving ROUND, a word for bullet.

27A - Inform on rank to further rank (7)
"Inform on" = RAT and a "further rank" = TIER to give us RATTIER. I'm not sure where the definition is as I know it to be like shabbier.

28A - Object to daring pre-mating ritual (3,4)
Perhaps it's because I've been reading Edgar Allan Poe and watching Dickens's Great Expectations, but this clue came across a lot darker than its intention. DAT Mary's help with "28a: end (noun) daring (adjective) mating in game" didn't enlighten. Then Phil suggested "28 think chess." and I still needed to cheat to see END GAME.

1D - Winton novel liable to be taken (6)
A bit of google helped me find Tim Winton is not a novelist, and one I've not heard of before - I lurk about in the free books on Project Gutenberg, so I don't know most modern writers. His published works only had one six-letter title BREATH so I used that, since the phrase "to take one's breath away" worked with the clue's parsing.

2D - Local bogan's request American chain? (6)
I couldn't get this until a hint from Ray "2D – Defn = “American chain” (as in mountain range). “Local” = letters 1,2 (short hand for Australian). “bogan’s request” = letters, 3,4,5,6 and is a mispronunciation of the real word." Once I got "local" = OZ I knew the mountain range was the OZARKS. I'm not up on my Bogan slang enough to have guessed they "arks" a question, although Rupert had hinted earlier, and I didn't grasp, with Americans wanting to "axe me a question"

3D - Spruiker's initial chat and spiel perhaps? (5,5)
I got the "hard sell" stuck in my head but not fitting the enumeration. That wasn't far off. "Spruiker's initial" = S then the words CHAT and SPIEL are mixed to give us SALES PITCH.

4D - Foreign leader open about hospital (5)
This one completely stumps me. Definition is "Foreign leader" answer is RAJAH.

5D - Deviant young healer however expressed (4,5)
Again the parsing is hard for me. I could see from cross letters the first word was likely SICK and possible synonym for "deviant" and I'd thought a "young healer" was referring to the dog and not a doctor. I have no idea what "however expressed" is supposed to mean, unless a homophone indicator, so didn't have any confidence to put in SICK PUPPY until I had more cross letters.

6D - Passing remarks the ultimate weirdo touch? (4)
Cross letters in, I thought "passing remarks" was like a synonym with eulogy, and the answer is OBIT, but I don't understand the parsing at all. Weirdo touch?

7D - This minimised each rip-off (8)
"This minimised" = THI -S and "each" = EVERY for THIEVERY to define a "rip-off"

8D - He wants for nothing retro-trendy, greeting heel (8)
"He wants for nothing" is the definition. and I can only understand "greeting" = HI. I do not understand how "retro-trendy" = NI ARG! Only when I type it I see it! "Trendy" = IN and "retro" is a reversal indicator to get us NI, then HI then "heel" = LIST? Giving us NIHILIST. I don't see "heel" as LIST even in the awkward walking sort of definition.

13D - Endure a NSW ordeal regarding life's big questions? (10)
"Regarding life's big questions" is the definition and "Endure a NSW ordeal" is fodder+anagrind to be mixed to give us UNANSWERED.

15D - Herald supporter climbs into grouch first off (9)
I had this one scribbled in the sidebar as a possible solution, going only on synonyms of "Herald" but I couldn't see how the word HARBINGER fit the clue. I think "Grouch" = WHINGER with "first off" meaning remove the first letter W, which means "supporter" = ARB? I don't understand that. OH! It's a BRA and it's "climbing" in the down clue, so entered the grid in reverse. Right, got that now.

16D - Heard you left flower (rose) for that girl, a hottie (8)
We want a word for "hottie" that's more weather related than girl. "Heard" had me thinking there was a homophone at play but I don't know where. We need a flower that has a U in it to work with "you left flower" and with Rupert's hint that the flower is the saffron maker variety I knew it was CROCUS -U, "(rose)" tells us to put that in reverse on the grid to read SCORC then "that girl" = HER for SCORCHER.

17D - Heard you twice left nasturtium spray to send (8)
This bloody clue. I shake my fist at it. Take the word NASTURTIUM "you twice left" = -UU leaving NASTRTIM, next word is "spray" which is an anagrind, so mix those remaining letters to get TRANSMIT for "to send"

19D - Bight town influenced Unabomber (6)
We want the name of a town along the Australian Bight, and it's there hidden within
"influenCED UNAbomber, for CEDUNA.

20D - Junk food rejected, say ... (6)
"Junk food" is the definition. I think "say" = EG and "..." = DOTS for STODGE. No, I didn't get this.

23D - Lament crossword online, in hindsight (5)
More red pen, DIRGE is the answer. I guess we need to scroll down to the World English Dictionary definition of "a chant of lamentation for the dead" "crossword online" = E-GRID and "in hindsight" means to reverse that in the grid, from bottom to top, to read DIRGE.

24D - Neighbour announced important Nintendo system (4)
"Neighbour" is our definition. "Announced important" where "announced" is a homophone indicator and we want a word for "important" = KEY or KI and also "Nintendo system" = WII shortened to WI for our neighbour KIWI. Red pen, I tried to figure out how WII fits here, but never saw how the K came into play.

Blah. Not a good week for me, I'm afraid. I should've known it was trouble when the DAT didn't mention how easy they had it this week. I believe LR is back on Monday for a few weeks, as he's said on Twitter. I look forward to that.

Now to help my daughter to learn to ride her bike.