The Age Cryptic by DA #20,475

Friday was a washout for me. I solved less than half these clues and gave up in frustration. Saturday morning I got the paper's solution and found I still couldn't break down most of the across clues. I had to work the grill at a sausage sizzle Saturday so Sunday is the first chance I've had to type this up. I don't know how much good I'm going to be for you. With this puzzle I'll be appealing for insight more than giving any.

In the pic I didn't bother with red pen - just assume it's mostly red pen and I'll highlight the clues I did manage to solve on my own in blue. There aren't many. I'll highlight clues I lack solutions for or that have gaps in red.

1A - Alpha wed to keep place cut off (9)

"Cut off," is our definition and "alpha" = A as letter of the Greek alphabet, "wed" = MATED and that is to "keep a word for "place"  = PUT to make: A(M(PUT)ATED)

6A - Cleaner journo avoids boudoir (5)

"Cleaner," is our definition and "journo" = ED (short for journalist and editor) which "avoids boudoir" means removed the ED from a word for "boudoir" = BEDROOM -E = BROOM.

9A - American statesman regrettably split another state (7)

"American" is our definition and this clue has me a going around in circles. I think it's "Statesman" = S and that will "split" two three letter abbreviations for US states. Without cross letters it would be hard to get this clue alone without a lot of pencil lead and eraser peelings. It's 

ALAbama + S + KANsas = ALASKAN. My solution doesn't use the word "regrettably" so I'm likely missing something, but "another state" would imply more than one? ** Thanks for corrections below and to @rhapsody_bri on Twitter "9A 'regrettably' is ALAS and if you split another state (Kansas) you get KAN"

10A - Grand director embodies nothing but craft (7)

"Craft," is our definition and "grand" = G and "director" = ALLEN (Woody) who "embodies nothing"  = container signpost and O to make a G(ALLE(O)N)

11A - Democrat adjusted poorest threshold (8)

I did get this one. "Threshold" is our definition and "Democrat" = D in front of "adjusted poorest" as anagrind and fodder to make: D(OORSTEP)

12A - Nomad sucked into portable computer (6)

I got this with definition of "portable computer" = LAPTOP and there I thought - well that's too easy and how does the rest of the clue fit? It can't be that - but it was. I had help from DATer nn, "12a letters 1,2 3 and 6 are a race of nomadic people, letters 4 and 5 have been sucked in this word." We need to read the rest of the clue as "Nomad sucked in TO" as a four letter "Nomad" around the word TO means that LAP(to)P are our nomads. I've never heard of them but google confirms. I mean I've heard of Laplanders but I never knew them  to be called Lapps.

14A - Scrub mainly green if leaf closes (4,3)

I got this with cross letters and a guess that "Scrub" was our definition and the answer is CALL-OFF. I can see "iF leaF closes" = FF as the closing letters but I don't know the "mainly green" = CALLO? part. I went to One Across and input letters and "green" and I think CALLOW fits best where it means inexperienced. Learning new words is good...I'll keep telling myself this.

15A - Random array off-limits in the Pyrenees (7)

"In the Pyrenees," is our definition and "rANDOm aRRAy off limits" means remove the "limits" or first and last letters to reveal ANDORRA. I'm beginning to feel very untraveled.

16A - Teller's wonder blade (3)

"Blade," is our definition and I have no idea. These damned three letter clues! Teller who - Penn and Teller - he doesn't speak, well not during performances. He does speak I've heard him. Then I thought "Teller" could be a homophone signpost for "wonder" = AWE which gives OAR?? I disagree. Completely different words. I must be wrong. Where are these words homophones? I do have a London friend who types "Oarsome" but I thought they were being quirky - that's not really a thing is it?

17A - Fire in greenery circle (7)

I should have realised from the Monday puzzles that there truly is a Compiler's club and they have a competition to clue a certain word. "Fire," is our definition and for too long I thought "greenery circle" = WREATH but was getting nowhere. It's "greenery" = FERN and "circle" = O leaving the IN from the clue to go in front to make INFERNO. Any other "inferno" clues this week? 

19A - Walked on tour - ends with marshy sierra being bypassed (7)

"Walked on," is our definition and "TouR ends" = TR with "marshy" = SODDEN where "Sierra being bypassed" = -S (Sierra in phonetic alphabet) become TRODDEN.

21A - An alternative route OS (6)

This was far too foreign for me to grasp. I never drove in the UK so all that lingo means nothing to me (yes I took a 15 year break from driving. I used to drive 3000 miles a month from the ages of 18-22  through Boston traffic - a different insane driving from anywhere else in the world, then nothing for 15 years until I got my license in Australia.) and I wasn't aware the Australians used these terms for roads, either. The answer is ABROAD and I'm told it's supposed to be "A B-road" but what is OS? I know "operating system" and "ordinance survey"  aren't right, and how is it "abroad?" **Thanks to comments below and to Twitter friends @crypticQix and @rhapsody_bri for letting me know OS is "Over Seas" and to be fair I'm sure I've tripped on this one before.

22A - Browning sun might damage (8)

My first solve. "Browning" is our definition and "sun might damage" is fodder and anagrind to make GUNSMITH, where "Browning" is a gun manufacturer.

25A - Bag what 10- and 14-across do? (4-3)

"Bag" is our definition and "what a GALLEON and a CALL-OFF do?" is HOLD-ALL as in a huge cargo ship and stop play in a game.

26A - Justice to feel for the rifle locked inside (7)

"Justice," is our definition and "to feel for" = PITY and "rifle" = ROB as in rifle through someone's stuff and nick the best bits to make P(ROB)ITY. To me that's not a very good synonym for justice but I'm not the word master DA is so what do I know.

27A - Quaintly had a stab and reneged (5) 

I'm told this a double definition clue. The answer is PIKED and I can see the "had a stab" being a fitting definition, but what's the point of "quaintly" and how does "reneged" work as a definition for PIKED? I wasn't sure if this was some kind of "Pikey" or "Welshed" comment but I know DA doesn't like using prejudicial words (or so he says in his book) so It's unlikely.

28A - Sees intelligence restricting sense somehow (9)

"Sees," is our definition and "intelligence" = WITS that is "restricting, sense somehow" is a container signpost for the fodder of "sense" and "somehow" is the anagrind to make WIT(NESSE)S.

1D - Give a cryptic clue for disadvantage? (5)

A cryptic answer of a cryptic clue? That's kind of mean. It all works around "disadvantage" which is A DRAWBACK and then "drawback" is a one word instruction to reverse the word DRAW to WARD make AWARD as a synonym of "Give." I got this with a guess but couldn't parse until I was typing.

2D - Less glamorous bird exercises law of displacement (7)

"Less glamorous bird," is the definition and "exercises" = PE and "law of displacement" is fodder and anagrind to make PE(AFOWL). I got frustrated thinking of the Aesop fable and that was a crow (That's a neat link of an actual crow) showing the Archimedes principal.

3,6D - Bails with all but bails? (5,4,3,3,4,3,4,4)

Lots of hints on DAT leading me to think this was cricket and "dummy spit" related. I got all but the first two words of this which I couldn't get as I thought it was "picks up" or "Takes away" but it's TAKES YOUR BAT AND BALL AND GOES HOME. So I don't know who this kid is who's just stolen my bat and ball but I'm getting my big brother to sort his sorry ass. As you can guess, those first two words have cause much discussion as they're not strictly true to the phrase. They've left (bailed out on us) with everything but the "bails" the wee pegs in cricket, which I had to look up. 

4D - Rookie Redback blocking three metres or so (10)

New word for me. "Rookie" is our definition (that's not the new word) and "REDback, blocking" = DER that will get caught up in "three metres or so" = TEN FOOT (feet right, it's feet. It's plural)(Don't tell me a ten-foot pole is just one pole. I know) to make TEN(DER)FOOT.

5D - Is into apartment? (4)

Double definition: DIGS. Yes for too ling I tried to get "IS" into something. All I got was annoyed I couldn't see the bleeding obvious.

7D - Honest art installation less than enthralling (3-4)

"Less than enthralling," is our definition and "installation" is a hidden word signpost to show us "hONEST ARt" = ONE STAR.

8D - Boorishly clarify chart including Poles set down (9)

"Boorishly clarify," is our definition and this is a neologism I never expected to see but it's a nice surprise. "Chart" = MAP that is "including poles" = NS for north and south to get MA(NS)P then "set down" = LAIN which the clue could've helped a bit by having the word "had" in there but I know: no hand holding. MA(NS)P(LAIN) is our answer.

13D - Premature design linked to tympanus initially?! (3,7)

Question mark and an exclamation mark? "Premature design" is fodder and anagrind that's one letter short so we need the "Tympanus initially" = T to mix up and get EAR TRUMPET. Why not Tinnitus? I know "tymp" is drum-like and "anus" is the back passage so imagine what synonyms I was trying to come up with for of a "drumbum." I'm guessing this a semi&lit clue and the ear trumpet was an early design for a hearing aid. This lead me to wonder if "Tympanus" was a brand of hearing aid, as it could refer to the ear drum. Once I googled "tympanus hearing aid" the word showed up in several links. I have a close friend who's an ENT who I'll ask about this.

14D - Charges here linked to flying saucers? (5,4)

You have to draw this out and make a story - what would "charge" somewhere that would cause "saucers to fly" should lead us to the phrase "Bull in a CHINA SHOP" as the "here" we are looking for. It didn't lead me there, I confess.

18D - Freak outsiders keep alert, jogging interval training (7)

"Interval training" is our definition and I knew this one! I used HIIT to get me to half marathon distances and it really works, unless you end up with persistent plantar fasciitis and calf muscles hell bent on crippling you. "FreaK ousiders" = FK and those letters will "keep"  "alert jogging" as fodder and anagrind to make F(ARTLE)K.

20D - Demo's leading sign: VOCAL FARMS (7)

I had this, I am getting better at homophones. "Farms," is our definition and "Demo's leading" = D and "sign" = ARIES the astrological sign and "Vocal" is a homophone signpost meaning to change AIRES into D(AIRIES). Mooo, also true "vocal farms" is you've ever been to a dairy. There's a great ice cream shop back home called Peaceful Meadows where the shop is right in the dairy farm and cows come along and will lick your ice cream right off the cone if you're not careful. 

23D - Old president bugged cloud (5)

Easier, for once, to grab a list of old US presidents (I'm thankful it wasn't German or French or any other country) and I had 22A so I knew the first letter was an H and there's only one president that fit and that was HAYES. Now, I didn't grasp that "bugged" was a homophone signpost (and I'm not the only one from what I've read) but "cloud" = HAZE so the homophones are HAYES/HAZE.

24D - Scratch copyright regulation (4)

"Scratch," is our definition and "copyright" = C like the logo © and "regulation" = LAW to make CLAW.

Finished! I'm going to head out and enjoy this amazing early summer day and all it's glorious sun-shininess before we have steaks and potato salad for lunch. 

I've become very addicted to Dragon Age 2 which we bought over a year ago and I never got around to playing but with the new Dragon Age Inquisition just released and getting rave reviews I thought I'd better get caught up, as these games have carry-over plot lines and characters. 

As always if you have better or alternative solutions please add them in the comments as all help is very appreciated. Enjoy the last of your November.

The Guardian Cryptic by Rufus #26425

1. This was a great puzzle from Rufus with some really fun clues. I loved 5D, 13D and 23D. I am getting better with cryptic definitions. I had to cheat for three of them and a few others were guesses I didn't understand because I could guess the definition - I think that's nearly half of how my puzzles are solved these days which is still an improvement over how I was back in May. Here's the pic:

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3. 1A -  Continued with the ironing? (7,2)
4. Cryptic definition: PRESSED ON. That was a good start.
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6. 6A -  He took the hat round for not much money (5)
7. "For not much money," is our definition and I think "He took" is saying use the word HE and then we want a "hat round" that word and "hat" = CAP to make C(HE)AP.
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9. 9A -  Near to the start of darkness (5)
10. "Darkness," is our definition and "near to" = NIGH and "The start" = T to make NIGHT.
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12. 10A -  May they keep aunties in change? (9)
13. I can see "aunties in change" is fodder and anagrind but the definition is more the whole clue, sort of? Answer is ANNUITIES. I suppose someone's giving Auntie regular payments? Perhaps it's her pension if she's an aged aunt.
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15. 11A -  Convincing vice-consul is difficult (10)
16. "Convincing," is our definition and "vice consul is difficult" is fodder and anagrind to make CONCLUSIVE.
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18. 12A -  Finish roadwork (4)
19. Double definition: STOP I was thinking when we "finish" something we stop doing it or a "roadwork" was a stop sign.  Fifteen Squared offers a different solution "A charade of ST (street, ‘road’) plus OP (‘work’)." but I don't know why OP = work. I'll have to dig up what OP stands for. I know the internet definition of "original poster" but that's it.
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21. 14A -  The craft of the cook? (7)
22. I had to cheat here and I couldn't figure out the parsing. Answer is STEAMER. Fifteen Squared only says this is a "Cryptic definition" but doesn't go into any detail on explaining this. 
23. 
    
24. 15A -  Sweetheart lost by doctor and poet (7)
25. "Poet," is who we are looking for and "swEetheart" is a one word instruction to use the E at the "heart " of "sweet", and by use I mean remove it from a "doctor" ...and there I got lost. I couldn't find a type of doctor. Answer is HOUSMAN. Fifteen squared offers "HOUS[e]MAN (‘doctor’) without (‘lost’) the E (‘swEetheart’) – not Hugh Laurie, but a junior doctor in a hospital. The poet is A E Housman, best known for A Shropshire Lad. " At least I was on the right track.
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27. 17A -  Agrees when ordered to go aboard a ship (7)
28. "Agrees," is our definition and "ordered to go" = SENT and and that will go "aboard A ship" = A SS and "aboard" is a container signpost which tells us to put the SENT on the "ship" like this: AS(SENT)S.
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30. 19A -  Warped, like the criminal mind (7)
31. Double definition: CROOKED.
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33. 20A -  Settled one into residence (4)
34. "Settled," is our definition and "one" = I as it usually does and that will go "into" a three-letter word for "residence" = PAD to make PA(I)D as in settled a bill.
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36. 22A -  Reserve player (10)
37. Cryptic definition that cleverly looks sports related but is not, it's theatre "players" and the reserve is the UNDERSTUDY.
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39. 25A -  Switch positions round the oceans, when business is slack (3,6)
40. "When business is slack," is our definition and I got this from cross letters and definition. "Switch positions" if we think of light switches is OFF and ON and those will go "round the oceans" = SEAS to make OFF (SEAS)ON.
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42. 26A -  Consented to give up a vice (5)
43. "Vice," is our definition and this is a deletion clue. We want a word for "consented" that when the letter A is "given up" or removed will leave us with a "vice" = AGREED -A = GREED.
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45. 27A -  They go round on wheels (5)
46. Cryptic definition: TYRES. This took me longer than normal because when I hit the "check" button on the website my word TIRES lost a letter and it took me a while to remember Brits spell that with a Y. Thought I was losing my mind.
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48. 28A -  More than enough to fill up ten skips (9)
49. "More than enough," is our definition and "fill up ten skips" is fodder and anagrind to make PLENTIFUL. "Skips" as an anagrind was new. I first thought it was an odds/evens hint.
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51. 1D -  Policeman held up in a state of terror (5)
52. "State of terror," is our definition and "policeman" = PC, "held, up IN, A" where "held" is a container signpost, "up IN" = NI for a down clue enter in the grid from bottom to top then use the leftover A, that's "up" as well, in the clue to make P(A)(NI)C.
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54. 2D -  Propagates fresh greens — about to finish (9)
55. "Propagates," is our definition and "fresh greens" is anagrind and partial fodder that will go "about" or around a word meaning "to finish" = END to make ENG(END)ERS.
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57. 3D -  Community payment (10)
58. Double definition and I'd been looking for a synonym of council tax but that would've been a straight clue, not cryptic. What we want is a SETTLEMENT.
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60. 4D -  It's no way to address a lady! (4,3)
61. Cryptic definition: DEAR SIR. It's very straightforward, I love it.
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63. 5D -  9 to 5, he goes round the old city (7)
64. This clue was like tripping up the stairs repeatedly. I knew we needed an "old city" but I needed most of the cross letters to see how the clue was being parsed, then had to google to see where it was. Clue is "9" = NINE, "5" = V as the Roman numeral and "he goes round" here means to reverse HE to EH as opposed to splitting it around the other letters, which was what I'd been trying to find a way to make work. Gives us: NINE(V)EH.
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66. 6D -  Not a fair copy (4)
67. I needed cross letters and then tried CRIB on a whim thinking about cheating on a test with crib notes up the sleeve which is an unfair way to pass a test. This was after trying to find words for mimic, echo, acts and getting nowhere.
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69. 7D -  Priest and Old Testament poet (5)
70. "Poet," is who we are looking for again and I remembered from earlier puzzles "priest" = ELI and "old testament" = OT to make ELIOT.
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72. 8D -  Put off, but not deterred (9)
73. "Put off," is our definition and I'm not sure about how this is solved. The answer is POSTPONED which was a simple enough synonym but what "but not deterred," means I cannot tell. I looked up antonyms of "deterred" and didn't see anything that that would work.
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75. 13D -  Proverbially, it leads to madness! (3,2,5)
76. I had all of the cross letters before being able to see this. Answer is "OUT OF SIGHT" and the other part is "Out of mind." which isn't the real definition of that saying but being out of one's mind is "madness."
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78. 14D -  Puts an end to current measures in beer (6,3)
79. "Puts an end to," is our definition and I had to cheat on this because I kept trying to come up with words for Imperial measures. Not going to work as we want electrical "current measures" = AMPS being placed "in beer" = STOUT like this: ST(AMPS)OUT.
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81. 16D -  Employ recruit (4,3,2)
82. This is a loose double definition to get MAKE USE OF. I had most cross letters in place to see this. I think "recruit" is a weaker definition.
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84. 18D -  Takes Mickey to prison? (5,2)
85. "To prison," is the definition and I could not figure out the "takes Mickey" bit but I could eventually see the answer was SENDS UP like "send up the river," in old gangster speak. Fifteen Squared people mention "takes Mickey" means to pick on someone or play them for the fool, (could also be to drink something spiked with drugs as in a Micky Finn) I'm told  to "take the Mickey" is a synonym phrase of "sends up."
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87. 19D -  Is inclined to enter the church, subject to purification (7)
88. "Subject to purification," is our definition and "is inclined" = LEANS and this "enters the church" = CE (church of England) to make: C(LEANS)E.
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90. 21D -  Deduce there's no getting away from Hades (5)
91. "Deduce," is our definition and "Hades" = INFERNO with "NO getting away" = -NO leaving INFER.
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93. 23D -  An off-peak call? (5)
94. Cryptic definition: YODEL. 
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96. 24D -  Operators of locks and harbours, say (4)
97. This is a homophone clue so we need words for "operators of locks" and "harbours" that are homophones: KEYS/ QUAYS and we use the four letter word KEYS as our answer.

And that was it. Not too harsh. I did work through half of The Age's RM puzzle but ran out of steam. What was very interesting is while I was flipping between the puzzles I  noticed both of them had a nearly identical clue. Rufus's 21D and RM's 23D read like this:

Rufus: Deduce there's no getting away from Hades (5)

RM: Deduce that hell has lost no supporters (5)

Is that a coincidence for both to have such similar clues leading to the same answer or are these two friends or something? Are they the same guy? I can't figure out the point of "supporters" in RM's clue, I will admit.

I have a busy day of cooking ahead of me getting ready Girl Guides tonight. We are having Thanksgiving dinner tonight (officially it's Thursday) and there will be roast chicken (can't afford a turkey and who has that much time?) with cranberry and orange stuffing, salad and I've made mini pumpkin pies for everyone to make faces at, grudgingly try and then fall in love with forever. A round table talk about what thankfulness is about, the power of gratitude and doing for others. Then I hope they'll wash all the dishes.

Hope you all have a lovely day.

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Works in progress...

Today it's Rufus in the Guardian, RM in The Age. So far Rufus is easier on top and the bottom is empty, where the RM is easier on the bottom and the top and empty.

 I'm also cooking spare ribs in oyster sauce, making maple fudge and mini pumpkin pies for tomorrow night's Girl Guides meeting where we're having Thanksgiving and talking about all the things we're thankful for in our lives.

I'm also doing a knit-along with a friend in the USA who's new to knitting and I was sharing progress pics. My three favourite things in one shot: Yarn, crosswords and coffee.

The yarn is pretty crazy in its neon colours but it knits up nicely and should be a striking blanket when it's done. It's the 10-stitch pattern (although mine is 12 because I have to mess around with designs) on Ravelry and it's a free pattern, but the designer, Frankie Brown, asks for donations to made to Children's Liver  Disease Foundation, which is lovely.

The Age Cryptic by DA #20,469

Today's puzzle had all sorts of stuff going on. There were mini themes and a Nina. DA hinted to shenanigans on Twitter:
"Warning: today's DA #crossword goes across, down & around."
There were also a few clues about drunkenness and drink and some clues that referred to the "outer circle" Nina theme. I got half of the "outer circle" early on and the rest nearer the end. It reads from top to right side "BIG TOP CIRCUS," and the left side and bottom is "BARNUM BAI(L)EY," and I put the L is parentheses for a reason - in 22D the clue doesn't end in an L but a T. DA addresses this on Twitter, too "@andywain Damn - I changed CYMBAL at the proofing phase, neglecting the hidden ring! Throw me to the 15-across" Clever Andy for spotting it so early, shame the proof reader didn't as well.

I got a first look at this at 4pm after a busy day getting the Chifonie finished, Charity book drive with the Girl Guides at our local primary school and then getting my daughter back from her recent camp where although she was grumpy, shunning and wanted to be alone, I was just happy she was home again and kept my invading of her space to a minimum. She only yelled at me twice. Here's my pic:

7A - Boffin drops in, receiving call to succeed (5,3)
"Call to succeed," is our definition and lucky for me the clue was easy to parse or I would never have gotten this as I've never heard this phrase. "Boffin drops IN" = -IN = BOFF is a literal instruction. "receiving call" = RING, synonym of "call" which BOFF  will "receive" to make: B(RING OFF) where I would say "Pull it off" instead.

9A - Shook tails on city road, switching to arterial (6)
"Arterial," is our definition and this was one of my first answers in, lightly penciled because I couldn't parse it. I'm solving this as I type: "shook tails" is a deletion instruction to remove the "tails" of "CITy ROAd" = CITROA and the "switching" means to reverse that to AORTIC. Previously I had "shook" as a synonym of "tic" and then reversed the tailed "road" but the word "city" wasn't being used so i knew that was off.

10A - Delicate but dangerous in Whitechapel (4)
I saw "Whitechapel" and thought Jack The Ripper. That wasn't right it turns out. A hint from DATer Gayle hinted "10A Whitechapel is in East London." and took a beat to twig Aha! It's a Cockney clue! This week has made me very aware that my knowledge of English geography is woeful. We want a five-letter word starting with H that means "dangerous" but when the H is removed means "delicate" it's HAIRY -H = AIRY.

11A - Will plump sine ratio reduce margins for elite cabal (10) 
"Elite cabal," is our definition and reading the clue it has more than the usual cryptic gobbledegook (no offence) but "reduce margins" stands out an instruction. Looking again at "wILl pLUMp sINe rATIo" reveals ILLUMINATI.

12A - Chiselled Brahms and Liszt? (6)
Double definition where "Brahms and Liszt" is rhyming slang for "pissed" meaning drunk, the first in drunken sub-theme. We need a synonym for "chiselled" that is also a synonym (slangonym?) for drunk: RIPPED, as in muscular and/or drunk. I must have put in and erased six words, including "pissed" a dozen times. I'm surprised the paper didn't give way. Also "pissed" means angry in the USA so I often get confused when someone says "He was pissed!" and I wonder what made him so mad.  Say "pissed as a fart/newt/parrot/priest" and I'll know what you mean.

14A - She delivers topless fashion for two queens (8)
I had most cross letters in place and couldn't get this. The closest I could find was "panderer" which was a synonym for a brothel's Madame which seemed not to work at all with the clue, and for good reason. It was wrong.  I appealed to the DAT and nn replied "4a isn’t a madam and doesn’t have to be a she. He or she may have delivered unto Caesar." Then why put in "she" if only to torment people like me? Once freed from feminising the answer I could get "topless fashion" = TREND -T (not pasties or bikinis?) and I knew the "two queens" = ERER to make: RENDERER.

15A - Proclaim centre has employees of outer circle? (6)
"Employees of outer circle," is our definition and "proCLaim centre" = CL and "has" = OWNS to make CLOWNS. With this I got the top and right side of the "outer circle."

17A - Gutlessly fiddles employees of outer circle? (6)
"Employees of outer circle," is our definition again and "Gutlessly fiddles" means we want a synonym for "fiddles"  but not the instrument, that we'll then remove the middle from which is TAMPERS - P = TAMERS.

20A - Seek to impress retro bloke, Almodovar, first to last (4-4)
"Seek to impress," is our definition and  "retro bloke" = MAN reversed to NAM and "Almodovar, first to last" refers to PEDRO Almodovar the movie director, where we take the P in his name and put it to the end PEDRO - EDROP to make: NAME DROP.

22A - Old Irish name discovered back in 200 (6)
"Old Irish," is our definition and a "name" = TITLE that's "discovered, back" or has its first letter removed leaving ITLE then reversed to ELTI to be put "in 200" = CC to make C(ELTI)C.

23A - Belief in ideal place for court hub - it is on map, maybe (10)
"Belief in ideal place," is our definition and "coUrt hub" = U as it's the middle of the word "court" and then "it is on map, maybe" is fodder and anagrind to give us U(TOPIANISM)

24A - Ballet outfit overly mirrored in recital (4)
"Ballet outfit," is our definition and it didn't take much imagination to guess TUTU but from the clueing I don't know how I'd get there - is "overly" = TOO as in "too much" and "mirrored" means to double it (but not like TUUT?) and "in recital" is a homophone signpost.

25A - Kind male replacing boars' head on flag (6)
"Kind," is our definition and "male" = M which will be "replacing Boars' head" = B in a word for "flag" = BANNER -B to make MANNER.

26A - Marshals seize Part One, missing bars in outer circle (8)
This one - well all hidden word clues this week,  I've mistaken for anagrams first and fumble around trying to make bits work when I only had to look closer and chill out a bit. "Bars in outer circle" is our definition and What is the point of "marshals" in this clue? It's such a perfect anagrind but it's not an anagrind - is it? Because "seize part, one missing" = SE(-I)ZEPART and when read backwards becomes TRAPEZE. Maybe marshal is just being general in saying "wrangle those letters in order!"

1D - Mastermind adjusted cabin air (8)
"Mastermind," is our definition and "adjusted cabin air" is anagrind and fodder to make BRAINIAC.

2D - Dark, small model exited to hug Korean leader (4)
"Dark," is our definition and I thought "small" was something like itty-bitty, incy-wincy, and then I thought "rinky-dink!" and I ignored the rest of the clue (having looked up many "Korean leaders" and then realising we only needed the K as the first letter) and guessed INKY. I now wonder if "small model" was actually referring to a Dinky toy, the model cars and "exited" (I only just noticed this is "exited" and not "excited" which I'd originally typed and read) wants us to remove the D? "Model" is usually a T so have I missed a word for small, with a T...ok I just got it. Shut up. Stop laughing. TINY -T with K inside makes IN(K)Y. Really, what is wrong with my head today?

3D - Threw old wig to lose it (2,4)
"To lose it," is our definition and "threw old wig" is anagrind and fodder to make GO WILD. Thank you easy clue, thank you.

4D - Apple producer cheers fervour (8)
"Apple producer." is our definition and "cheers" = TAS as the way we teach children to first say thank you by saying "Ta," then "fervour" = MANIA for TASMANIA. I didn't realise they were a major apple producer. I think I knew it once, but obviously forgot again.

5D - Royal House meets old PM with zest (6,4)
"Zest," is our definition and I got this with cross letters and then One Across. I don't know if this as clear as "old PM" = PEEL as in Robert Peel and "Royal House" = ORANGE for the royal house of Orange in Nassau.

6D - Hook into beer - beer needing head (6)
"Hook," is our definition and "beer" = PINT and "beer needing head" = ALE -A as it's needing a head, so currently must not have one, for LE making PINTLE which is kind of hooked car hitch.

8D - Drunk the last to quit bender, raising pivotal points (6)
"Pivotal points," is our definition and here "drunk, the last to quit" isn't hinting to drunkenness but means FULL -L, and a "bender, raising" isn't related to drinking either but is an ARC put in the grid backwards for a down clue to make FUL(CRA). I just googled the plural of "fulcrums" after finding out the definition on DAT and then solved the clue in reverse.  I'd been looking for boozy drunken synonyms and getting no where.

13D - Roman goddess supporting a sniper in hiding (10)
"Roman goddess," is who we are looking for and "Supporting" = PRO and "a sniper in hiding" is partial fodder and anagrind to make PRO(SERPINA) I did have cross letters and looked up a list of Roman gods and godesses in wiki and found one who fit, then worked the clue in reverse.

16D - Go out of bar, roaring drunk in northern NSW (8)
We want a town in "northern NSW" but I do not know how to parse the answer NARRABRI. I had enough cross letters to deduce from a list of towns by post code which one would fit cross letters.

18D - Move to get important capital creator at your fingertips (5,3)
"Capital creator at your fingertips," is the definition and I struggled to break into this clue. "Move" = SHIFT and "important" = KEY to make a SHIFT-KEY which when pressed makes capital letters in text.

19D - Brace sharp edges against fluffy stuff (6)
"Brace," is our definition and "SharP edges" = SP and "fluffy stuff" = LINT to make a SPLINT

21D - Half-hearted insulator picked up technical shortcut (3-3)
18D's sister clue which I also didn't get. I also cannot parse this clue. Sorry. Answer is ALT-TAB

22D - Attack compiler, dressed warmly? (4,2)
"Attack," is our definition and "compiler" = ME as DA refers to himself, the compiler of this puzzle and that's "dressed" or held within something to make one warm is a COAT to make CO(ME) AT.  I'd toyed with "ruff-up" as a version of "rough-up" or "rug-up" but wasn't thinking of the "come at me bro" kind of phrase.

24D - Cutesy online message curtailed (4)
"Cutesy" is our definition and an "online message curtailed" = TWEET - T for TWEE.

All done except for parsing 21D and16D. A lot of misdirection with extra words and commas. I haven't had a chance to finish the Enigmatist yet except for the first three across clues. I found my early success began to falter and then I just went to my bed. It was a big day yesterday.

As always if you have solutions to share I'd love to see them and if you had some diverting rabbit holes I'd love to know about them too. Have a great weekend!