The Age Cryptic by DA #20,451

A theme! Some trickery is afoot for the Halloween DA but it's not a Halloween theme. Shame that, I'd have loved some ghoulish clues. No it all works around the solving of 4-Down. I didn't get 4D until nearly halfway along and didn't notice anything too amiss apart from some bits in clues I couldn't parse that I thought I'd sort out later. Did I notice those parts were the same in clues I hadn't parsed fully? Nope! Oblivious. Even after I solved 4D I didn't get what the theme was. I was down to 7 unsolved clues before I figured it out. This shows you can solve this puzzle without the theme if you're canny about definitions and not too proud to use a thesaurus - and for the DA you really shouldn't be too proud about any outside help.

Here's 4-Down:

Home-rule believer concerning barman (10)

Definition is the first three words and "concerning" = RE and a "barman"  = PUBLICAN for a REPUBLICAN.

Briefly I thought this must be a Halloween clue because Republicans are horrifying, at least the American versions are. No here it means someone who wants to bring back royal rule Someone who wants to separate from the monarchy and create a new republic with an elected official, so in 19 of the clues there is an extra no ER for Elizabeth Regina. She's been ousted and booted. These clues will work as they are with the definition but you'll need to add an ER for the right answer. Here's the pic with the ERs in parentheses:

1A - Support Pole in race (7)
"Support" is our definition and "Pole" with a capital P is not for distraction this time but signifies either the North or South Pole - here it's S. Place that into "race" = BOLT then apply the theme to get: BOL(S)T(ER). Thank you Arthur for breaking this down for me!

5A - Pirate's people attracting gulls? (7)
I solved this not realising the theme. I got it by "Pirate's people" if the pirate was William KIDD would be KIDD'S people then they'd be "attracting gulls" where "gulls" means someone easily duped we get KIDDERS. How it's supposed to work is KIDD'S with the theme ER inside like this KIDD(ER)S. It was hard to discern a definition because the whole clue seemed to work as a definition.

9A - Safari browser, on dropping out of region, dug carrier? (5)
"Safari browser" is the definition and "on, dropping out of region" = ZONE -ON because the "ON" drops out leaving ZE. "carrier" = BRA for a ZEBRA. There's some talk of "dug" meaning something naughty but I'm not getting the joke there. I'm sure someone (Mort) will let us know.

10A - Sleuth ran into side (9)
"Side" is the definition but I disagree with this definition. "Sleuth" = PI and "ran into" = MET being four letters short we need to apply the theme twice like this: P(ER)IMET(ER). That isn't a side so much as an enclosure, right?

11A - Barely survive church quitting cyberspace tumult (6,2)
"Barely survive" is our definition and "church" = CE (for Church of England, very common used cryptic device) which will be "quitting CYBERSPA-ce" leaving letters for us to "tumult" that'll give us: SCRAPE BY.

12A - Boring single collated test (3,3)
"Test" is the definition and I got this with cross letters and a guess but I think "boring" = DRY and I get it completely wrong here but I said "single" = ONE and it's  like like Fudd would say "Dwy Wun" it's a DRY RUN. Of course that's not the real solution. I don't know how "single collated" = RUN. Maybe a "boring single" = DRY because a boring person would have a dry, bland personality and "collated" = RUN as in a sequence of something. That's a better solution than randomly Fudding things - even if it works!

14A - She's on her toes in northern NSW (9)
"She's on her toes" is the definition and an easy jump-to solution is BALLERINA. What does "northern NSW" mean? Well there's a town there called Ballina and if we add the theme ER we get BALL(ER)INA. This one bugged me because I could see the answer but not the why because I'd not figured out the theme and google said there was definitely no "Ballerina" in NSW.

15A - French tea done! (5)
"Done" is the definition leaving "French tea" = THÉ and then we add the theme to get TH(ER)E.

17A - Coat place (5)
"Coat" is the definition and "place" = LAY as in lay something down and we apply the theme since there's nothing left to parse to get LAY(ER).

19A - Daring cooling system in German car reaches boot almost (9)
I'm so chuffed I got this clue. "Daring" is our definition and "cooling system" = AC "in German car" = AUDI for (AUD(AC)I), "Boot, almost" = OUST -T to give us AUD(AC)I(OUS).

21A - Six-foot twig (6)
I had the wrong answer in this for a long time which clogged up the SW corner for me. It seemed so right, too! I got hints from Brian "For good measure, think nautical." and from Rupert "Five of them is where your father lies… according to a servant of 23A." The right answer is a Double Definition: FATHOM where 6-feet in nautical measurements is a fathom, and also to understand or "twig" also means to fathom something.  I had put in INSECT thinking it was a six footed twig or Stick Insect. You know, because insects have sex legs, twigs are sticks...? I realised it may be wrong once I'd gotten to 16-Down and that made a very weird sentence "It's hard to Insect newswoman regularly..." That's not right. Terribly Puck Feud.

23A - Isolated magician behind zit reduction (8)
"Isolated magician" is our definition and I had a few cross letters and I thought I had the clue parsed but it was missing letters and I didn't know the theme and went to the DAT for hints. A few were there but Eagl Ock gave me the best lead "23 across is Shakespearean" A quick google of "Shakespearean Magician" got me to the answer. "Behind" = PRO as in to get behind a cause and advocate, "zit reduction" = SPOT -T then apply the theme to get: PROSP(ER)O.

26A - Vampire so fun at rock and roll (9)
"Vampire" is our definition and "so fun at rock and roll" is partial fodder and anagrinds. Add in the theme and we get NOSF(ER)ATU.

27A - Green mineral water recalled (5)
"Green" is the definition and "mineral water" = EVIAN reversed for NAIVE.

28A - Get a move on charioteer after day you scoop the finals (5,2)
I got this by identifying the definition was "Get a move on" which is a phrase I utter all the time as I have kids. I could see "finals" could be a beginning/end signpost and it did give us "charioteeR afteR daY yoU scooP" for RRY UP but that left nothing else to parse. "Charioteer"  = HUR as in Ben Hur so that works to give us HUR(RY UP)

29A - Balcony shadow (7)
"Balcony" is our definition and "shadow" = TRACE plus the theme to give us T(ER)RACE.

1D - Numbskulls perversely cry about weight gain (5)
I got this wrong because I was tired and I thought the theme was being applied but it's not. I thought one of the DATs had said it was applied but I must have misread it for 1A not down. Anyway "Numbskulls" is our definition and "perversely cry" = SOB but I'm guessing "perversely" is meaning apply it in reverse as it's in the grid bottom to top. "weight gain" = OZ for "ounce" also in the grid reversed to give us BO(ZO)S. I'd first pencilled in BO(RE)S but of course the ER isn't parsed in theme clues and has nothing to do with weight and was just all over wrong.

2D - Clip contents damned with abundance (9)
"With abundance" is the definition and "cLIp contents" = LI which I did have and put in and erased many times. "damned" = BALLY which I'd never heard of before and did not come up in my thesaurus searches. We need our theme here too to give us: LI(B(ER)ALLY)

3D - Squash on public transport, needing back-support first off (7)
"Squash" is our definition and it's not the noun as I'd been searching for names of gourds. "Public transport" = TRAM and "back support, first off" = HELP reverse and first letter removed leaving PLE to give us TRAM(PLE).

4D - (solved above)

5D - Corner old beer label (4)
I had cross letters and a guess. "Corner" is the definition and an "old beer label" = KB then we apply the theme to get K(ER)B.

6D - Dismiss bad mark (7)
Again here is a clue where the theme is applied but I could solve it anyway. I think "Bad mark" is the definition and I guessed DEMERIT was the answer. I think "Dismiss" = DEMIT where we scroll to the last definition listed, then we need the theme to make DEM(ER)IT.

7D - Consumer boffin exhausted (5)
"Consumer" is the definition and I got this on a guess. I had never heard of the term "boffin" before and the dictionary told me it was an expert in scientific fields. I had an E and T in the grid and thought "expert exhausted" meant remove the middle of "ExperT" to leave the ET but I wasn't getting further and guessed the answer was an EATER. It's looking like "boff" is a slang term meaning to assault someone, so "boff someone in" means to BEAT them and the "exhausted" means remove the -B for EAT then apply the theme for EAT(ER) but I still wonder if there's a word there for an expert that'll also work. "Exhausted" threw me too because I thought it meant to "empty" a word, not top or tail it. Thinking empty petrol tanks, powerless batteries and small children coming off their sugar high. Wait - ok, how about "boffin = B-off-in" and we want a word for "exhausted" = BEAT and we take the b-off leaving EAT? Could that be a thing? Yes! Ray says that too "I read as “Consumer” = defn. Then read “boffin” as “b-off..” exhausted. Then theme." I'd not read his hint before, or if I had I didn't understand it at the time. Now it makes perfect sense. What a troublesome clue!

8D - Frees spaniels (9)
"Spaniels" is the definition and "frees" = SPRINGS as in let out prison, then we apply the theme for SPRING(ER)S.

13D - Daughter bites ground walnuts causing itchy feet (10)
"Itchy feet" is our definition and it's not a raging case of athlete's foot. "Daughter" = D and "ground walnuts" is anagrind and partial fodder, leaving us two letters short so apply the theme to get: WAN(D)(ER)LUST. I'm confused by "bites" and how it's applied or is it just filler?

14D - Tweeter links hokum to old actor (9)
"Tweeter" is our definition and "Hokum" = BULL and the "old actor" was far too vague for me I needed a hint and got one from, I think it was Rupert, but I can't find it now but it quoted a famous movie line "I'm mad as hell and not I'm not going to take it anymore!" which I knew very well from the movie Network. The actor giving that speech is Peter FINCH. so our "Tweeter" is a BULLFINCH. I'd originally had "bunk" in for "hokum" and was looking for a long, weird surname.

16D - It's hard to 21-across newswoman regularly screening jerk (9)
"It's hard to FATHOM" is our definition and "nEwSwOmAn regularly" = ESOA, "screening jerk" = TIC put into our previous letters and and then apply the theme to get: ESO(T(ER)IC)A.

18D - CUB broadcast Happy Feet locale? (7)
I got this with cross letters and a googling guess. I couldn't discern what CUB was about and knew it was a homophone because of "Broadcast." I knew "Happy Feet" was a penguin animation movie but did we want something to do with the Arctic? Not really, it's a bit more particular. From cross letters I could see ROOKERY would fit and knew it was where the UK birds called Rooks had their nests in tall trees. What a racket they make, too! So I wondered if penguins had them as well. Dictionary says yes! Penguins have rookeries. The clue has an ER in it, that leaves ROOKY. Are Rooky and cub synonyms? Are Rooky and "Rookie" homophones? I thought they were the same thing, but the dictionary does give different definitions so it could be "Cub" = ROOKIE which is a homophone of ROOKY with the theme applied: ROOK(ER)Y.

20D - He acts straight edging into fleece (7)
"He acts" is the definition and we are looking for the surname of an actor. "StraighT edging" = ST to be put "into fleece" = CON and then apply the theme to get Kevin CO(ST)N(ER) I got this without realising the theme thinking CON-ER was one who cons. We get Closer for something that closes and flower for things that flow, so why not a person who cons being a con-er?

22D - Took notice of stunner (5)
"Stunner" is the definition and I got it with cross letters and a guess. Answer is TASER. The theme applies so we only need to parse the first three letters TAS, which alone don't make much sense. Ray offered an interesting solution "if you “took notice” then you 3,2,1 “up”. And 3,2,1 up –> 1,2,3" I know it to be Stand Up and take notice, but "SAT up" for a down clue seems to fit. (TAS)(ER)

24D - Very heavy wardrobe sealing passage (5)
"Very heavy" is the definition and this is a hidden word clue which I did not notice until I had cross letters in place and guessed the answer. "wardrOBE SEaling" = OBESE.

25D - Keeps airport hub closer (4)
I remembered, last week DA used "closer" in a clue that was a LATCH. I thought maybe he'd try that again. I could see "airPort hub" = P, leaving "Keeps" to be HAS. I'd not heard of the word HASP before but the dictionary confirmed it was a "closer." I'm catching on to his wily ways!

There we are! Done! A few weak solutions and I'm sure there are better ones out there. I only talk about my process to solve them as a newbie solver. Yes they can get a bit convoluted, but you know they're a hundred times better than they were six months ago when I started this blog.

Thanks to all the wonderful solvers over at The D.A. Trippers who encourage me to keep trying and improving my solving skills.

I have friends coming over tomorrow for a BBQ where it's boardgames and burgers for everyone. The kids will be playing Mancala and Pokemon deck battles while the adults are playing Munchkin and Lords of Waterdeep. If there's time I have Ticket To Ride as well.

Have a great weekend and if you're in Victoria like us, enjoy the long weekend.