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.