I had to use the thesaurus a lot and google a fair bit too. Here's my pic, awash in the blood of a red pen:
1A - Site manager met base shift in worker's clothing (9)
"Site manager," is our definition and "met base shift" is partial fodder and anagrind so we need two more letters. "in WorkeR's clothing" means take the first and last letter (or undress, cor!) from the word "worker" = WR and put the fodder "in" that to make W(EBMASTE)R.
6A - Flower resin glued to strelitzia pith (5)
"Flower," is our definition and that is all I can get of this. I googled "strelitzia pith" I googled "resin" I got nowhere. I don't know the use of the word "glued" but it looks a signpost for something. From cross letters I took a good guess it was LILAC but couldn't get a hint of how from the clue so didn't put that in the grid.
9A - Bug elected leader among forum figures (3)
"Bug," is our definition and "Elected leader" = E to go "among forum figures" I think means put the E between a couple of roman numerals to make a word for "bug" = VEX.
11A - Splurges on my card creating passive period (8)
"Passive period," is our definition and "splurges on my card" is anagrind and fodder to make DORMANCY.
12A - Drive north for exercise (4-2)
"Exercise," is our definition and "drive" = PUSH and "north" = UP as it's the compass point on the top of the compass, to make a PUSH-UP.
15A - I debug downy duck on TV (5)
"Duck on TV," is our definition and after exhausting all possibilities with the words available, I had a strong suspicion the answer was DAFFY so how to get that. I looked for synonyms of "downy" = FLUFFY then "debug" that but I first removed the FLY leaving UFF and that wasn't right. Are there other ducks? Donald, Ugly duckling...no. Can't be a hockey clue. Look again and think of another "bug" and I removed the FLU which got me FFY which leaf the "I" = DA our compiler to make DAFFY. Took way too long...
16A - Regularly jealous among Paris locals? There's no such thing (4,5)
"There's no such thing," is our definition, or start of a common phrase which I didn't get. Answer is FREE LUNCH but how we get there I don't know. "Regularly" made me think there was an odds/evens element here but I never figured that out. I thought "jealous" = GREEN but it wasn't working either. looking with fresh eyes now, I can now see "Paris locals" = FRENCH on the outside. The word "among" is here again, so in the middle we have ELU - ah that's the regular in "jEaLoUs" I was looking for. See - I have to type these out to see them sometimes. FRE(E LU)NCH.
17A - Fairly dry part of monstrous armchair? (9)
I had so many hints on this clue and still couldn't see it. I have the answer and still missing how to get the first three letters. DAT Gayle said "17A. Armchair as adjective is def. Fairly dry is letters 4-6. And monstrous is the rest." Thinking that was "fairly" being a deletion signpost and "dry" = ARID -d then "part of monstrous" = OUS at the end? Then Mort said "7A a word for “monstrous” around a shortened word for “dry”. Definition is “armchair” – think armchair detective." Ok, this helped more - but only once I had the answer and could see what Mort was saying. What's thrown me is the word "of" in the clue. If it had just been "part(ed,ing,s) monstrous" I'd have understood it was a synonym of "monstrous" = VICIOUS that was parting around a shortened "ARI" to make VIC(ARI)OUS. But that "of" changed the action of "part" for me into a second deletion signpost meaning to shorten "monstrous" to OUS and not be an action in its own right. This is why I struggled to find the first three letters.
19A - Heard Isolde's beloved dumped an undercover date (5)
"Undercover date," is our definition and "heard Isolde's beloved" = TRISTAN and "heard" is a homophone signpost. "TRISTAN dumped AN" = -AN leaving TRIST = TRYST.
20A - Part of screwdriver twisted and clipped midriff of Monaco girl (6)
"Girl," is the definition and even with the first letter in place and lots of hints I didn't know what was going on here. Googling the Monaco royals did me no good. With DAT hints I could guess the "part of screwdriver, twisted" = OJ (screwdriver the drink) and "twisted" meant reverse to JO. Frustrating, I'm tripped up by a conjunction. It becomes "ANd clipped" = AN (-D) and "midriff of moNAco" = NA to make JO(AN)(NA)
21A - Gloomy chat quoted long-dead diver (5,3)
"Long-dead diver," is our definition and with the cross letters for the three-letter word this was much easier. "gloomy chat quoted" where "quoted" is a homophone signpost so a "gloomy chat" =
GREY TALK = GREAT AUK. Annoying that I can get this clue but not "free lunch."
I'd love a study on mind blocks, please.
24A - Close sprays hits arm - appalling (11)
"Appalling," is our definition and this one is so painful because I knew exactly how to solve it but couldn't find the first four-letter word. I was stuck on NEAR and couldn't see any other synonyms - even when they were right in front of me in the thesaurus - mind block, sight block, blocked! It's like when you can't find your keys and when you finally give up *pop* there they are on the counter where you looked right at them a dozen times already. I knew I needed a synonym of "close" and that "sprays hits arm" was anagrind and partial fodder. I needed NIGH instead of "near" to get me NIGH(TMARISH) but my mind was not letting me play.
26A - Revered one life and death opening (3)
"Revered one," is our definition and I got this with cross letters and definition - not hard with three letters. How we get there from wordplay - I don't know! How annoying. I know the phrase "It's a matter of life and death" and do we want the "opening" letters? Nope they don't get us GOD. I mean "Death opening" = D so why does "life" = GO? Ok I see it in the synonyms/thesaurus, but still not clear on the why and answers shouldn't be "well it's in the thesaurus," and the only thing I see in the dictionary to get me close is this noun plural definition: "energy, spirit, or animation:
a man with a lot of go." Is that it? I'll add that to my book. Would it work in reverse? Are there clues where "go" = LIFE?
27A - Firm's closing feeds trade overload (5)
I couldn't discern the definition. Did not help I'd read it as "overlord" instead of "overload" which is the definition we want. "firM's closing" = M which "feeds" or goes into a word for "trade" = SWAP to make SWA(M)P. Yes those pesky Swamp Overlords.
28A - Spotless heads stopped bull in word-book (9)
"Word-book," is our definition and "spotless" is a one word instruction to find a synonym of "spot" = AD and remove it (less) from the word "HEadS" = HES. that is "stopped" or interrupts, gets in the middle of, "bull" - TAURUS the astrological sign of the bull to make: T(HES)AURUS.
1D - Flourished like the sea? (5)
Cryptic definition? WAVED is the answer.
2D - Loudly fought against rampant ACT restructure gamble (3,8)
"Gamble," is our definition and I needed DAT hints which didn't get me far. I knew the end "restructure" was an anagrind but wasn't sure if ACT was the only bit in the mix. I'd had "rampant" = RIFE lightly pencilled at one point but erased it. Where I fall is the beginning "loudly fought" where I thought "loudly" = F for forte (nope) and "fought" = rowed or something like that. Answer is
BOX T(RIFE)(CTA). Here "loudly" is a homophone signpost of "fought against" = BOXED for BOXT which makes the rest of my solve ok, but I completely fell on the beginning.
3D - Risk calculator for genuine lout getting lines? (7)
"Risk calculator," is our definition and I got this with cross letters and definition. If I'd not made a reference to an ACTUARY the day before on Facebook I may not have had this word in mind (context was pedantic lawyers are the worst sorts of people followed only by pedantic actuaries) so I was able to reverse solve this clue - or you would think so! I got "genuine" = ACTUAL with "lout" being a one word instruction "L-out" but I don't know how "getting lines" = RY. How are "RY" lines? Y I know as an axis, but R?
4D - Sort of rotten (heartache) - affliction of private parts (6,4)
"Affliction of private parts," is our misleading definition. Here we need to think of "private" not as secret or hidden but as the military title. "Sort of rotten (heart-aCHe)" is anagrind and partial fodder, followed by a one word instruction to take the middle from "aCHe" to get TREN(CH)FOOT. Is "heart" doing double duty to put the CH in the middle of the fodder or was that a coincidence? Or have I got it kind of catywampus?
5D - Politburo lectures captive character (5)
"Character," is our definition and "captive" stands out as a strong hidden word signpost. Within "politibuRO LEctures" is the word ROLE which is what a "character" plays.
6D - Stage attraction a joke (3,4)
I'm not sure if this a double definition or a charade clue. Answer is a LEG-PULL so it would be a cruel joke to "stage attraction" or fake liking someone as a "joke", but "stage" = LEG, they are synonyms on the thesaurus and an "attraction" is a PULL to get the definition "joke" and I'm just not sure if it's one or the other, or both.
7D - Dad abandoned trendy diet - that's a sign (3)
"Sign" is our definition and lucky for us there's only one three letter astrology sign. I did this backwards, adding LEO and then putting "dad" = PA back onto the front to get our "trendy diet" = PALEO. So take PA away to get the sign.
8D - Low blow seen at happy hour? (5,4)
Cryptic definition: CHEAP SHOT.
13D - Pet hound - an African predator (5,6)
"African predator," is our definition and "pet" = HONEY as both are terms of endearment, "hound" = BADGER - two animals meaning annoyance! We get a HONEY BADGER. The baddest mofo in the land.
14D - Puzzle iniquity in China? (3,7)
Cryptic definition I think? "Puzzle" = TEASER (puzzle doesn't give teaser as a synonym but teaser does give puzzle in the thesaurus) and "iniquity" = VICE to make a TEA SER(VICE) which is likely made of bone China if it's a nice one. It is rude to flick the cups or hold saucers up to the light to check, though (so I'm told).
15D - Navy does poorly swallowing hook of seafaring legend (4,5)
I was so proud of myself for getting this one! "Seafaring legend," is who we are looking for and "navy does poorly" is partial fodder and anagrind. We are one letter short and it will be "swallowed" by a "hook" - we only want one letter so what letter looks like a hook? J! mix that to get
DAVY (J)ONES. also a Monkey and a Bowie.
18D, 10A - Test an idea in the standard fashion? (3,2,2,3,8)
Cryptic definition: RUN IT UP THE FLAGPOLE. I needed those cross letters to get this. I was trying "try it on the..." but couldn't figure the last word.
19D - Haul up man before a breather? (7)
"Breather," is our definition and "haul up" = CART reversed to TRAC, "man before A" = HE+A for a TRACHEA.
22D - Good-for-nothing Britain - flipping well done! (5)
"Well done!" is our definition and a "good for nothing" is a SOD and "Britain" = UK and all is "flipping" over to make KU(DOS)
23D - 5-down to split hairs? (4)
5-down was ROLE and "to split hairs" = PART if we think about how we comb a parting into our hairline.
25D - 23-down of India reduced butter (3)
23-down was "PART of India" and somehow "reduced butter" = GOA but I have no idea how. I've looked up synonyms of butter and can't find one that when letters are removed gives us Goa.
That's mostly done. It was a hard slog. I also did the Guardian's Qaos which I enjoyed very much and will type trough later. Today I'm going geocaching with the family. Hopefully won't become total mozzie bait. Enjoy your day, it's a stunner in Victoria.
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