The Age Cryptic by LR #20,477

We get LR back for the next four weeks which is lovely, and I don't say that just because he says nice things to me on Twitter. His first offer for December was tough. It took me most of the day to sort out and in the end I had two dodgy answers and nothing for 2D. With the solution I found I had three mistakes. I wasn't as bothered about 18A even though I couldn't parse the E but I should have been.

I have a few gaps in clues that I'll highlight. Here's the pic:

1A - Notice Jamaican bloke is hot in lecture (8)
I got this wrong and I knew it was wrong because my word "Monolith" didn't work with either end for a definition. I tried to think if a "lecture" was a kind of stalagmite or ancient standing stone but that was straw grasping. Our definition is "lecture" and I knew "Jamaican bloke" = MON but I couldn't make the rest work. "Notice" = AD as in a newspaper, and "is hot" = IS H to make ADMONISH. I was all over trying to find words for "hot" and putting "MON" into "HOT" but I couldn't get this.

6A - Delay dear leader destroying reef (5)
"Delay is our definition and "Dear leader" = D and "destroying reef" is anagrind and fodder to make D(EFER) @LRxword shared this clue on his Twitter feed with the hashtag #SaveTheReef to show it was a direct message to our government. I don't think Tony Abbott does cryptic crosswords, do you? He wouldn't even read the funnies and I'd wager not the Fairfax ones either, the feckless oik.

10A - Composer laid oddly on street encompassing Zone 1 (5)
"Composer" is who we are looking for and "LaId oddly" = LI (letters 1 and 3 are the odd ones), "street" = ST at its usual abbreviation and it's "encompassing Zone 1" where the number one means  we want the first letter for "Zone" which gives us: LI(S(Z)T) which comes up fairly often in puzzles.

11A - Reactivate Spooner's twig wagon (4-5)
"Reactivate" is our definition and "twig wagon" = STICK CART to be Spoonered into KICK START. Huzzah! First solve! I went straight for this when I saw it, after having a week of Spooner practice in the Cryptic Crossword Learners group on Facebook (1400+ members in only 4 months!) I was keen. So excited I solved this, there aren't enough Spooners to practice with.

12A - One small business on a Spanish island (5)
"Spanish Island" is our definition and "one" = I, "small business" = BIZ which will be sitting "on A" = A to make: IBIZA. I was tempted to add a link called "sounds of Ibiza" that went to audio of retching but thought against it because not everyone has my sense of humour.

13A - I will leave model with number, attained dishonestly (3-6)
"Attained dishonestly" is our definition and "I will" = I'LL, "leave" = GO, "model" = T (as in the model T Ford) with "number" = TEN which gives us ILL-GOTTEN.

14A - Jeering to welcome southern crime girl (7)
"Jeering" is our definition and I struggled with this clue. I think it's "Welcome" = HIS as in says HI in plural, "Southern" = S but "crime girl" = ING has me confused. I figure "girl" = G but I don't know why "crime" would be IN. It all makes HISSING as in Booo Hisss.

15A - Animals staff a UN assembly centre (5)
"Animals" is our definition and this is a hidden word clue hinted by "centre" and in the centre of the clue we find "stafF A UN Assembly" = FAUNA. Do you have any idea how hard it is not to type center just to appease you non Americans?!

18A - Fake football association lose without ball? (5)
"Fake" is our definition and I'd had in "Forge" thinking "football" = F and "association" = ORG but I couldn't get the E parsed. Is it "football association lose" = AFL to be mixed up to FAL and then somehow "without ball" = SE? I'm not getting this one.

19A - Stickybeaks trespass outskirts with clergymen (7)
"Clergymen" is our definition and "stickybeaks" is slang for nosy people why pry or PRIES into others' business, "TrespasS outskirts" = TS to make PRIESTS.

22A - Average alcohol initially left metropolis spinning...very drunk (9)
"Very drunk" is our definition and "average" = PAR, "Alcohol initially" = A, "left" = L and "metropolis spinning" = CITY reversed to YTIC to make PAR(A)(L)(YTIC) (informal definition)

25A - Pursue celery or rhubarb? (5)
Double definition: = STALK.

26A - Typically trendy army officer (2,7)
"Typically" is our definition and "trendy" = IN and our "army officer" = GENERAL for the phrase IN GENERAL.

27A - Excuse boxer taking vitamin (5)
"Excuse" is our definition and "boxer" = ALI, and "vitamin" = BI (for B1) vitamin to make our  ALI(BI)

28A - Negative person has laugh over bone casualty (5)
"Negative person" is our definition and "has laugh" = HA, "bone" = T as in a t-bone steak, "casualty" = ER for an emergency room to make HATER. Yup, haters gonna hate.

29A - Coach turned to change lanes in flood (8)
"Flood" is our definition and "coach turned" = BUS reversed to SUB and "to change lanes" = MERGE as we do while driving, makes up SUBMERGE.

2D - Day with one's young lady, a lad's outing? (9)


3D - Shun Socrates hugging fifth cousin strangely (9)
"Shun" is our definition and "Socrates hugging fifth cousIn, strangely" means SOCRATES and the fifth letter of "cousIn" being I will be mixed up as instructed by the anagrind "strangely" to make OSTRACISED.

4D - Strange feelings when squid secretion covers fish (8)
"strange feelings" is our definition and "squid secretion" = INK which "covers" or is on top of a "fish" = LINGS we get INKLINGS.

5D - Drat... the French hurl abuse (6)
"Hurl abuse" is our definition and "drat" is a soft-speak like HECK and "French" = LE to make HECKLE. This took longer than it should because I thought - why ellipses? Is hurl an anagrind? Is abuse an anagrind? Where to begin?

6D - Dancers' intense sexual chemistry often starts here?! (5)
I think this is a semi &lit clue as well as a beginning/end clue. The word "starts" is our main signpost and looking at the first letters of the clue we'll see the word DISCO spelled out as a place where dancers' get their moved started.

7D - Quick, swallow pill for big meal (5)
"Big meal" is our definition and "Quick" = FAST which will "swallow pill" = E (for ecstasy) to make a F(E)AST.

8D - Tuna tangles with rod in round room (7)
"Round room" is our definition and "Tuna tangles with rod" where we have our anagrind in the middle of our fodder for a change, becomes: ROTUNDA.

9D - Presley with No. 1 hit "Mischievous" (6)
"Mischievous" is our definition and "Presley" = ELVIS with a "no. 1 Hit" = H to make ELVISH.

15D - Deserved part of loud broadcasts to jackrabbit? (4,5)
"Deserved part" is our definition and "loud" = F for forte, "broadcasts" = AIRS and "jackrabbit" = HARE to make FAIR SHARE.

16D - Diverting attention from D-cups tag in girl's section (9)
Hidden word: "Diverting attention" is our definition and within "cUPS TAG IN Girl's" to be UPSTAGING.

17D - Shuttle component: 24 beers containing speed? (8)
"Shuttle component" is our definition and my first go on this was to say "24 beers" = SLAB and "speed"  = METH to get a METHS LAB but that didn't sound right - funny but not right (imagining astronauts on meth) SLAB is correct and it's "containing speed" = PACE which becomes S(PACE)LAB.

18D - Dapper swimmer embraces pop remix (7)
"Dapper" is our definition and "swimmer" = FISH which "embraces pop remix" is fodder and anagrind going into FISH like this: F(OPP)ISH.

20D - Indian region is rejecting kinky top on Kath's daughter (6)
This was a google job. "Indian region" but I can't parse this. SAKAIS.

21D -Gawks at emergency service detaining sailor (6)
"Gawks at" is our definition and "Emergency service" = SES which will be "detaining sailor" = TAR to make: S(TAR)ES.

23D - Correct gear at half time (5)
"Correct" is our definition and "gear" = RIG and "Half Time" = HT to make RIGHT.

24D - Lender in talks with hermit (5)
Homophone clue signposted by "in talks" to make  Lender/Hermit = loaner/LONER.