Once I was just over halfway with some cross letters the rest of the clues fell into place. That was a relief. I have a very active picture today and here's a reminder of what all the marks mean in the clues:
Definitions are underlined
Actionable signposts or words are circled
Anagrinds are in rectangles
Anagram fodder has a squiggly underline
Dashes above/below letters are beginning/end letters or odds/evens
Curved underlines are clue elements I try and seperate. Looks like a wee hammock.
Underlined numbers are not fully parsed unless ticked, and circled numbers are ones I share with the Facebook Cryptic Crossword Learners club.
1A - Numerical data reversible after downsizing (10)
I got this first from the definition "Numerical data" but couldn't make the wordplay make sense. Turns out it means if you use the short term of STATISTICS as STATS it is "reversible" meaning it's a palindrome.
6A - Smack empire of old China? (4)
Double definition that I needed Google to get as I'm not well versed in old Chinese dynasties but the answer is TANG.
9A - Shorten decree produces stocks - week's first source of trouble (3,2,5)
I got help from Ray at D.A. Trippers. I had the answer from cross letters but couldn't parse it and wasn't even sure I had it right. Ray said "defn = “source of trouble”. “Shorten decree” is a 5 letter word for “decree” with last letter removed for letters 1,2,3,4. “produces” = 5 letter word for letters 5,7,8,9,10. “stocks” = position / container. “week’s first” = letter 6." Crikey, no wonder I was having a struggle. What he's saying is "decree" = CANO(-n), "produces" = FORMS and "stocks - Week's first" and here is where I was most confused as I'd thought "produces" was an anagram signpost and I've never seen "stocks" as a container. I got a lot of new stuff to work with in this clue. Thanks Ray! CAN O(F (W)ORMS
10A - Viewer complaint a dump on The Drum? (4)
"Viewer complaint" is our definition and what a sneaky clue because "The Drum" is a TV show so it makes us think it a TV viewer's complaint but it's really an eye problem. "A dump" = STY but what "on The Drum" means to get us an E I cannot tell you. Ah! It seems to be the clue that stumps us all although Mort is hinting it could be something about the eardrum. STYE is the answer.
Ah a conversation on Twitter with DA/ @dontattempt reveals that "on the drum" is a homophone signpost meaning on the ear. Thanks Celia Fate for asking.
Oh - even better DA popped into the DA Trippers to explain this too!
12A - I combine a study about foreign shoe fetishist (6,6)
A "shoe fetishist" is who we are looking for and "I combine" = I MELD which is a cards reference, right? I've played enough gin, canasta and euchre to know that. I suppose they use that word for flavours as well. "Study about" = CRAM reversed as "about" is a reversal signpost here making MARC and "foreign" = OS for overseas for IMELDA MARCOS.
15A - Fashionable follower didn't appear to reject catty noise from Twitter (7)
"Twitter" is our definition and it's the delightful sounds of wee birdies and not the social media kind we need. "Fashionable follower didn't appear" = CHI(-c) one of the longest signposts I've seen DA use. "reject catty noise" = PURR reversed to make CHI(RRUP). I've not heard this word in such a long time! It was one I used to see a lot in old romance novels but it's fallen out of favour. Don't judge me for liking romance novels - I just like a happy ending, don't you?
17A - Shot a lure (7)
"Shot" is our definition and "AT lure" = AT TEMPT as in to have a shot, chance at achieving something.
18A - Select Radiohead song (3)
"Song" is our definition and "select" = AI or A1 as in the choicest, best quality with "Radiohead" = R as a one-word instruction to make AIR.
19A - Agreed to swap hands, then lingered (7)
"Lingered" is our definition and I got this from the definition and cross numbers. I think "Agreed" = TALLIED and then "to swap hands" means to swap the LLs for RRs to make TARRIED but I'm not sure about how "agreed" = Tallied unless it's like in accounting and column A matches column B kind of thing and both columns tally up.
20A - Barossa town cheers author sheltering sister (7)
"Barossa town" is what we need and I had to confirm with Google maps but it's "Cheers" = TA and "author" = DA himself and they're "sheltering sister" = NUN meaning she's hugged up between the others to make TA(NUN)DA.
21A - Strange, lamer kelpie bit German shepherd, perhaps... (6,6)
This bloody clue. Staring us right in face and yet we are so programmed to seek out signposts and "strange" being a great anagrind I fiddled about with a few combinations before giving up. A few cross letters in place later and I saw this was a hidden word clue cleverly disguised. Our "German shepherd" is hiding in "strANGE LAMER KELpie" gives ANGELA MERKEL, the German Chancellor.
25A - ...and it bites 6-across back (4)
But why these clues are linked is more a mystery. "And it bites" is what we're looking for and 6A was TANG and that "back" becomes GNAT. So is this for German National? It's not her party as she's in the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). Not sure why the ellipses.
26A - Spring-loading university papers into old volume (5,5)
"Old volume" is our definition and I think "Spring" = FLOUNCE "university" = U and "papers" = ID with UID going "into" FLOUNCE to make FL(UID) OUNCE.
27A - Light beam stripped sooty walls (4)
"Light" is our definition and this was my first solved. "bEAm stripped" = EA as we remove the outer layer, then "SootY walls" = SY as we take the outer letters to make EASY. A nice way to see how deletions are used.
28A - Fervid Druid seen embracing unknown midget (10)
"Midget" is our definition and for ages I though it was "fervid" because I'd never seen the word before and a "hotheaded druid" wasn't too hard to imagine. No "Fervid" is an anagrind and we need to mix "DRUID SEEN" with one more letter "unknown" = Z (of course DA uses Z and not the common X or Y) to make UNDERSIZED.
1D - Eavesdropped love making for a short time (4)
"A short time" is our definition and "eavesdropped" is a homophone signpost for "love making" = SEX to become SECS.
2D - Spots a staff ejecting admin head (4)
"Spots" is our definition and "A staff" = A CANE but we must do the "ejecting Admin head" = -A to make ACNE.
3D - They flog Psycho film scenario (12)
"They flog" is our definition and again it's a misleading clue because "flog" looks like a possible anagrind. No the anagrind here is "psycho" and the fodder is FILM SCENARIO to make INFORMERCIALS. Meaning"flog" here is to sell not to beat.
4D - Fish-net creep? (5)
Double definition of "Fish" and "Net Creep" = TROLL.
5D - Break up with me, a Norm in bed? (4,5)
"Break-up" is our definition and I'm fuzzy on the solution. The answer is COME APART. I can see ...oh..well let's see I may have this. "with ME A" gives ME A and "norm" = PAR all going "in bed" = COT to make this CO(ME A)(PAR)T? Maybe? Is norm akin to par?
7D - Liking email extra (10)
Double definition for "liking" and "email extra" = ATTACHMENT.
8D - Role reviewed after musical back-up is prevented by this (6,4)
"Back-up is prevented by this" is our long definition and "role reviewed" = PART reversed to TRAP which goes "after musical" and the musical we want is GREASE to make GREASE TRAP.
11D - Grumpy about grey matter engulfing ship (12)
"Grumpy" is our definition and "about" = CA for circa, "grey matter" = NOUS meaning intellect and they will be "engulfing ship" = TANKER to make CA(N(TANKER)OUS) This took me the longest to parse but was one of my first solves. I didn't know the definition of "noun" apart from "us" in French.
13D - Heard a prompt mix-up that's never right? (5.5)
"That's never right" is our definition and again I got this from definition and crosses but took a while to parse. I had the first bit where "heard a prompt" = A CUE but I didn't catch that "mix-up" = TANGLE for the homophone "A CUE TANGLE" = ACUTE ANGLE.
14D - Board's material lie implicating modern composer? (10)
"Board's material" is our definition and this was quick to get, too as I'm coastal. "Lie" = FIB and I think "implicating" = RE and I'm guessing the "modern composer" = Philip GLASS to give us FIBREGLASS.
16D - Declared source of rice food by rock wallaby (9)
"Wallaby" is our definition and geez I punted this one around a bit trying to find the right bits. "Declared source of rice" = Paddy/ PAD-E and I think "food found by rock" = MELON as a rock melon (I forget if that's a Cantaloupe or a Honeydew. I know orange one is gross, green one is awesome) to make PADEMELON. A new word for me.
22D - European flower produced heroin nothing less (5)
"European flower" is what we're looking for and in true cryptic style it's a river and not a bloom. "produced HEROIN, nothing less" = where "produced" is an anagrind and we drop the O from our fodder HER(-o)IN to then be mixed up to create RHINE.
23D - Cartoon movie shot finale in bank (4)
"Cartoon movie" is our definition and "shoT finale" = T going "in bank" = ANZ to make ANTZ. Kind of old and crap animation.
24D - Done for flat (4)
I think it's a double definition of "done" and "flat" = DEAD and I'd noted "flat -> like roadkill" thinking "flat as a pancake" but I now realise it's like a flat battery in the car.
Finished and mostly parsed. A much better Friday this week. I'm taking it easy this weekend as I'm having a slight reaction to my recent flu shot and just bumming about the house. Wishing you better.
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