The Age Cryptic by DA #20,678

A whopper of a theme for this week's puzzle. Not the usual NB for instructions either but a "WARNING" to strike fear in us all. The warning tells us that ten clues lack a definition and "the 20-21 camouflaged locations," camouflaged? What does that mean?

My first clues in were the 13s followed by the three non-theme clues off 13D. I then got the 20-21 for CAPITAL CITIES. which could mean any capital city in the world at that point. I could get from cross letters that the first word of 27A might be SAINT and then I googled capital cities starting with saint and got SAINT PAUL but then tried to see it and could see a possible anagram but with too many letters and no deletion which makes my frustration and confusion rise. US capitals? Let's try another and the most straightforward clue is 9A which again has too many letters for the (8) enumeration. No patience to be had I pop that into an anagram solver and green lights DES MOINES (I.A. ) That is the "camouflaged" bit in each theme clue, the state's abbreviation. They appear in the clue in the correct order.

I'm not going to break down all of the clues. I have double earache and a fever and I'm headed back to my bed with a fair dose of nurofen but here's the pic and you can pop into the D.A. Trippers where Ray has kindly provided the clue breakdowns for us already. Oh, ok I'll share them here too but the group is great for discussion. Ray, you wee angel.

from Ray:

ACROSS:
1A – Defn = “Model maybe”. “leading” gives a 2 letter word for letters 4,5. “after” = positioner. “wrestling victory” gives a 3 letter word for letters 1,2,3


4A – Defn = “Old Brit”. “German. Yes” gives a 2 letter word for letters 1,2. “by” = positioner. “manoeuvred” = anagrind. Fodder = “cab, one” for letters 3,4,5,6,7,8.


** 9A – “Disturbing” = anagrind. Fodder = “med(IA) noises”.


10A – “Ringmaster” gives a 6 letter name with fourth letter removed (“clown’s seat off) for letters 1,2,3,4,5. Defn = “punt”.


** 11A – “Initial regulars” gives letters 5,6,7. “succeeding” = positioner. “at (GA)la” gives letters 1,2,3,4.


** 12A – “Li(NE)” gives letters 1,2. “gets” = positioner / container. “pass” gives a 3 letter word for letters 4,5,6. “in” = positioner / container. “news” gives 2 letters for letters 3,7.


13A – “Gannet wings clipped” gives letters 1,2,3,4. “retracted” = reverse indicator. “old” gives a 2 letter word for letters 6,5. Defn = “wing”.


** 14A – “out” = anagrind. Fodder = “fa(CT)or” for 4 letters and “I left third” for the other 4 letters.


** 17A – “flogging” = anagrind. Fodder = “Mick’s bra(ND)”.


19A – “Jesus backing” gives letter 1. “religion” gives a 5 letter word for letters 2,3,4,5,6. Defn = “long speech”.


22A – Defn = “Pasta dish“. “distributed” = anagrind. Fodder = “alas” for letters 1,2,3,4. “left” gives a 4 letter word, with second letter removed (“wanting nothing”) for letters 5,6,7.


24A – Defn = “Checked”. “off” = anagrind. Fodder = “deep mid”.


25A – “Writer” gives a 3 letter word / name for letters 1,2,3. “wild” = anagrind. Fodder = “shrine of” for letters 4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11. Defn = “dog”.


26A – Defn = “Cultivates”. “photos” gives a 6 letter word with first letter removed (“topless”) for letters 1,2,3,4,5.


** 27A – “flounder” = anagrind. Fodder = “I’(M N)uts” and “a plan”.


28A – Defn = “causing deadlocks?”. “Two cheeky things” gives 2 words – a 3 letter word for letters 1,2,3 and a 5 letter word for letters 4,5,6,7,8.


29A – “Jarrah ultimately” gives 1 letter for letter 4. “broke” = positioner / container. “old” gives a 4 letter word for letters 1,2,3,5. Defn = “carpentry tool”.
 
DOWN:


1D – Defn = “Stands”. “whales collectively” gives a 3 letter word for letters 1,2,3. “cracking” gives a 2 letter abbreviation (with “up” = reverse indicator) for letters 5,4.


2D – Defn = “Young birds”. “flapped” = anagrind. Fodder = “linnets” for letters 1,2,3,4,5,6,7. “grass verges” gives letters 8,9.

** 3D – “lost” = anagrind. Fodder = “Hope N(AZ)I” for letters 1,2,3,4,5,6. “vote” gives 1 letter for letter 7.


** 4D – “Soprano Bronhill” gives 4 a letter name for letters 1,2,3,4. “(AK)a” gives letter 5. “the essential trump” gives letter 6.


5D – Defn = “Court’s burden”. “netting” gives a 4 letter word and “legal principles” gives a 4 letter word, which you then “Spooner”.


6D – “Bend” gives a 3 letter word for letters 1,2,3. “edges of Koran” gives letters 4,5. “books” gives letters 6,7. “Defn = “making two loops?”.


7D – “During” = positioner / container. “a” gives letter 1. “Brief row” gives letters 4,5. “getting extremely” gives letters 2,3. Defn = “punchy”.


8D – “Criminal gang” gives a 5 letter word for letters 1,2,3,7,8. “keeping” = positioner / container. “up” = reverse indicator. “racket” gives a 3 letter word for letters 6,5,4. Defn = “in the Caribbean”.


13D – Defn = “Walk”. “across” = hidden indicator. Fodder = “Pambula territory”.


15D – Double defn. Defn 1 = “Account anguish”. Defn 2 = “how jaded authors feel?”.


16D – Defn = “Gets to”. “on the outer” = hidden indicator. Fodder = “accept losses”.


** 18D – “after” = positioner. “31 days” gives 6 letter word for letters 1,2,3,4,5,6. “(ME)at” which loses last letter (“temperature drops”) gives letter 7.


20D, 21D – Defn = “Sofia and Victoria”. “skewed” = anagrind. Fodder = “practicalities”, with 1 letter removed (“ignoring roster from the outset”).


** 23D – “threadbare” = anagrind. Fodder = “M(OR)ales”.


25D – “Extreme desire” gives letters 1,2. “is superior to” = positioner. “desire” gives a 4 letter word with second letter removed (“nonetheless”) for letters 3,4,5. Defn = “dig?”.


Enjoy the day before the terrible rain strikes again. Thanks Celia Fate for checking up on me, you're a doll. I love the puzzle community, so many wonderful people.