Given the “Special instructions: 16 is displayed in all other solutions. All clues lack definitions.” my first step was to look at 16ac but I could not parse the clue other than to think of a synonym for ‘perfume’. It was therefore time to look at the remaining clues.
During my first pass through them I had five definite entries and a couple of possible ones. Fortunately, two of the definites crossed with 16ac which I was then able to parse and so determine the theme. All the grid entries contained one or more occurrences of I, ME or EGO.
Solving was not made any easier by Crucible’s decision to indicate the length of the grid entry rather than the more usual enumeration *. This was particularly true for 19ac, my last one in, which only came to me following a break for some breakfast. I also had to keep reminding myself that there were no definitions in the clues because it was far too easy to fall into normal clue-parsing mode.
A pleasant distraction on a bleak and cheerless December Monday morning.
* Edit: Sometime after I had finished the puzzle and written this blog, the on-line and print versions were edited to show the actual enumerations. Solving would have been somewhat quicker had this been done from the outset!
Across
9 Home Office head occupied Blair’s room (9)
HOI POLLOI – HO (Home Office) POLL (head) in (occupied) 101 (Blair’s room)
10 English race (5)
EMILE – E (English) MILE (race)
11 Champagne’s drunk, I think (7)
MOMMETS – MOET’S (champagne’s) around (drunk) MM (I think)
12 Old record I’m carrying to Spain (7)
EPITOME – EP (old record) IM around (carrying) TO E (Spain)
13 Bumped into a pair at Old Trafford (5)
ME-TOO – MET (bumped into) OO (a pair at Old Trafford)
14 Silent actors screened exotic tale (9)
MEALTIMES – MIMES (silent actors) around (screened) anagram (exotic) of TALE
16 Perfume masks small man’s embarrassment (15)
SELF-CENTREDNESS – SCENT (perfume) around (masks) ELF (small man) REDNESS (embarrassment)
19 County police picked up broadcast (9)
COME THIRD – CO (county) MET (police) homophone (broadcast) of ‘heard’ (picked up)
21 Writer’s passing round music magazine (5)
IN MEM – IM (writer’s) around (passing round) NME (music magazine)
22 Wild iguana bites cat’s tail (7)
ANTIGUA – anagram (wild) of IGUANA around (bites) [ca]T (cat’s tail)
23 Topless ladies in mountains (7)
MOMENTS – [w]OMEN (topless ladies) in MTS (mountains)
24 Leading lady defends short fitting (5)
EMEER – ER (leading lady) around (defends) MEE[t] (short fitting)
25 Controversial artist hides her last in gallery (9)
TERMINATE – EMIN (controversial artist) around (hides) [he]R (her last) in TATE (gallery)
Down
1 Chemist foolishly hugs Oz bird (10)
THEME MUSIC – anagram (foolishly) of CHEMIST around (hugs) EMU (Oz bird)
2 Glutton at dinner, say, eats tons (8)
PIG-METAL – PIG (glutton) MEAL (dinner, say) around (eats) T (tons)
3 Force state to scrap base (6)
FOREGO – F (force) OREGO[n] (state to scrap base)
4 In Paris they keep left (4)
ILLS – ILS (in Paris they) around (keep) L (left)
5 Raise issue about boring poet (10)
TIME-BARRED – EMIT (issue) reversed (raise) RE (about) in (boring) BARD (poet)
6 Father on TV supports press etc (8)
MEDIATED – MEDIA (press etc) TED (Father on TV)
7 Low girl nearly given a lift (6)
SIMOOM – MOO (low) MIS[s] (girl nearly) reversed (given a lift)
8 13, say? (4)
MEME – a homophone (say) of 13 {me-too} is ‘me two’ so it’s ME twice
14 Two lots of soldiers round police up (10)
MENDICANTS – MEN ANTS (two lots of soldiers) around CID (police) reversed (up)
15 Identical look but classical clothes (10)
SESAME SEED – SED (but classical) around (clothes) SAME (identical) SEE (look)
17 Bloody Blanchett’s on top! (8)
CATEGORY – CATE (Blanchett) GORY (bloody)
18 Big space in the head (8)
EMMENTAL – EM (big space) MENTAL (in the head)
20 Middle East row (6)
METIER – ME (Middle East) TIER (row)
21 Now and then Isaac holds computer up (6)
IAMBIC – I[s]A[a]C (now and then Isaac) around (holds) IBM (computer) reversed (up)
22 Regret getting stripped (4)
AMEN – [l]AMEN[t] (regret getting stripped)
23 A little bedtime reading (4)
MERE – hidden in (a little) ‘bedtiME REading’