It’s been a while since I’ve known in advance that I am going to be blogging a daily cryptic so this makes a change from the last minute rush to cover for someone who not turned up.
This puzzle struck me as being a fairly typical mid-week Indy, not overly taxing but not a write-in either. There was only one entry (26ac) that I felt needed further explanation because it is not in Chambers.
Across
1 Saw everyone to do with operations except boss concerned with certain elements (13)
METALLURGICAL – MET (saw) ALL (everyone) [s]URGICAL (to do with operations except boss)
9 Just words in song T Rice composed with A Lloyd Webber’s musical backing (10)
RECITATIVE – an anagram (composed) of T RICE followed by EVITA (A Lloyd Webber’s musical) reversed (backing)
10 Swap made at start of capital card game (4)
SOLO – OSLO (capital) with the first two letters interchanged (swap made at start of)
11 Regular soldiers put November in events book (8)
ORDINARY – OR (coldiers) plus N (November) in DIARY (events book)
12 Struggling, finally level, use two rooks, queen and king perhaps? (6)
RULERS – an anagram (struggling) of [leve]L (finally level) USE RR (two rooks)
13 Drop of tea lacking flavour – little change (5)
TWEAK – T[ea] (drop of tea) WEAK (lacking flavour)
15 Adult’s run out to scoop up wild poorly animal (9)
ARMADILLO – A (adult) RO (run out) around (to scoop up) MAD (wild) ILL (poorly)
18 How hunger can make one uncouth (5-4)
ROUGH-HEWN – an anagram (can make one) of HOW HUNGER
20 Active fellow, he gets things done (5)
AGENT – A (active) GENT (fellow)
23 Give a ring and everything included in prize (4,2)
CALL UP – ALL (everything) in (included in) CUP (prize)
24 Maybe insomniac struggles without whiskey and splash of soda? (8)
RESTLESS – [w]RESTLES (struggles without whiskey) S[oda] (splash of soda)
26 Malevolent deity is restrained reportedly (4)
LOKI – sounds like (reportedly) ‘low-key’ (restrained)
27 Program promoters and evaluators (10)
APPRAISERS – APP (program) RAISERS (promoters)
28 Striking atmospheric phenomena (13)
THUNDERSTORMS – cryptic def.
Down
2 A feature of intellectual broadcast from London (7)
EYEBROW – sounds like (broadcast) ‘highbrow’ (intellectual) without the ‘h’ (from London)
3 Crosophile en ville near Toulouse? Not with this perhaps (5)
ALIBI – I (Crosophile) in (en) ALBI (ville near Toulouse)
4 Little protection for American reared transport animals (6)
LLAMAS – SMALL (little) around (protection for) A (American) reversed (reared)
5 Wet fish stores quite popular (5)
RAINY – RAY (fish) around (stores) IN (quite popular)
6 Reserve put on the best dessert (3,5)
ICE CREAM – ICE (reserve) CREAM (the best)
7 Rating doing crossword and being forgiving (9)
ABSOLVING – AB (rating) SOLVING (doing crossword)
8 Comprehensive sees promotion for the lowliest of blossoms (6)
FLORAL – FOR ALL (comprehensive) with the final ‘L’ moved upwards) (sees promotion for the lowliest)
14 Advanced English force in manoeuvres – they might be in tanks (9)
ANGELFISH – an anagram (in manoeuvres) of A (advanced) ENGLISH F (force)
16 Bloody conflict is over (3)
RAW – WAR (conflict) reversed (is over)
17 Maybe one pardoning sins to which man’s been prone? (8)
CHAPLAIN – CHAP (man) LAIN (‘s been prone)
19 Between loves a cad lies, Romeo smooth-talker (6)
ORATOR – RAT (a cad) in (between … lies) OO (loves) R (Romeo)
21 Special remedy for a fingerpicking style? (7)
NOSTRUM – NO STRUM (a fingerpicking style?)
22 Like, for instance, the start of sheepdog trials (6)
ASSAYS – AS (like) SAY (for instance) S[heepdog] (the start of sheepdog)
24 A sport getting to go, ready for Delhi (5)
RUPEE – RU (a sport) PEE (to go)
25 Something to catch with and miss nothing (5)
LASSO – LASS (miss) O (nothing)