Brilliant puzzle today with 8, 21 so cleverly misleading
Across
1 BARGAINING CHIP trading asset
BAR (counter) GAINING (winning) CHIP (counter)
10 NICHE corner H (hotel) in NICE (French resort)
11 SPLASHIER wetter and muddier (SARI HELPS)*
12 ECUADOR country [hous]E A DO (party) in CUR (dog)
13 ORIFICE opening RI (Rhode Island) in OFFICE (workplace) replacing F (fellow)
14,16 SARAH BERNHARDT actress (HAS HER RANT BRAD)*
19,20 CASTLES IN SPAIN unrealistic expectations
CASTLES (men in chess) in Barcelona IN SPAIN
22 LIMOGES France MOG (cat) in LIES (pork pies)
25 EPIGRAM witty poem PI (page one) in MARGE< (spread around)
27 IDOLATERS devotees (OLD SATIRE)*
28 SINCE past SIN (wrong) CE (church)
29 SHETLAND PONIES animals (HOSPITALISED NINE)* minus II (ones)
Down
2 ACCOUTRES equips (ACTOR CUES)*
3 GREED wanting too much G (key) REED (clarinet part)
4 INSCRIBES engraves N (name) S[pare] CRIB (bed) in [l]IES
5 IGLOO northern home BIG (large) minus B (book) LOO (office)
6 GASLIGHTS shiners A SLIGHT (insult) in G S
7 HAITI earthquake area – hidden backwards in [mil]ITIA H[ave]
8,21 PERFECT NUMBER 6 = 3+2+1 28 = 1+2+4+7+14 (sum of their factors)
PERFECT (ideal) NUMBER (song)
9,19 ANDERS CELSIUS Swede (1701-44) (USELESS CARD IN)*
15 HOLY GRAIL cherished ambition (GLORY)* IN HAIL (stones)
17 RUNNERS-UP seconds N (new) ER (hospital section) in RUNS (ladders) UP (erected)
18 REARRANGE adjust REAR (bottom) RANGE (row)
23 MOOSE beasts MOO (low) SE (points)
24 SHEEN dd (Michael)
26 IBSEN Norwegian NIB (writer) minus first letter SEN (nurse)
( )* = anagram [ ] = omit < = reverse dd = double definition
Thanks Wanderer for an enjoyable crossword and Jed for the blog. A nice mixed bag of long entries across two clue numbers giving us the effect of a seriously well interlocked grid, and this was done without any really obscure answers.
8/21dn: I agree this was a lovely idea. I would prefer to add “, say” to the end of the clue, as there are other perfect numbers. As always, I have no quarrel with those whose views on this sort of thing differ from mine.
An enjoyable finish to the day’s cryptic solving. Thanks to Wanderer and Jed.