Either this was more difficult than some recent Beelzebub puzzles or I was below par whilst solving because, as well as taking a little longer to complete the grid, I had to return to several clues after completion to determine the parsing. However, there were a number of occasions when, having finally got the answer, I thought why didn’t I see that earlier, it’s obvious (with the benefit of hindsight!) so perhaps I was just having an off day.
Across
1 Club has this exciting event (5)
BLAST double def.
5 Attempt revolutionary style in tenure as religious leader (7)
POPEDOM POP (attempt) MODE (style) reversed (revolutionary)
10 Part of bodywork, central part broken by father after turning corner (6,5)
ROCKER PANEL COR (corner) reversed (turning) plus KERNEL (central part) around (broken by) PA (father)
11 Perfectionists fine dance throughout (4-5)
FREE-LOVER F (fine) REEL (dance) OVER (throughout)
12 Language becomes different, right away, in Middle East (7)
MALTESE ALTE[r]S (becomes different, right away) in ME (Middle East)
13 Dynasty divided by one making legal claim (5)
SUING SUNG (dynasty) around (divided by) I (one)
14 Ran late, initially having a lie-in? (4)
BLED L[ate] (late, initially) in BED (having a lie-in)
17 Innovative article put in for purpose (10)
PROMETHEAN THE (article) in (put in) PRO (for) MEAN (purpose)
18 West Indian batsman, in touch, led by example, arousing joy (10)
EXHILARANT EX (example) plus LARA (West Indian batsman) in HINT (touch)
24 Lean / type not to be trusted? (4)
HEEL double def.
25 Cry of triumph, securing passage in forest beside river (5)
IGAPO IO (cry of triumph) around (securing) GAP (passage)
26 Prance about and perform, saving time in song (7)
CARACOL AC[t] (perform, saving time) in CAROL (song)
27 Specify people in ship taken over by fevered seamen (4,5)
NAME NAMES MAN (ship) reversed (taken over) plus an anagram (fevered) of SEAMEN
28 Sails on foolishly after painful emotion, naively optimistic (11)
PANGLOSSIAN PANG (painful emotion) plus an anagram (foolishly) of SAILS ON
29 Man notices alien communication device (7)
HEADSET HE (man) ADS (notices) ET (alien)
30 Complex to retain old store (5)
HOARD HARD (complex) around (to retain) O (old)
Down
1 Bird in Manitoba with rough life protected by department (7-5)
BRAMBLE-FINCH MB (Manitoba) plus an anagram (rough) of LIFE in (protected by) BRANCH (department)
2 Pass northward and drink in scene (6)
LOCALE COL (pass) reversed (northward) ALE (drink)
3 Top mark, left on record, received by long jellyfish (8)
ACALEPHE A (top mark) L (left) EP (record) in (received by) ACHE (long)
4 Boring thing, necessity of registered office (6)
TEREDO hidden in (necessity of) regisTERED Office
5 Journalist snares MP in turmoil (8)
PRESSMAN an anagram (in turmoil) of SNARES MP
6 Very familiar / loss of control (5)
PALSY double def.
7 Sharpen up, admitting fault, not having bowled fairly (6)
ENOUGH HONE (sharpen) reversed (up) around (admitting) [b]UG (fault, not having bowled)
8 Nut in mixed lot having a smell (5)
OLENT EN (nut) in an anagram (mixed) of LOT
9 Spoil trap entirely, also creating less fertile ground (8,4)
MARGINAL LAND MAR (spoil) GIN (trap) ALL (entirely) AND (also)
15 Stand and joke outside school in essence (8)
BERGAMOT BE (stand) ROT (joke) around (outside) GAM (school)
16 Small red spot ruined cheap tie (8)
PETECHIA an anagram (ruined) of CHEAP TIE
19 Threaten demon with destruction (6)
IMPEND IMP (demon) END (destruction)
20 Force harnessed by god of war, hot once more (6)
AFRESH F (force) in (harnessed by) ARES (god of war) H (hot)
21 Finish climbing in beloved tree (6)
DEODAR DO (finish) reversed (climbing) in DEAR (beloved)
22 Commander with pride disregarding free feast (5)
AGAPE AGA (commander) P[rid]E (pride disregarding free)
23 Name among insensitive people for trousers (5)
LONGS N (name) in (among) LOGS (insensitive people)
I don’t think it was you having an off day, Gaufrid. This was a fully satisfying puzzle – absolutely a three piper – and it will be Beelzebub’s skill in misdirection which delayed your seeing the answers.
Thanks to S&B.
Don’t recall having too many difficulties, but it was a week ago now, and the memory’s not what it was. I did have trouble parsing 27ac, so thanks for the explanation. I was nearly there. I was trying to work out why “nam” was a ship.
Dormouse, so as not to rely on memory, stick it in your magazine rack, then get it out when the blog appears. (Just my $0.02 worth.)
CC: Oh, I do. Rather, I put in on my pile of solved puzzles (and sometimes, unsolved puzzles). It’s just that after a week, I can remember nothing about the experience of solving this puzzle, not even how long it took. All I have is a completed grid with a question mark next to 27ac, to remind me that I hadn’t parsed it.