Cryptic Crossword 1-27

Theme: None

Across Clues:

1 Clumsy man!! Conservative caught in sting (6)

Gauche, clumsy (def), G (man), U (conservative), caught in (insertion), ache (sting)

5 Formulating recipe nailed by fine-tuning (8)

Phrasing, formulating (def), r (recipe), nailed by (insertion), phasing (fine-tuning)

9 Fly is a cross between bull and mare? (8)

Umbrella, fly (def), cross (anagram of) bull + mare

10 Dollar stores make sense (6)

Smarts, S (dollar), marts (stores), sense (def)

11 Wrongly articulate mostly girl’s gender inclusive term with this French (12)

Mispronounce, wrongly articulate (def), mostly (delete last letter in) miss (girl), pronoun (gender inclusive term), CE (this in French)

13 Wolf jump? (4)

Bolt, DD

14 Draw in permanent alien (8)

External, X (draw), in (insertion), eternal (permanent), alien (def)

17 Explosive book on prison in charge (8)

Volcanic, explosive (def), vol (book), can (prison), IC (in charge)

18 Lace swab (4)

Salt, DD

20 Often insurance beneficiary program reckons most with difficulty (12)

Policyholder, often insurance beneficiary (def), policy (program), holds (reckons), most (last letter deletion in) holds, ER (difficulty)

23 Type of cereal plant attracting alien (6)

Millet, type of cereal (def), mill (plant), attracting (juxtaposition), ET (alien)

24 Lingerie failure? Liberated state!! (8)

Negligee, lingerie (def), negligence (failure), liberated (deletion of) NC (state)

25 Bookkeeper to take charge (8)

Recorder, bookkeeper (def), rec (take), order (charge)

26 Choose not to work with scalper (3,3)

Opt out, choose not to (def), OP (work), tout (scalper)

Down Clues:

2 Holds offices (4)

Arms, DD

3 Colorful form of micro chat (9)

Chromatic, colorful (def), form of (anagram of) micro + chat

4 Headhunt prisoners with keen listening skills (6)

Enlist, headhunt (def), prisoners (hidden), rest is fodder

5 American pioneer’s transport: extraordinarily pacier iron horse? (7,8)

Prairie Schooner, American pioneer’s transport (def), extraordinarily (anagram of) pacier + iron + horse

6 Sound from the loudspeaker blares on a tempo truck as it slowly passes by (8)

Resonate, sound (def), from (hidden), rest is fodder

7 Blooper turning some Man U fans into boobirds (5)

Snafu, blooper (def), turning (reversal), some (hidden), rest is fodder

8 Arresting celebrity charged with murder (10)

Noticeable, arresting (def), notable (celebrity), charged with (container), ice (murder)

12 The crazy Spanish design for train engine (10)

Locomotive, loco (crazy in Spanish), motive (design), train engine (def)

15 Check condition in the lounge (9)

Restraint, check (def), train (condition), in (insertion), rest (lounge)

16 Dictator insisted on being armored (8)

Encysted, dictator (homophone of) insisted, armored (def)

19 Joyful cry after contemporary metal music in slow tempo (6)

Adagio, IO (joyful cry), after (positionally after), AD (contemporary), AG (metal), music in slow tempo (def)

21 A logo design for an ice dome e.g. (5)

Igloo, design (anagram of) I (a) + logo, ice dome e.g. (def)

22 Register for soldiers union (4)

Menu, register (def), men (soldiers), U (union)