Weekend Quick Cryptic 132 - Solution

Phil Jordan, Sawbill and I are continuing to produce our series of Weekend Quick Cryptic crosswords. We take turns, publishing one a fortnight, and this week it's Sawbill's turn. 

You can find a link to the crossword here and the answers below.  Feel free to leave any comments or questions here as you would do on  TfTT .  You can find an index to the complete series of crosswords here. 

Summer Social. TimesforTheTimes had a Summer Gathering at The George, Southwark on Saturday 14th June. All three of your Weekend Quick Cryptic setters were there along with 27 other people. Read about it here and if you couldn't make it this time do try and come next year.

Before looking at the answers, if you would like some additional help, click the label below.

Hints and tips...

Here are a few hints and tips.

• In 14A "and" is part of the wordplay and the first part is an anagram.
• 24A also contains an anagram.
• In 6D the definition is just one word.
• In 7D "on the way up" is a reversal indicator.
• In 18D "picked up" is a sounds-like indicator.

And click on this label to get the solution.

Solution and explanation of the answers...

Definitions  underlined in bold italics , ( Abc )* indicating anagram of Abc,{deletions} and [] other indicators.

Across
1 Miss a gap? (5)
AVOID – A VOID (gap)
4 Poster adapted recurring themes (6)
TROPES – (poster)* [adapted].
9 Admit that hurt before joke backfired (3,2)
OWN UP – OW (that hurt) and PUN (joke) reversed [backfired] -> NUP.
10 Hampshire town or a north Kent port (7)
 ANDOVER – A N (north) DOVER (Kent port).
11 Artificial Intelligence beginning to recreate voice (3)
AIR – Voice, the verb. AI (Artificial Intelligence) and first letter [beginning to] Recreate.
12 Decline advice ... it's a lot of rubbish (6,3)
REFUSE TIP – REFUSE (decline) TIP (advice).
14 Does re-order at the start sherry and port (6)
ODESSA – (does)* [reorder] and first letters of, [at the start], Sherry And. Very sneaky using the first letter of AND!
17 Require extremely little sewing equipment (6)
NEEDLE – NEED (require) and outside letters of [extremely] L{ittl}E.
20 Come together in appropriate new phase (4,5)
TAKE SHAPE – TAKE (appropriate) [new] (shape)*.
23 Cut seal opening boxes (3)
LOP – Hidden in seaL OPening.
24 Wandering in Oman all over the place with Richard, mostly (7)
NOMADIC – (Oman)* [all over the place] DIC{k} (Richard) [mostly].
25 Working with copper wire finally at the right time (2,3)
ON CUE – ON (working) CU (chemical symbol for Copper) and last letter of wirE [finally].
26 Nun in the end prays and tries to change (6)
SISTER – Last letter of prayS, (tries)* [to change].
27 Tests old gas mask regularly (5)
EXAMS – EX (old) and alternate letter of gAs MaSk.
 
Down
1 Fruit provided by a delivery service around five (7)
AVOCADO – V (roman numeral for five) in A OCADO (delivery service).
2 He has one to drink whiskey, right? (5)
OWNER – W (Whiskey in the phonetic alphabet) in ONE, R (right).
3 Runs around back of house quietly and leaves (7)
DEPARTS – Last letter of housE P (piano; quietly) in DARTS (runs).
5 Travels on a camel in Kalahari desert (5)
RIDES – Hidden in KalahaRI DESert.
6 Turned up at last with ID to cast ballot inside (7)
PIVOTED – Last letter of uP, and VOTE (cast ballot) in ID.
7 Band splits on the way up (5)
STRAP – PARTS (splits) reversed [on the way up in a down clue].
8 Young animal crawls now and again over female (4)
CALF – Alternate letters of CrAwLs, F (female).
13 Make, I heard, a pot? (3)
URN - Sounds like EARN (make)
15 People on top of the world? (7)
ESKIMOS – Cryptic definition.
16 Remains quiet after article (3)
ASH – A (indefinite article) SH (quiet).
18 I picked up hybrid rose - it's ugly (7)
EYESORE – EYE (sounds like I) [picked up] [hybrid] (rose)*.
19 Give opinion fast (7)
EXPRESS – Double definition.
20 Does badly in military vehicles (5)
TANKS – Double definition.
21 Marsh plant found in southern border (5)
SEDGE -  S (southern) EDGE (border).
22 Missing start of month is clever (4)
ARCH – {m}ARCH (month) missing the first letter.
23 In US city cry about material (5)
LYCRA – (cry)* [about] in LA (US city).