Monthly Club Special 20,222: A Bit Harder Than Chopsticks!

A very tough but typically brilliant MCS puzzle, that was a wonderful stew of hard wordplay and pretty high-level knowledge both vocabularian and GK-wise. The down clues were my favourites this time around, with the amazing &lit at 7dn coming in a close second to the pure madcap creativity of 4dn. Honourable mention to 3dn for being my possible Word(s) of the Day. Great work setter and I would definitely say that people who don’t bother with this puzzle because of a deep-rooted fear of trawling through dictionaries are missing out! Some of the best clues of the month, on the month, every month!

ACROSS
1 Soldier dropped medal in front of a walled chapel (8)
PARABEMA – PARA [(-trooper), soldier dropped] + BEM [(British Empire) Medal] in front of A

5 Grade maybe acquired in part was unsuccessful (4,2)
BLEW IT – LEW [Grade, maybe (the media baron)] in BIT [part]

10 Unpleasant odour: one given off by composer repelled (5)
NIDOR – take BORODIN [composer], remove B.O. (another unpleasant odor) and reverse

11 Prayer books border on strongly aggressive: an unknown number held (9)
MACHZORIM – RIM [border] on MACHO [strongly aggressive] “holding” Z [an unknown number]

12 Compulsion to shift about — not that one should stop oddly alas (9)
ACATHISIA – CA THIS I [about | not that | one] should “stop” A{l}A{s}

13 Best in combat, ball girl presented with bronze medal, finally (5)
DEBEL – DEB [ball (in the sense of dance) girl], presented with {bronz}E {meda}L

14 Bow, possibly, in presenting brilliant rock bands (7)
CLARAIN – CLARA [Bow, possibly (the actress)] + IN

16 Plea for truce, mostly weak, is coming from the Right (5,1)
FAINS I – FAIN{t} [“mostly” weak] + reversed IS

18 Personification of fairness and belief in God advancing millions (6)
THEMIS – take THEISM [belief in God] and move the M [millions] further forward

20 Romantically sentimental book gorily re-plotted (3-4)
BOY-GIRL – (B GORILY*) [“re-plotted”]

22 Party mostly backed article with colourful flyer (5)
MACAW – reverse CAM{p} [party “mostly”] + A W [article | with]

23 I note gold in a chest they open to let in water (9)
ABOITEAUX – I TE AU [I | note | gold] in A BOX [a | chest]

25 Doorman’s chief time for fooling, taking in appropriate person? (9)
CHAPRASSI – CH [chief] + APR 1 [time for fooling] “taking in” ASS [an appropriate fool]

26 Malay prince returning a huge fan of this country? (5)
TUNKU – reverse all of UK NUT [a huge fan of this country]

27 Old Nazi militia even seen around southern State in the past (6)
SAYEST – SA [old Nazi militia (Sturmabteilung)] + YET [even] “seen around” S [southern]

28 Slaughter of woman impacted on a husband (8)
SHEHITAH – SHE HIT A H [woman | impacted on | a | husband]

DOWN
1 One leading with several others favourite to clinch pole vault (8)
PENTARCH – PET [favourite] to “clinch” N [pole] + ARCH [vault]

2 Parasitic larva touching a hand recoiled (5)
REDIA – RE [touching] + reversed AID [a hand]

3 Voracious herbivores out to lunch having change of heart in place of diet (6,4,5)
BERTHA ARMY WORMS – BARMY [out to lunch] having (HEART*) in + WORMS [place of (1521) Diet]

4 Other half of US pop duo kicking off meeting, standing in for French historian (7)
MOMMSEN – MOM [other half of US “pop”] + M{eeting} S{tanding} + EN [in, for French]

6 Dispersing around top of zone, this salty, acidy product of sewer (4,5,6)
LAZY DAISY STITCH – “dispersing” around Z{one}, (THIS SALTY ACIDY*). Sewer as in one who sews.

7 What Asian restaurant-goers, first of all, try to break in two? (9)
WARIBASHI – W{hat} A{sian} R{estaurant-goers} + BASH [try] to “break” in II [two], and a perfect &lit. Falls into the “I never knew there was a special word for them” category!

8 Cheers fellow bringing Mexican dish (6)
TAMALE – TA MALE [cheers | fellow]

9 Newcastle team wanting leg up following mishit (6)
SCLAFF – take the FALCONS [Newcastle (rugby union) team], remove their ON [leg], reverse and add an F [following[.

15 Firefighting management assisting officer outside house, displaying spirit (9)
ADHOCRACY – ADC [assisting officer (Aide-De-Camp)] outside HO [house] + RACY [displaying spirit]

17 Plant bashful kiss, all atremble (4-4)
FLAX-BUSH – (BASHFUL X*)

19 In short, won’t be going to Central Asia to see Chinese province (6)
SHANSI – SHAN'{t} [“in short”, won’t be] going to {a}SI{a}

20 Typical of man’s error, guarding appearance half-heartedly (7)
BLOKISH – BISH [error] “guarding” LO{o}K [appearance “half-heartedly”]

21 Union no longer means to be heard more widely in Australia (6)
AMICUS – MIC [means to be heard more widely] in AUS [Australia]

24 Little Herb’s handknit unravels, after spinning and shrinking (5)
ARNUT – hidden reversed in {handkni}T UNRA{vels}