| Across | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | CROSSWORDS | |
| Lines drawn around empty squares in sequence – puzzling stuff? (10) | CORDS outside [(S)QUARE(S) in ROW] | |
| 6 | DRIP | |
| Drug supplier and doctor, one with power (4) | DR + I + P | |
| 9 | COUPLET | |
| Pair left in car ahead of time (7) | L inside COUPE + T | |
| 10 | PRELATE | |
| Church dignitary is first to pray and tell (7) | (P)RAY + RELATE | |
| 12 | ONE-LINER | |
| Funny thing on stern of pirate ship (3-5) | ON + PIRAT(E) + LINER | |
| 13 | VEINS | |
| Traces of sedative in subclavian blood vessels (5) | sedatiVE IN Subclavian | |
| 15 | STAPLE | |
| Fastener starting to perish in old hat (6) | (P)ERISH inside STALE | |
| 16 | CERUMEN | |
| Cure disoriented people with otic discharge (7) | Anagram of CURE + MEN | |
| 18 | VIE | |
| Contest that is initiated by basketball team (3) | IE after V | |
| 19 | RECURVE | |
| Bend back constantly moving around carrying dog (7) | EVER reversed outside CUR | |
| 21 | ANNUAL | |
| Head of auditing brought in to void a book of accounts (6) | (A)UDITING inside ANNUL | |
| 24 | MEDIA | |
| Met briefly to support backing news channels (5) | (ME)T + AID reversed | |
| 25 | OFFENDER | |
| Volunteer punched by extreme criminal (8) | OFFER outside END | |
| 27 | SKITTLE | |
| Knock over slalom championship, say, with finalist from Helsinki out (7) | SKI TITLE minus HELSINK(I) | |
| 28 | OPTIMAL | |
| Best man nearly stabbing pilot going through turbulence (7) | (MA)N inside | |
| 29 | DEEP | |
| Intellectual visited ladies, say, heading west (4) | PEED reversed | |
| 30 | STORYLINES | |
| Retail outlets stocking last of celery left in plots (10) | STORES outside [CELER(Y) + L + IN] | |
| Down | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | CUCKOO | |
| Nuts should be sliced mostly by cook in a mess (6) | (CU)T + anagram of COOK | |
| 2 | OPULENT | |
| Lavish musical work not finished with fast time (7) | (OPU)S + LENT | |
| 3 | SELF-IMPORTANT | |
| Two mischievous characters embraced by star not unusually arrogant (4-9) | (ELF + IMP) inside anagram of STAR NOT | |
| 4 | ON THE LEVEL | |
| Not distracted by first woman in agony behaving honestly (2,3,5) | Anagram of NOT + (EVE in HELL) | |
| 5 | DOPE | |
| Drugs look after pet with tail chopped off (4) | DO + (PE)T | |
| 7 | REALISM | |
| Practical view of things is accepted by monarchy (7) | IS inside REALM | |
| 8 | PLEASING | |
| Quietly engaging? (8) | P + LEASING | |
| 11 | ENVIRONMENTAL | |
| Green with envy – mainly tough nuts (13) | (ENV)Y + IRON + MENTAL | |
| 14 | OCEAN FLOOR | |
| Seabed of coral, one in poor condition (5,5) | Anagram of OF CORAL ONE | |
| 17 | PROMISED | |
| Tight-fisted person, finishing early in poker, is assured (8) | (MISE)R inside PROD | |
| 20 | CODEINE | |
| Established standard in drug, an analgesic (7) | CODE + IN + E | |
| 22 | ABDOMEN | |
| Stomach awfully bad writing on the wall (7) | Anagram of BAD + OMEN | |
| 23 | TROLLS | |
| Christ’s back with pieces of bread and fishes (6) | CHRIS(T) + ROLLS | |
| 26 | HEAT | |
| He engaged in passion (4) | HE + AT |
1a. The insight comment today reminded me that I had not correctly parsed this clue. “Lines” = “cords”. Of course!
8d The ? alerted me that there was something special here, but I did not correctly parse the answer until the blog raised the issue of two possible correct answers if my parsing was correct. I finally found correct parsing, but was not convinced.
So two answers right for the wrong reasons. Plus a brain explosion during the week. Not my best week. My report card reads “Can do better”
Thank you David for your puzzles with the challenges which keep us on our toes.