That Cryptic Thing in the Desert - Annotated Answers

6

Not a festival in ‘Nam? (7,3)

Rebus clue – the wordplay is in the clue: NAM=(MAN)*(anagrind: BURNING)

BURNING MAN

7

Trip to cattle farm ends in Limerick (4)

[tri]P [t]O [cattl]E [far]M(last letters: ends)

POEM

10

Question about queer apes following the two of us right now (2,2,5)

ASK containing(=about) ((APES)*(anagrind: queer) after(=following) WE(=the two of us))

AS WE SPEAK

12

Seven tenets describing what 6A is (5)

[s]EVEN T[enets](hidden: describing)

EVENT

13

Floorings from Aegean Island (3)

Double definition

KOS

14

Losing a tile violated rules (11)

(LOSING A TILE)*(anagrind: violated)

LEGISLATION

17

When ever? (4)

Double definition

ONCE

19

Camps sometimes listen to Sherlock (5)

(Holmes)♫(=Sherlock; homophone: listen to)

HOMES

20

Creep backwards part way through improv repertoire (4)

[impro]V REP[ertoire](reverse hidden: backwards part way through)

PERV

21

Who gets checked with CT or MRI over there in a National Park? (5,6)

KING(=who gets checked; in chess) + SCAN(=CT or MRI) + YON(=over there)

KING’S CANYON

24

Hot dogs one savors only in the beginning or so (3)

H(abbr: hot) follows(=dogs) I(=one) + S[avors](first letter: only in the beginning)

ISH

25

Regularly (except Fourth of July) Negroni returned to produce a prequel of the Odyssey (5)

(DAIL[Y](=regularly, deleting(except) Y) + I)←(reversal: returning)

with Y=Fourth of julY (fourth letter selection) and I=Negroni (setter of this puzzle)

(link: <wordplay> to produce <definition>)

ILIAD

26

Satanic saint covers for bishop to lower blood pressure (9)

DIABOLIC(=satanic)(substitution(…covers for…): B(abbr: bishop from chess)->ST(abbr: saint))

DIASTOLIC

28

Approval right in time (4)

YEA(=approval) + R(abbr: right)

YEAR

29

Refuse to use foils? That may be the end of 6 down (5,5)

TRASH(=refuse) + FENCE(=to use foils)

TRASH FENCE

Down

1

Swarms of birds in murder cases dead  (6)

CROWS(=birds in murder; a group of crows is called a murder) contains(=cases) D(abbr: dead)

CROWDS

2

Can the French put up with a well-known moop risk?  (6)

TIN(=can) + (LES)←(=the in French;reversal in down clue: put up)

TINSEL

3

Leer goggle-eyed in prime locations (4)

gOGgLeEyed(letter selection 2nd,3rd,5th,7th: in prime locations)

OGLE

4

Lead in Kidsville holding up pasty to jerk off (4)

K[idsville](first letter: lead in) after(in down clue: holding up) WAN(=pasty)

WANK

5

Occasionally losing the final second at the end of the day (8)

SOMETIME[S](=occasionally; deleting the last(=losing the final) S(abbr: second))

SOMETIME

‘Stop climbing, miss!’ – reined in by stuck-up jerk jamming at the location of 6 across  (5,4,4)

(CORK)←(=stop; reversal, in down clue: climbing) 

included in(reined in; using object fronting word order) LACK(=miss)

+ (by) (TIC)←(=jerk; reversal, in down clue: stuck-up)

B(LAC(KROC)K+CIT)Y: Everything so far inserted into(jamming) BY(=at)

BLACK ROCK CITY

8

Careless match lit venue for art that moves particpants at 6 across (6, 7)

(MATCH LIT VENUE)*(anagrind: careless)

MUTANT VEHICLE

9

Sonic games creator a long time back (4)

(AGES)←(=a long time; reversal: back)

SEGA

11

Plot element introducing loveless drift underpinned by one’s connection to the underworld (4,5) 

AXIS(=plot element) preceding(introducing) M[O]UND(=drift; deleting O: loveless) followed by (in a down clue: underpinned by) I (=one)

AXIS MUNDI

15

Confused the roots of informed consent with the 10 principles, perhaps (5)

(THE)*(anagrind: confused) + I[nformed] C[onsent] (first letters: roots of)

ETHIC

16

Girl with nothing to catch (5)

LASS(=girl) + O(=nothing)

LASSO

18

Some lady with bulk of cannabis turned man-eater (8)

(L[ady](first letter: some) + CANNABI[s](all but last letter: bulk of)*(anagrind: turned)

CANNIBAL

22

Pop‘s orifice, beginning to chap, plugs up (4)

O[rifice](first letter: beginning) inserted in(to chap) (ADS)←(=plugs, reversal, in a down clue: up)

SODA

23

Announce short pitch provided by right-wing extremist of party (6)

NOT[e](=pitch; all but last letter: short) +  IF(=provided) +(by) + [part]Y (last letter: right-wing extremist of)

NOTIFY

24

Nordic country having zero Fahrenheit in the interior (6)

[f]INLAND(=nordic country) deleting all (having zero) F(abbr: Fahrenheit)

INLAND

26

Immoral TV series from Germany seen in a lightless place (4)

Triple definition (“Dark” ran on Netflix)

DARK

27

Some additional something (4)

[addition]AL SO[mething](hidden: some)

This clue is an &lit – the entire clue is both wordplay and definition

ALSO