What one might term an eclectic puzzle. It makes reference to: a UK High Street retailer; L Ron Hubbard; a retired tennis ace; Hollywood film star; an old US President; a disgraced ex-MP; a well known singer; and a real trip down memory lane - an old very effective Burroughs machine that I used in early 1960s.
This potpourri made it great fun to solve - and the most entertaining puzzle for some time
Across
1
NEBEKS - NE(BE)KS; SA cols=NEKS; thorny shrub;
5
POSADA - POS-A-DA; chamber(pot)=PO; auberge in Alicante;
9
ACARI - A-CARI(bous); reindeers?;
11
OSTEAL - O-STEAL: old word for handle=STEAL;
12
BOOTLASTS - BOOT(LAST)S; reference The Boots Company PLC; moulds on which to store your boots;
13
LODESMAN - sounds like "loads"; an old ship's pilot;
16
SLINK - S-LINK;
17
SCIENTOLOGY - (no logics yet)*; auditing from L Ron Hubbard;
19
PRIMOGENIAL - PR(IMOGEN)IAL; set of 3=PRIAL (as in rummy - which knowledge signals a misspent youth);
22
GNAWN - G-N-AWN;
25
BETHWACK - BETH-WACK; mucker on Merseyside=WACK; Squeers speciality;
26
MEGASTORE - MORE surrounds (gates)*;
27
AVULSE - beat=pulse then change p=parking to av=avenue; tear away;
28
EATEN - E(AT)EN;
29
SEA,EAR - SE(A-E)AR; a mollusc;
30
EDBERG - GREB(D)E reversed; date=D; Stefan won Wimbledon 1988 and 1990. Now coaches Federer;
Down
1
NALLAS - LAN reversed - LAS(t); drains;
2
ECHOIC - select=choice then move "e" from last to first;
3
BANDEIRAS - BAN-(raised)*; Hungarian Governor=BAN; pioneering expeditions;
4
KIOSKS - shoot=kick then change c=canine to os=very large;
5
POTAMOGETON - POTA(MO)GE-(NOT reversed); pondweed;
6
STALLONE - STALL-ONE; Sylvester, star of Rocky and Rambo;
7
DATIN - DATIN(g);
8
ALSIKE - AL'S-IKE; clover;
10
COMPTOMETER - COMP(TOME)TER; small debtors prison=COMPTER (Poultry, Wood Street,etc); old machine for adding up columns of figures;
14
VIGILANTE - (leaving IT)*; PC=Police Constable;
15
SEI,WHALE - sounds like "say"=eg; pound=beat=WHALE;
18
AGAMAS - A-GAM-AS; more whales=school=GAM; lizards;
20
ARCHER - A-R(i)CHER; reference succesful author and ex-MP Jeffrey Archer who went to prison for perjury;
21
LAKING - LA-KING; look=LA; Carole KING=singer; romp in Rochdale;
23
NAEVE - NA-EVE;
24
SHRED - SH(R)ED; separate=SHED; take=R; cut;