Ghan Busters

CP-GP: Detonate decoy probe

PA-GP(?): Harbour-master's home

Maybe that should be-

PA-VIP: Harbourmaster's home

I wonder if I could get away with this bit of misdirection

AS VIP: Spooner's pursuer sprays on tan (thanklessly)

I suspect not since it relies on some literary speculation.

AS-GP: Exchange special rings

DC, SK - and all players: imagine the GP is tyro level, more about anagrams, clear containers and luminous signposts. In short, classy but lucid, with no giant leaps required.

While VIP is the elite level, a-la a standard Storm to be honest, where we camouflaged the capitals with such flair.

The Storm was sparked by recent chats about making simpler cryptic clues, which I wished to show can be no less simple to conjure:

http://davidastle.com/blog/post/crossword-world/

AS-VIP: Nevil liked town?

This was originally a GP, but I moved it up a category.

AS-GP: Leaps after Cooper?
KA-GP: Hepburn is not in state

KA-GP: Take in her landscape

PA (VIP) - Wine grape?

PA-GP: Left lordly airhead

KU-GP: King introduced a gruel mixture

CP-VIP: Chop crop hop top cop shop eavesdrop

AS (GP) - Slashed sale pricings
AS (GP) - Spun spear slicing

The opal capital of the world:
CP- (GP) Evenly scoop orb pearl, pie idly.

KU (GP) - Earplug adjusted, King takes Pawn?

AS (GP) - Church lost chalice from vaults?

KA (GP?) - Knucklehead heartbroken pining Echo.
[Narcissistic allusion there. The 'in' in pining echoes, to get the in and the E, so... yeah, this one's a mess. First half should be more than sufficient.]

I realize DC's already kind of done this:

AS-GP: How she gets out of Wonderland?

KA-GP: Kat, loveless heroine

PA-GP: Old Tawny at serious art opening

AS-GP: Bounds after girl in the looking-glass

CP-VIP?: Called out, gassy perhaps, just a second away from disaster

Not sure if this one's difficult enough for VIP.

PA-GP: Ship's left a month beside a South Australian city

CP-GP: Company body peer organised

K-GP: Gawk at her inedible portion

This GP clueing is harder than it looks. I blame DA....he has twisted and contorted our brains to such an extent that we can no longer function properly...

Does us all good, SK. I hereby promise to submit my 5 GPs post-deadline, just to undergo the same salutary torment.

DA, if I ever see you compiling for the Women's Weekly ctyptic (if there is still such a thing) I will know that this experiment has sent you too far the other way.

PA-GP: Wave to a past guru

KU-GP: Every leader knows:- ultra luxurious Ghan extends regional Australia

Yes, I'm finding the GPs are definitely harder to clue. That's why I've got mine out of the way early, and now I have the remaining time to enjoy crafting the VIPs.

KA GP: Roundabout near Keith.

Ditto RK. Just gotta get the brain back into twisted mode...

An in-betweener (for the moment)

AS-VIPish: Special elastic bands

KU-VIP: Cherry-pick radio outrage
PA-VIP: Herald's outright fabrication, to trap outliers

KU-GP: Contents of skull starts gelling with age

Relevant for the location-

CP-VIP: Manage around operating bore and dry extremes

A whole clue-

KU-VIP: Uncommon address to king; "You regal jerk"

AS-VIP: Heads of police squad arrest Mob after Capone murders

CP-GP: Coped with sober, directionless youth leader

I can't help thinking that 'level-headed' would read much better than 'directionless', but leveling the head is a bit of a stretch for GP.

KA-VIP: Katy and Cher (9¾)

KA-VIP: She's famous for being gorgeous?

PA-GP: Left a month in the middle.

KA-GP: Look at her in extraordinary territory?

PA - GP - Left goldrush, middle-class

KU - GP - Slicing pears or bananas

PA-GP: Guru sat atop rock

Sorry, that was supposed to be AS.

AS-GP: A pest appears suddenly

AS - GP - Cairns pile about first Ghan stop
KA - GP - Some break at her in every way
KU - GP - OK, duologues read evenly

AS-GP Brady maid bounds.

CP - GP - Company award preordered sweet body

CP-VIP: Drill bore into weathered rocky stump

KU-GP: Regular beating when exchanging rook for king

KU-GP: First of all, knowing ultra luxurious Ghan exhibits regional Australia

AS-GP: Produce replica signs

Welcome to the groove, One Wheel - and good to see dg aboard too. Some cute n curly ones already registered. Another tricksy field to filter, but that's the fun of the trip.

Just a pity Oodnadatta isn't on the Ghan line...

OO-GP: Dodgy data on toad

OO-VIPish: Retro display of matt ad and oodles of input

OO-VIP: Whose aliens were heard to chat about cruxiverbalist?

...sorry, but did I spell that wrong? (crux or cruc?)

And the second one should have been "...and oodles of material". Not that it matters...

PA-GP: Danish director in a Trop retrospective.

PA-GP - Unexpected stop at Ugaru?

(I just invented the town of Ugaru - but it could totally be a Ghan stop, don't you think?)

Sorry for any double-ups, got to this quite late.

PA - GP: Grandfather, for one, revered a South Australian whistlestop?
PA - VIP: Shakespearean heroine, noble instead of ingenuous, initially
CP - GP: Pigeon noise: dry beep, perhaps
CP - VIP: Shy about awkward probe by journalist
KU - GP: Skull skinned with unsteady gear
KU - VIP: Sweet potato, large instead of medium
AS - GP: Malevolent intention won't initiate wells in the outback
AS - VIP: Snake admitting nuisance calls
KA - GP: Strip down, freak at her inexperience
KA - VIP: Man venturing into Tarkine wilderness

I have been beaten to the aliens (Ood have thought it?)

PA-VIP: Heard to use past argot awkwardly.

DC: not these aliens I hope - have to check...

AS: Weird space-girls in outback town!

KA: Princess nearly gets her fine head decapitated

CP-GP: Detonate! Proceed, Boy!

PA-GP: Carry Master's course.

I should realise by now that if I have a good idea, chances are someone else has had it before me. I should take the time to read all the previous entries thoroughly first.

That's the catch JD. Latecomers have to find fresh tacks, but that can be a blessing too.

Mind you, the danger of SK's Harbourmasters (for Port Augusta) is that port = harbour in both instances, what Puzzled calls the Hookworm Syndrome, where a single meaning is falsely parading as a double.

Nonetheless, SK's meld is good enough to offset that intrinsic flaw. (Sort of musings a clue-judge needs to make....)

KU-GP: Broken Ark? Glue it.

My copy of Puzzled is out on loan DA, so could you please remind me about the Hookworm Syndrome wrt my PA clue? I thought it to be a fairly straight-forward construction (Port = HARBOUR, Augusta = MASTERS HOME). What am I missing?

My 10, with a coat of polish.

PA-VIP: Herald's outright fabrication, to trap outliers
PA-GP: Left lordly airhead
CP-VIP: Chop chop, hop top, cop shop, eavesdrop
CP-GP: Cooped with sober (but so gone) youth leader
KU-VIP: Cherry-pick radio outrage
KU-GP: Contents of skull start gelling with age
AS-VIP: Spooner's pursuer sprays on tan, thanklessly
AS-GP: Shute liked town
KA-VIP: Middleton and heir on 9¾
KA-GP: Hepburn isn't lying in state

Don't get me wrong, SK - it's an exquisite construction, with one slight snag. The word port, as in Port Augusta, means harbour, hence that fragment of the wordplay is an orthodox definition.

Hookworm Syndrome came about due to an undergrad clue I composed:

Parasite to catch bait = hookworm

Here you could argue that both hook & worm are mirroring the same purpose they fulfil in the answer. Not a good habit to nurture in the business of deception and misdirection.

(Though due to the class of your Harbourmaster dovetail this concern is largely erased.)

Ahh yes, now I remember. Thanks for the reality check.....must admit that, given we are only clueing wordplay here, I didn't even think about the definition application.

Getting ideas down first, then will allocate the VIP/GP

PA: Left gold rush with a settlement

KA-VIP: Two cards - neither wild

er, whoops, sorry One Wheel. I didn't see yours. I now sympathise with JD.

PA-VIP: University went after Op Art designed by Klimt's predecessor, mostly.

or

PA-VIP: Art opus composed has no bearing prior to Mahler and Holst, in the main.

Both very wordy, I know. And they don't even contain a definition!

Here's my final list! I hope I haven't stepped on anyone's toes.

AS-GP: How she gets out of Wonderland?
AS-VIP: A license, with no expiry, to hang about pious ones
KA-GP: Kat, loveless heroine
KA-VIP (full clue for poetic justice): A thousand went back in, in there, a place in the middle of nowhere
PA-GP: Old Tawny at solemn art opening
PA-VIP: For Spanish tiara crown: gold, top gold, gold folded over around holy man
CP-GP: This mining town is whack, per boy code!
CP-VIP: Called out, gassy perhaps, a second away from disaster
KU-GP: Shouted, "Exterminate!" teeming with rage
KU-VIP: A small/medium, Luke lost his footing and went head over heels

K-GP: A female heir taken inhumanely.

CP-GP: Half-cooked berry pie - dry without the middle bits.

CP-VIP: Breakthrough treatment for baby, previously tense and crying?

CP-GP: Firm obeyed order, embracing PR spin.

CP-VIP: Sunless cops obey underground.

Clue for a bizarre location-

CP-VIP: Hack bore-living in weather with daily extremes

And I know it's not in the comp, but DA's OODNADATTA made me think of the sneaky little James Bond clueing for "OO" in last week's cryptic-

OO-VIP: Certified killer genes (facts about model)

AS GP: Not where breaking glaciers spin.
AS GP: Sales pricing might be higher here.
AS GP: Supper here maybe a single crisp.

PA GP: Wherein to support August activities.
KA VIP: A middle-heavyweight who rose up.

KU-GP: Everyone's heading to Katherine (ultimately); luxurious Ghan exhibits remote Australia

KU-GP: Shot AK with Luger.

I see the competition is hotting up.

Very late to join in this one. And struggling to differentiate between VIP clues & GP clues. For what it's worth here are 5 from me...

PA - VIP: Fremantle Doctor in Spain for treating airheads?
CP - GP: School building program embraced by imprisoned youth leaders
KU - GP: Evil twins can't stop swallowing crazy glue
AS - GP: Calls past a dole office in party gear
KA - VIP?: Citizen protects the State

Here's my lot-

PA-GP: Guru sits atop rock
PA-VIP: Harbourmaster's home?
CP-GP: Detonate decoy probe
CP-VIP: Hack bore-living in weather with daily extremes
KU-GP: All heading to Katherine (ultimately); luxurious Ghan exhibiting remote Australia
KU-VIP: Territorial address to king; "You regal jerk!"
AS-GP: Reproduce replica signs
(I really wanted to submit "Special elastic bands" here, but I suspect it is neither first class nor coach)
AS-VIP: Mob arrest by police squad chiefs after Capone murders
KA-GP: Look at her in epic territory
KA-VIP: She's famous for being gorgeous?

Sorry, that first one should be-

PA-GP: Guru sat atop rock

IC, I was heading that way myself on KU. I hope you don't mind if I go with glue as well.

KU-GP: Ark glue came unstuck
KU-VIP: Without hesitation PNG bird changed gear.

Arghh...should have checked my list. Last tweak (I promise)

KA-VIP: She's famous for being gorgeous and territorial?!

RV's luger clue makes me think a good competition one week would be to use our own initials to clue something or other; just like the occasional DA worms its way into Friday crosswords.

Say the category was Australian cities:

Losing head start, I'm eaten by voodoo spirit. Eaten by spirit! (4,5)

Alternately, we can use other solver's initials like some sort of trash-talking rap contest...

(I suspect the AK in question referred to the assault rifle, but y'know.)

Nice idea DC. Time to play the man/woman, not the ball. I always suspected Gymbunnies were created by men using hash...

Speaking of hash, as I made one of my earlier list, here's a clean copy so the judges don't need to cut 'n paste. No more changes...promise.

PA-GP: Guru sat atop rock
PA-VIP: Harbourmaster's home?
CP-GP: Detonate decoy probe
CP-VIP: Hack bore-living in weather with daily extremes
KU-GP: All starters for Katherine (ultimately); luxurious Ghan exhibiting remote Australia
KU-VIP: Isolated address to king: "You regal jerk!" (with apologies to the good people of Kulgera)
AS-GP: Reproduce replica signs
(I really wanted to submit "Special elastic bands" here, but I suspect it is neither first class nor coach)
AS-VIP: Mob arrest by police squad chiefs after Capone murders
KA-GP: Look at her in epic territory
KA-VIP: She's famous for being gorgeous, but territorial?

AS-GP: Pissing clear fluid.

AS-GP: Ali G's penetrated by queer princes. (Please accept my apologies if this offends. I couldn't resist writing it).

AS-VIP: (with acknowledgement of SK's offering at 10.09am yesterday, which I love) Special outcalls.

KU-VIP: Bump in the night returned without introducing bad dreams.

KU-GP: Lastly, thank you all solving here for Australia.

KA-VIP: Real-life location of Emerald City and Emerald Isle found in article?

AS-VIP: South Park gang son follows, a cause of head scratching?

DC: I'll consider the AK reference an affrontery until otherwise qualified. :P

I do like the idea of cryptic rap battles, though.

e.g. DC, in Washington, is confused without women, but his chivalry towards them is evidently dimmin'? (3)

CP-VIP: Corby, busted with drug (dope), devastated

I wanted to put this:

Corby busted with drug, illicit dope

but am uncertain as to whether 'illicit' would be acceptable as an anagrind.

RK: I like trying to fit trafficking in there somewhere.

Corby busted with drug - dope trafficking

Not to say that it's not already a fantastic construction.

Thanks AK. Hopefully not too controversial.

KU-VIP: Vessel tossed back over swell, losing bulkhead

RK that Corby idea is brilliant. As is RV's bladder problem....let's see if it passes the poor taste filter!

I don't actually mean anything by this trash talk, but the idea was stuck in my head on the bus. I hope you'll forgive me, RV.

RV is a pooh-dropping, one degree from agro - hopping (9)

Sorry, that was me.

Here are mine, although I suspect there is no great difference between the vips and the gps.

GP's:
KA - Roundabout near Keith
KU - Broken Ark? Glue it.
CP- Detonate! Proceed Boy.
AS -Brady maid bounds
PA - Left Master's course
VIP's
KA - Comic villain captures loveless other.
KU - Macca, Reg, Luke in the outback
PA.- Carry hallowed links.
CP - Banks receives decoration and heart of tempter
AS - Unfortunately, Grace lisps in Territory.

My 10:

PA-GP: Ship's left a month beside a coastal town
PA-VIP: University went after Op Art designed by Klimt's predecessor, mostly
CP-GP: Firm body peer developed
CP-VIP: Importing drug (dope), Corby is busted
KU-GP: King introduced a gruel mixture
KU-VIP: Vessel tossed back over swell, losing bulkhead
AS-GP: Bounds after girl in the looking-glass
AS-VIP: South Park gang son follows, a cause of head scratching?
KA-GP: Take in her landscape
KA-VIP: Two cards, neither wild

@AK, I'm sure I won't be offended but I need some help cracking your clue. And rest assured my AK reference was a complete accident although I am glad DC picked up unintended non weapon AK reference. My last 2 clues;

KA-GP: Take in her belt
KA-VIP: Rhine flows in her shortened form.

Well, RV is the def. The trash talk's just in the clue, not the answer. Hopping is quite a tenuous signpost for alternate letters, but I think rhyme maintenance necessitates it. Oh, and the punctuation's intentionally misleading. Hope that helps enough. :)

PA-VIP: Football power just before the finals get to number one.

AS-VIP: Grunge chick in chains breaks free!

PA-GP: Left a month in the middle.
PA-VIP: Football power just before the finals gets to number one.

AS-GP: A pest appears suddenly.
AS-VIP: Grunge chick in chains breaks free?!

KA-GP: A female heir taken cruelly.

KA-VIP: Real-life location of Emerald City and Emerald Isle found in article?

CP-GP: Half-cooked berry pie - dry without the central ingredients.

CP-VIP: Breakthrough treatment for baby, previously tense and crying?

KU-GP: Lastly, thank you all cluing here for DA.

KU-VIP: Bump in the night returned without initiating bad dreams.

Slight revision:

PA-VIP: Football power just before the finals gets to first.

Thanks dg - doing a quick glance, as well as your own complete list, I can see that SK, JD, DC, RK, AK have all filed in full.

As a new player, one wheel may not be hip to the protocol. But for anyone unsure, just to be kind, a full file of your best entries near to deadline is REALLY appreciated from the judging POV. Cheers.

And thanks too for some consistent gold all week. Look forward to the Ghanalysis.

Don't you have an extraneous 'Y' turn up in your CP-GP, dg? Didn't spot that the first time.

Sorry I'm late to the party. Work has been getting in the way of important stuff, again, hence an incomplete list.

Name change is in preparation for DC's proposed storm using initials.

I've searched the page to avoid re-using anyone else's ideas. Apologies if I tread on any toes with these.

PA-GP: Sugar, put to a blender.
CP-GP: Confused by cop re: Doe.
KU-GP: Knut oddly brews lager.
AS-GP: An insect's quiet hoops.
KA-GP: Inker upset about two articles.
CP-VIP: Buffalo Bill eats Hamburger's upper pie crust
KU-VIP: Bless swelling in Noah's boat, capsised.

Thanks for highlighting DC's initial idea, RM (the Dabbler Formerly Known As). There's real wham-bam potential in the monogram tack. Let me simmer it.

PA-VIP: A teapots guru rejects english breakfast
PA-GP: Left goldrush with a settlement

CP-VIP: Bert nearly enclosed bordering yard
CP-GP: Proceed by oxygen circulation

KU-VIP: Ms Knightley heartlessly traps drunken lug
KU-GP: Exotic ark glue here

AS-VIP: Aligns prices around central setting
AS-GP: Weird space-girls in outback town!

KA-VIP: Duchess of Cambridge nearly gets her fine head decapitated.
KA-GP: Reheat ink out here

My final submissions, some tweaks:

PA - GP: Grandfather, for one, respected Aboriginal leader
PA - VIP: First person to leave Shakespearean heroine for noble
CP - GP: Pigeon noise: broken, dry beep
CP - VIP: Shy about awkward probe by journalist
KU - GP: Skull skinned by dodgy gear
KU - VIP: Skinhead German on stage?
AS - GP: Evil intention to oust leader emerges suddenly
AS - VIP: Snake admitting multiple nuisance calls?
KA - GP: Some freak at her inexperience
KA - VIP: Man ventures into Tarkine wilderness

DC: I think dg's clue is half each of cooked and berry, and pie and dry without their central ingredients.

Arvo all! Here are mine:

AS-GP: Gore cools on polar cap calls
AS-VIP: Fictional follower of rabbit seasons?

CP-GP: Company probe wrecked comedy's second half
CP-VIP: Rebooted my PC - untrademarked, sadly

PA - GP: Wine month - onto third glass
PA- VIP: Unplanned stop at Ugaru?

KA - GP: Odd Kraut-rock herein...
KA - VIP: Bakery essentials: wear hairnet inside

KU - GP: UK reverts to regal tyranny
KU - VIP: Gruel served during Blackjack?

AK, that's how how I read dg's clue...but the half a berry doesn't quite work...3/5? Alternatively if it's the middle out of all 3 words there is a surplus "Y". Are we missing something dg?

Here are my 10.

PA-GP: Danish director in a Trop retrospective.
PA-VIP: Heard to use past argot awkwardly.

CP-GP: Firm obeyed order, embracing PR spin.
CP-VIP: Sunless cops obey underground.

KU-GP: Ark glue came unstuck.
KU-VIP: Without hesitation PNG bird changed gear.

AS-GP: Pissing clear fluid.
AS-VIP: Special outcalls.

KA-GP: Take in her belt
KA-VIP: Rhine flows in her shortened form.

No misreading there. Im sure Ive seen this kind of thing before. Half of 5 is 2.5 which as an integer would be 2 OR 3 (letters). And in real life many would be happy to call 6.32 half past six.

Here goes:
PA GP: Left a month in confinement
PA VIP: Unclosed door holds a golden windstorm
CP GP: Shy about a clumsy probe by a journo
CP VIP: Mutilated corpse! Body with its bottom removed contained drug.
KU GP: Spooner's flesh-eating undead nurse
KU VIP: Regular experimentation turns a river into potassium
AS GP: Possibly seen in a Wonderland Bouncy Castle ?
AS VIP (definition included): Snake-eating insects surround south central town
KA GP: Look at her in every heart
KA VIP Take heroin, collapse and lose oxygen.

Fair cop, Kaz. I did promise. Without looking at other GPs already filed, here's my stab:

PA: Feeble-sounding thanks interrupted by noble

CP: Business probe organised by journalist at day's end

KU: Britain repulsed by regal shenanigans

AS: Sale's pricing adjusted

KA: OK (rather fine) once beginners quit