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ACROSS

 1 Leader of caliphate slyly hoards head coverings worn by women in Iraq (7)

 5 Communist figure, at present, is a prisoner (7)

 9 Looked over pedestrian, concealing stratagem (7)

10 Tycoon is a pest in West (7)

11 Nearly stable sound without error (4)

12 Weird bionic tuna is preparing to hatch (10)

14 Gets sharp to follow Mel on the baseball field in comeback—no fooling (6,2,3)

17 and 18 Miss rock a lot (6)

19 Something unusual Blair may not set right (11)

20 Playwright and detective managed computer company with love (10)

24 A blackjack stat (4)

27 Root at first for McCain’s ending in enormous plunge (7)

28 Spilled cream on novel (7)

29 Make life difficult for dudes caught in unlawful act (7)

30 Unfortunately, no—it’s an array of four-letter names hidden in seven of the Across entries (the other three are in the clues) (7)

DOWN

 1 Gangster stops before the end, being chicken (5)

 2 Unearthly carnage or hubris (9)

 3 Eject our team in overtime (4)

 4 Total Dean’s car (5)

 5 One who encourages second choice for pork as a fast-food standard? (9)

 6 In the morning, soldiers resurrected a character from Sophocles (5)

 7 Counters a taxi climbing on the far side of Fiji (5)

 8 In fact, decapitated seabird is inside for all time (9)

13 Where Laos is allowing some investment activity, initially (4)

14 Thin proof after a stampede! (9)

15 Extremely sensitive experiment about finalist? (9)

16 Cross-dressing ultimately enlivened tabloid (4)

17 Gland is so diseased, it is sliding (9)

21 Listening to tenant’s gossip (5)

22 Medical professional heard running through inner city (5)

23 Body of knowledge covering Northern actress (5)

25 A couple of bards! (5)

26 Skip address to Cambridge University? (4)

SOLUTION TO PUZZLE NO. 3306  

ACROSS 1 hidden 9 TO + ENAIL (anag.) 10 T(OR)ONTO 11 MA + KEIT[h] 12 MAN AGING 14 PET + TIC + OAT 16 A + DEPT[h] 17 “Q, T” 18 “be knighted” 20 PEN + ELOPE 22 E(NGAG)E (gang anag.) 25 TSU(NA)M I (rev.) 26 anag. 27 FOR E, STRANGE R

DOWN 1 anag. 2 G + REEK 3 IT + AL(ICI)ZE (zeal anag.) 4 anag. (&lit.) 5 AT(TRACT)ING (giant anag.) 6 [k]CIRC A (rev.) 7 INC + I + DENT 8 FORGE + T 13 BOO(BY + PRI[g])ZE 15 TI(TANIU)M (a unit anag.) 16 AR(GENT)INA (an IRA rev.) 17 CO + PSTO (anag.) 19 anag. 21 LLA + NO (rev.) 23 anag. 24 2 defs.