No 10177, Friday 10 Jun 11, Nita Jaggi

ACROSS
2   - Cut short the cage opening on the bird (6) - {FALl}{C}{ON}

7   - Roman squares are on the side of a road (4) - {FOR}{A}  &lit attempt
9   - Bird gets trapped in the hibiscus plant (4) - IBIS [T]

10 - Availability extremes of having too much or too little (5,2,6) - FEAST OR FAMINE [CD]
12 - Expert will first design the tube for the engineers to manufacture (7) - {PRO}{D}{U}CE}
13 - Licence to do business (6) - PERMIT [E]

15 - Sailor on Rhode Island is in a rock shelter (4) - {AB}{RI}
17 - Marketing a bid of merchandise in Oregon's capital (5) - {SALE}{M}
18 - Attract the last girl in the bureau (4) - {L}URE How do we take URE from BUREAU?
19 - Absent with permission (2,5) - ON LEAVE [E]
21 - Same as dishevelled (7) - UNKEMPT [E]
23 - Public proclamations (13) - ANNOUNCEMENTS [E]
27 - Zodiac sign of the big cat (4) - LION [E]
28 - Are you disposing carbamide? (4) - (U)REA*
29 - Stick around the agent raising this kind of board (6) - {G{YPS<-}UM}
DOWN
1   - Fellow inside will force open the strong box (6) - {CO{F}FER*}
2   - A long way off to the East, one duke in Westminster is half dead (3,3,4) - {FAR} {AN}{D} {W}{Is}{DEad}
3   - Slowly reduce the fast time (4) - LENTo
4   - Extra set of six delivered balls in cricket (4) - OVER [DD]
5   - Ask for a cheap cigarette (4) - {BID}{I}

6   - Leader will instruct eleven firms at the centre (8) - {DIRECT}{O}{R} Anno for 'O' pending (See comments)
8   - Socrates holds the large box (5) - CRATE [T]
11 - Control the pilot (7) - OPERATE Supposed to be a DD
13 - President will avoid the curtain-raiser (7) - {P}{REcLUDE}
14 - Ah! suspend inhumane characters behind the factory over a long period of time (10) - {MILL}{ENNIUMah*}
16 - Franklin's first gum resin (8) - BENJAMIN [DD]
20 - Safe place in an Olympics event (5) - VAULT [DD]
22 - Apply the spice on the small fishes (6) - {PISCE*}{S}
24 - Number is locked in, in England (4) - NINE [T]
25 - Cold place for the brick material (4) - {C}{LAY}
26 - Forest growth? (4) - MOSS [CD]

GRID