Fifteensquared

An unusually easy outing this week, finished in something like 15 minutes, which is about as quick as we get.

ACROSS

6. BLOODSTONE (old bones)* around ‘to’

9. R AID

10. PA ELLA

11. TO P MARKS sounds like ‘Marx’

12. A C COM (PLISH) MENT the bit in brackets being P(a)L and an anagram of ‘his’

14. MODES T

15. A B SORB<

18. DISINCLINATION (in cl idiot ann is)*

20. BER I BER I ‘ber’ ends a number of months

21. F LA(BB)Y

23. IN CH

24. LIGHTHOUSE (hotel I gush)*

DOWN

1. ELBA<

2. TOLL ROAD a delightful cryptic definition

3. REAP THE BENEFIT (beef tea in Perth)*

4. cAR CAN Explode

5. TICKETY-BOO ‘tick’ then, ‘yet’ anagramised, then ‘boo’

7. SHARP AS A NEEDLE dd

8. O B TAIN(t)

13. COMEDIENNE (do nice men e)*

16. OSTRACOD ‘roast’ anagramised, then ‘cod’. A new word for us.

17. FL(Y)ING

19. S(M.I.T.)HY

22. BUSH dd