Smooth work out to start the day
Across
1 CORRESPONDENCE dd
10 CLEAN (complete) hidden in [mira]CLE AN[tedote]
11 DISMANTLE (strip) DI (princess) (LAMENTS)*
12 CHANNEL dd
13 TEMPERA (paint) T (time) E (English) MP (politician) ERA (time)
14 PUT UP (accommodate) PUT (cast) UP (at university)
16 BIFURCATE (divided in two sections)
FIB< (story about) CAT (animal) in URE (river)
19 DERRINGER (gun) DER (German the) RINGER (imposter)
20 HIVES dd
22 ESTATES (the dead leave them) (SET)* (EAST)*
25 GROUNDS dd
27 MINNESOTA (state) (ISNT ONE)* in MA (mother)
28 ERASE (remove recorded material) AS (arsenic) in ERE (before)
29 DUCKS AND DRAKES (game)
SAND (polish) DRAKE (pirate) in DUCKS (birds)
Down
2 OPERA STAR dd (Ralph Rackstraw from HMS Pinafore)
3 RUN ON (continue without interruption) [gre]NO[ble] in RUN (manage)
4 SADDLEBAG (it’s used by riders) SADDLE (seat) BAG (secure)
5 ONSET (start) ON (forward) SET (position)
6 DEAD MARCH (funeral music)
DEAD (insensitive) (H[andel] CRAM (stuff))< (send up)
7 NITRE (saltpeter) NIT (fool) RE (about)
8 ELEVATE (raise) E (eastern) VAT (vessel) in LEE (shelter)
9 ICE CAP (Pole cover) ICE (drug) CAP (limit)
15 POINTLESS (having little use) LES (the French) in POINTS (details)
17 FIREGUARD (protective device)
U (superior) in GAR (fish) all in FIRED (shot)
18 ADVANTAGE (benefit) VAN T[ulleken] in ADAGE (saw)
19 DREAMED (suffered delusions) ME (setter) in DREAD (great fear)
21 SUSSED (found out) SS (saints) in DEUS< (god upset)
23 TONIC (medicine) ON (working) in TIC (spasmodic twitching)
24 SWOON (faint) W (women) in SOON (after a short time)
26 OMEGA (last letter) hidden in [jer]OME GA[untlett]
( )* = anagram [ ] = omit < = reverse dd = double definition
I had the same answers, but some details different.
2D I considered Ralph Rackstraw as opera’s tar
25A Rounds are discharged following G for good
Sorry to briefly interrupt today’s thread but could I urge fans of Mudd to visit the fifteensquared Announcenents page, you can navigate to it from the links top left.
Briggg @3
Presumably, you mean fans of Cinephile?
Correction: I now see the Mudd announcement.
However, there are also some comments on Araucaria (aka Cinephile) on today’s Guardian Cryptic.
I agree with AID @1 about 2d. It’s not a double definition. The character Ralph Rackstraw is a sailor in HMS Pinafore, so he is an opera’s tar.
It struck me that 29a could have been clued simply as “Game birds”.