I found this very straightforward and a quick solve but there were a few nice touches. Just a short review because most of the clues are reasonably self-explanatory but if anyone’s unsure of anything then leave a comment and I’ll do my best to explain.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | STAMPED,E – straightforward but smooth sounding clue to start. |
| 5 | SMACKS – double definition. |
| 9 | POLIT(e),I,C(hange)S – nice surface reading, especially given the answer. |
| 12 | (REGIONAL)*,Y |
| 19 | (PRIESTS)* |
| 21 | A,I,R(abie)S – I liked this one, especially “case of rabies” for RS. |
| 24 | A,LIEN – I think LIEN is often just defined as “right” by many setters so Orense is being more precise here. |
| 25 | (ITS AGREED)* – another good one, with “badly directed” an appropriate anagrind. |
| Down | |
| 1 | SUP,P(a)LE |
| 2 | LEG in ALE |
| 6 | MAIL-ORDER – this uses a device we see more often these days. “Mail order” might be another way of indicating “Lima”. |
| 8 | STOUT,EST – I remember enough GCSE French to know that EST is “is”. |
| 11 | BYRE – “buyer”. I originally filled in BYER, which held up 16A. |
| 21 | A,BASH,ED – “party” could also also be “do”, “lab” and “con”. |