Some less familiar words this week, solving time, 25 mins
* = anagram < = reversed
ACROSS
1 TA R (AD) IDDLE
9 S (L) INGER This was my last – I thought the Spice Girl was going to be Ginger but it turned out to be singer. Refers to David and Goliath from the Old Testament.
10 A CAD E (first in English) ME HE in clue = Higher Education
11 A GO NISED (Denis)*
12 ICIER “I see ‘er”
13 BUD DHA (had)*
14 I R (RIT) ATE rit = abbrev for musical direction to slow down
15 CE (RE) MENT One of the unfamiliar words, but wordplay was straightforward
18 I’M PORT (left – at sea for example)
20 LET IN = Admit (allow to enter) Both the names in the clue contain ‘let’
21 TE (LE CA) ST International = test (match) (cricket)
24 SE (RIEM) A (mire)*
25 GET DOWN = duck (vb)
26 BLACK S HEEP Uriah Heep from Dickens
DOWN
1 T(he) USK Took me a while to see this
2 RAIN-GOD go in (Indra)* Collins confirms that Indra dispenses rain
3 DO G IN THE MANGER do = party (men gathering)*
4 D OR IS Day film star, actress and singer, happily still around
5 L (E) ANDER e = energy From Greek mythology, lover of Hero who drowned
6 BASIDIOMYCETES (Daisy it becomes)* Took me a while to work this out.
7 MEDINA (maiden)* Mahomed is buried there
8 WE A R (I) EST
13 BACK LASH cf lack bash
16 RE (TAR) D
17 NET BALL
19 ON (S HO R) E
22 LO GIC cig<
23 SNAP pans<