*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, CD=cryptic def, DD=double def
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Debt: Bed< + t. Not sure the surface meaning “settle back what’s owed” quite worked. |
| 3 | Marsupials: (Puma’s lairs)* |
| 9 | Bard: Drab<. |
| 10 | Treadwheel: Trew[s] around ad (=bill as in poster) + heel. Not being much of gym-goer, I did think for a while there might be some non-existent piece of equipment called a tracewheel. |
| 12 | Ivan the Terrible: (then ate liver)* around rib. |
| 13 | Sharp: DD (musical note). |
| 14,16 | Lightning Conductor: CD. |
| 17 | Tasks: Tass (old Soviet newsagency) around k. |
| 18 | Endocrinologist: (On i[llness] single doctor)*. |
| 22 | Crucifixes: Circus* around (fix + [trapez]e). Defined as “a stunt performed on the parallel rings in which the athlete holds himself or herself rigid with arms extended horizontally from the shoulders.” |
| 23 | Agra: Odd letters of algeria. |
| 24 | Weeknights: Wee + knights. |
| 25 | Dray: Yard<. |
| Down | |
| 1 | Dubai: Hidden, reversed in “Saudi Abu Dhabi”. Very neat clue. |
| 2 | Born again: (ran a bingo)*. |
| 4 | Agree: A gree[n]. |
| 5 | Scavenger: Sc + avenger. |
| 6 | Power Station: Waters* in potion. |
| 7 | Acerb: hom. of “a Serb”. |
| 8 | Selvedges: Sedges around E LV. |
| 11 | Step Function: Pets< + function. |
| 13 | Sacred Cow: Scow around acred. |
| 14 | Latticing: L ATT + icing. |
| 15 | Inswinger: In (= batting) + s[ide] + winger. |
| 19 | Drupe: Dupe around [leftove]r. |
| 20 | Olent: O + lent (definition is humming = giving off smell). |
| 21 | Toady: Toy around (a + d[rink]). |
I liked ‘having great estates’ for ACRED.
Briefly wondered whether there was a gym torture theme going on – TREADWHEEL and CRUCIFIXES both sound like the kind of thing Ivan the Terrible might offer you a go on!
the top seemed easy as far as endocrinologist(apart from selvedges which i failed to get as couldn’t disentangle “edges” as borders or “sedges” as plants ), and i gave up with crucifixes and olent, suspecting unfamiliar words.
i rather think four unusual words are too many, particularly when they cross check, as do olent and drupe with crucifixes, but i’m not an old hand with crosswords