Lorraine: Pretty straight forward this week, brain back to normal after the flu.
Legend to solution comments:
* = anagram.
| Across | |||
| 1. | BEDFORD | BED + FOR + D | |
| 5. | MORI | MO + RI; Missouri and Rhode Island, ref: Mori poll | |
| 9. | NEAR THING | (THE GIN RAN)* | |
| 10. | MINCE | C in MINE | |
| 11. | MAJOR | dd | |
| 12. | LOOK ROUND | LOOK + ROUND; ref: butcher’s hook = look (cockney rhyming slang) | |
| 13. | A SHROPSHIRE LAD | (HARDSHIP SO REAL)* | |
| 16. | CLUMBER SPANIEL | LUMBERS in (PELICAN)* | |
| 19. | SATURNINE | (SUNNIER AT)* | |
| 21. | BIGHT | BIG + H + T | |
| 22. | CHEAT | E in CHAT | |
| 23. | INEBRIATE | (A BEER IN IT)*; an appropriate anagram 🙂 | |
| 24. | GLEN | L in GEN | |
| 25. | TRAPEZE | homophone of EASE after TRAP | |
| Down | |||
| 1. | BONEMEAL | (ONE MABEL)* | |
| 2. | DEAR JOHN LETTER | JOHN in DEAR LETTER; ‘penning’ = around | |
| 3. | ONTARIO | ON + TAR +R + I + O | |
| 4. | DRILL | DR + ILL | |
| 5. | MAGNOLIAS | (ANIMALS GO)* | |
| 6. | REMORSE | RE + (S in MORE) | |
| 7. | INSULATING TAPE | A in INSULTING + TAPE | |
| 8. | LEAD | LED around A | |
| 14. | ST EMILION | (ONES LIMIT)* | |
| 15. | ALL THERE | ALL + THERE | |
| 17. | MARITAL | MA + (TRIAL)* | |
| 18. | ALBERTA | ALERT around B + A | |
| 19. | SACK | dd; cashier also means to dismiss with dishonour | |
| 20. | EVENT | E + VENT | |
I nearly did the whole lot without checking a
dictionary, but needed to look up a synonym for Cashier. Drat!