Back on the IoS beat for 1 week as Handel’s gone to France. I found this an extremely easy puzzle, solving time 11 mins.
* = anagram
ACROSS
1 A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM (Mad married men must sigh)* Shakespeare play
9 MOUNTAIN M (male) (f)OUNTAIN
12 ALL-ROUND ALL (everyone) CANON (round – music)
13 UPLAND PLAN in first letters of Urban District
16 INDIA MAN Merchant ship trading with India (in the past)
17 MECHANIC E CH in MANIC
19 A N THEM
20 CICERONI CI = Channel Islands (Jersey etc) (nice or)*
21 CAR ER important lady = The Queen
24 CEREAL niCE REAL
25 debatE MP HAS IS
26 SLEEPYHEAD (Seedy pal he)*
DOWN
2 MOOED “Mood”
3 DANTE Etna (reversed) after first letter of Day
4 UNARMED This refers to the Venus de Milo statue from ancient Greece which has no arms
5 MANDARIN CHINESE (Name is hindrance)*
6 RANK LED
7 I G NO RANT
8 STONE AGE ONE in STAGE
14 PRESIDED Wordplay part puns on pre-sided, I think, side = margin
15 A CH (Companion of Honour) I EVER
18 N (abbrev for knight, chess) OODLES
19 AL COP OP prohibition buster = Al Capone OP = work
22 R O ACH(e)
23 RAITA Indian dish I in RAT A
Many thanks to NMS for covering for us. We had a wonderful day, and are now fully enjoying France. Eleven minutes! Even without the effects of the sun and the pastis I imagine it’d have taken us double that…