Independent on Sunday 1070 by Quixote – 15th August 2010

Morning all. An enjoyable selection of clues here, with nothing to whinge about as far as we can tell. Seven down is the pick of the bunch IOHOs, a good example of the lean style of cluing that Quixote is able to achieve.

ACROSS

6. BO(NIT)O

7. H(OLD)ALL

9. REBUTTAL anagram of ‘later’ around ‘but’

10. REPENT anagram of ‘peer’ then NT for New Testament

11. PINE MAR< TEN<

12. bigGER Men

13. GRACELESSNESS ref. W.G. Grace

16. W HAT

18. CHAIN STORE (Anchorites)*

19. PLURAL enjoyed this one: ‘What sheep may or may not be’

21. TRIM A RAN

22. AT STAKE ref. Thomas Cranmer

23. GREYED sounds like ‘Grade’, as in Michael Grade

DOWN

1. SO BERING ref. Vitus Bering, after whom the Bering Sea is named

2. LIEUTENANT the US version of this word sounds like ‘loo tennant’. Not the first time we’ve seen this number, but enjoyable at any rate

3. MO RT. G AGE

4. FLORIN ‘florid’ with the D changed to an N

5. LA MP

7. HALF THE BATTLE ‘bat possibly’ provides the SI here. Clue of the puzzle for us, an elegant and satisfying device

8. LON(don)ER

12. GREAT DANES (garden seat)*

14. SAND I.E. GO

15. STRE(AK)E(t) R

17. H ALMA ‘Woman’s husband coming first in game’ led us down the garden path for a fair while with W H 1ST

18. C (ELL) AR ‘cockney fellow will’ giving ‘e’ll’, if you see what we mean

20. tRASH