A great puzzle as always. Perhaps medium difficulty for a Beelzebub, but incorporating plenty of new words and phrases with which to wrestle.
*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, cd=cryptic definition, dd=double definition.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 4 | SPOUSAGES – (P in SO) + USAGES. |
| 11 | LOUVAIN – LOU[d] + VAIN. |
| 12 | PEPO – EPE + O. |
| 13 | ANTARTHRITIC – ANT + ART + H + [c]RITIC. |
| 14 | YUCCAS – (CCU in SAY)<. |
| 16 | FEHMGERICHTE – (THE GERM[an] CHIEF)*. |
| 17 | ACCORDS – A + C + CORDS. |
| 21 | REELMEN – ELM in REEN. |
| 22 | SEMIPARASITE – (SPIRAEA + MITES)*. |
| 23 | CRATES – C + RATES. |
| 25 | DROP-IN CENTRE – DR + 0 + PIN + CENT + RE. |
| 26 | FORA – FOR + A. |
| 27 | ETAGERE – (ERE + GATE)<. |
| 28 | ANTITRUST – TIT in (AN + RUST). |
| Down | |
| 1 | PLAY FALSE – (LAY in PALS) + [gam]E. |
| 2 | NON-U – from NOUN, with the latter half “twisted” to reverse the U and N. |
| 3 | DUTCH COMFORT – DUTCH + COM + FOR + ‘T. |
| 5 | PARAGRAPHIST – (RAG in PAR) + AP + HIST. |
| 6 | UNHORSE – HORS in UNE. |
| 7 | SERVICE AREAS – (IE CARS AS EVER)*. |
| 8 | APIECE – A PIE + CH. |
| 9 | GET THE MITTEN – ((T + + H) in GEE) + [s]MITTEN. |
| 10 | EPISTLE – (I SPELT) + E. |
| 15 | BENNE-SEED – BEN + (SE in NEED). |
| 18 | CHEVRON – CH + OVER* + [pyncho]N. |
| 19 | DRAINER – D + (IN in REAR<) |
| 20 | SIMPAI – IMP in SAI. |
| 24 | ERRS – [aton]E [fo]R [you]R [heinou]S. |