A tough puzzle that had me plugging away at it all week, only just finishing in time to crack on with the following week’s Beelzebub!
*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, cd=cryptic definition, dd=double definition.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | CANTHARIDAL – (A + RID) in CANT + HAL[f]). |
| 10 | OLIVE – 0 + LIVE. |
| 11 | SEVRUGA – R in (GAVE US)*. |
| 13 | ETALON – ET AL + ON. |
| 14 | NIBELUNG – NIB + E + LUNG. |
| 16 | ANASTROPHE – (PART HAS ONE)*. |
| 17 | ELSE – from EELS with the first E moved to the end. |
| 19 | RENTAL – R + ENTA[i]L. |
| 21 | RAFFLE – (ELF + FAR)<. |
| 22 | HULL – dd. |
| 23 | SNAIL-PACED – (NAIL in SPACE) + D. |
| 26 | COLLAGEN – COL + LAG + EN. |
| 28 | NELIES – NE + LIES. |
| 29 | STEAMER – A.M. in STEER. |
| 30 | VIRGO – VIR[a]GO. |
| 31 | WALDSTERBEN – (BELT WARDENS)*. |
| Down | |
| 1 | COUNTERSENSE – (NOTES CENSURE)*. |
| 2 | ALTIPLANO – L in (ON + ALP + I + TA)<. |
| 3 | NIMB – [fa]M[ily] in NIB. |
| 4 | HEAL-ALL – ALA in HELL. |
| 5 | ASCUS – Cu in ASS. |
| 6 | RE-ENTRY – REEN + TRY. |
| 7 | DRAGONHEAD – (AGON + H) in DREAD. |
| 8 | AULA – Au + LA. |
| 9 | PANHELLENION – (PLAN HE)* + (0 in LENIN). |
| 12 | BENEFICIAL – (N in BEEF) + I + CIA + L. |
| 15 | CHALLENGE – CH + (N in ALLEGE). |
| 18 | DEPOSES – E.P. in DOSES. |
| 20 | ENCLAVE – CLAN* in EVE. |
| 24 | ALERT – R in [v]ALET. |
| 25 | PLEA – [sto]P LEA[der]. |
| 27 | GARB – BRAG<. |