The welcome sight of Brendan’s name on a puzzle is a promise of and enjoyable, but not too difficult, puzzle, and so it was on this occasion. Thanks to Brendan.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN famously said that nothing is CERTAIN but DEATH and TAXES (though apparently he wasn’t the first to say something of the sort), and we have a number of answers related to the three key words: for the first: CONFIDENT, NO DOUBT, CONVICTION and SURE THING, (and maybe AGREE and SINCERE) ; for the second : END, QUIETUS, ICED (=murdered); and for the third: LEVY, RATES, DUTY. Another brilliant feat of construction.
| Across | ||||||||
| 9 | CONFIDENT | Self-assured, able to absorb study after study (9) CON (study) + DEN (study) in FIT |
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| 10 | AGREE | In time, about to come to same conclusion (5) RE (about) in AGE |
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| 11 | DEATH | Curtains made at home, apart from fringes (5) Hidden in maDE AT Home |
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| 12 | CERTAINTY | Revise a city rent that’s bound to bring better profit (9) (A CITY RENT)* |
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| 13 | NO DOUBT | Sign agreement — book available outside without question (2,5) NOD (to sign agreement) + B in OUT (available, as a published book might be, for example) |
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| 14 | TICKLER | Around lake, watch person catching fish (7) L in TICKER |
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| 17 | TIBET | Gamble on it, backed in place of many mounts (5) Reverse of IT + BET |
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| 19 | END | Purpose shown by predecessors of foe (3) The letters before F O E are E N D |
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| 20 | NONET | Group of players that’s gross? On the contrary (5) NO NET, as in the contrast between gross and net prices, profits etc |
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| 21 | SINCERE | Because, for example, ultimately it’s true (7) SINCE + last letters of foR examplE |
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| 22 | QUIETUS | Release call for peace by superpower (7) QUIET (call for peace) + US (superpower) |
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| 24 | DRAMATISE | Doctor is clad by a colleague to prepare for theatre (9) DR + IS in A MATE |
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| 26 | TAXES | Tries and dismisses following court’s conclusion (5) [cour]T + AXES |
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| 29 | CANNONEER | Old soldier in unit invested in food processor (9) ONE (unit) in CANNER (a person processing food) |
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| Down | ||||||||
| 1 | ICED | Decorated with diamonds above and below (4) ICE (slang for diamonds) + D (abbreviation of the word) |
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| 2 | INWARD | Private patients are treated here (6) Patients are treated IN [a] WARD |
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| 3 | SILHOUETTE | Outline conversion of hotel suite (10) (HOTEL SUITE)* |
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| 4 | TERCET | Eschewing even bits of theory, create lines of verse (6) Odd letters of ThEoRy CrEaTe |
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| 5 | ITERATED | Educated learner’s initially expelled, with poor grade repeated (8) LITERATE (learned) less L[earner] + D (a poor grade) |
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| 6 | DATA | Figures turned up at short notice: not a lot (4) Reverse of both AT AD and A TAD |
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| 7 | FRANKLIN | Pilgrim, speaking directly, left home (8) FRANK + L + IN – the Franklin is one of the pilgrims in Chaucer’s CanterburyTales. I thought of Benjamin Franklin at first, but although he was from a pilgrim family I don’t think he counts as one himself; but of course he turns up as a key part of the theme |
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| 8 | LEVY | Exact straight line passed over centre of gravity (4) Middle letter of graVity in LEY [line] |
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| 13 | NOTES | One form of what time is? Minutes, perhaps (5) Not sure about this, but “time is money”, and NOTES are a form of money. As noted in the comments, “time is money” is also attributed to Benjamin Franklin, which make me much more confident in my interpretation |
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| 15 | CONVICTION | A certain opinion on iconic TV broadcast (10) (ON ICONIC TV)* |
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| 16 | RATES | Assesses lab subjects, having injected drug (5) E (drug) in RATS |
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| 18 | BENJAMIN | Tribe‘s difficulty dividing African country (8) JAM (difficulty – “he’s in a jam”) in BENIN – one of the twelve tribes of Israel, named after the youngest brother of Joseph (of Technicolor Dreamcoat fame) |
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| 19 | EYEPIECE | Microscopic part for pupil, say? (8) An eyepiece is part of a microscope, and the pupil is a piece of the eye |
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| 22 | QUEENS | Most powerful men on board, but not at court (6) Queens are the most powerful pieces or “men” in chess; as human beings they may be powerful in a court, but are not men in that case |
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| 23 | TEXTED | Communicated with head of French department, initially, around ten (6) X (ten) in TETE (French “head”) + D[epartment] |
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| 24 | DUTY | What’s required you must pay finally? (4) Last letters of requireD yoU musT paY &lit |
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| 25 | ARGO | A river journey for ancient boat with many oarsmen (4) A R GO – Jason’s golden-fleece-seeking Argo had 50 oars |
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| 27 | SURE THING | Reign thus, badly and absolutely! (4,5) (REIGN THUS)* |
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