Apologies for the late arrival of this blog. I’ve been away on holiday and had got my dates muddled up. In the interests of getting it published today I’ve kept the explanations brief: let me know if anything is unclear, and especially if you can confirm or improve my explanation of 2 down. Thanks to Gemelo for the puzzle.
| Across | ||||||||
| 1 | STEROL | Little flower’s losing head over alcohol (6) Reverse of [f]LORET’S |
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| 6 | MGANGA | Japanese writing absorbing German native doctor (6) G in MANGA |
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| 11 | CACOMIXL | Ringtail lemur initially following source of chocolate, except a Hobnob (8) CAC[a]O + MIX (to hobnob) + L[emur] |
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| 12 | SPAN | Fresh pair of horses once went round bridge (4) Four definitions: fresh as in spick and span; a pair of horses; archaic version of “spun”; and a bridge |
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| 13 | SUCCUSS | Shake up someone doing well with other half of EU (7) SUCCESS with the E replaced by U. I knew SUCCUSS from its use in the process used in homeopathy that is supposed to impart magical properties to what is basically water |
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| 15 | RILED | Annoyed about embracing the Italian duke (5) IL (Italian “the”) in RE (about) + D[uke] |
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| 17 | HAS | Heather’s forgetting new version of Three Bears (3) HEATHERS less THREE* |
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| 18 | SPIN-TEXT | Tedious preacher‘s explicit message about beer (8) PINT (beer) in SEXT (sexy text) |
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| 19 | FIGURE SKATER | One possibly tries mohawk; possibly tries fake rug (12, 2 words) (TRIES FAKE RUG)* |
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| 22 | EVIDENTIALLY | Divine lately struggling for proof (12) (DIVINE LATELY)* |
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| 24 | DISOWNED | Cast off broadcast having stopped working for host (8) SOWN (broadcast) in (“hosted by”) DIED (stopped working) |
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| 27 | OAT | Classic pipe round centre of bath (3) O (round) + [b]AT[h] |
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| 29 | DONNA | Italian woman against wearing make-up? (5) ON (against) in DNA (genetic make-up) |
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| 30 | SURGEON | Bones continue to swell (7) SURGE ON, with Bones as a nickname for a doctor |
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| 31 | CEPS | Lifting tool that’s not used for mushrooms (4) FORCEPS less FOR |
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| 32 | PURLIEUS | Frilling that is useless in borders (8) PURL (frilling, in knitting) + I.E. + U/S |
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| 33 | EXCESS | Additional export tax discarded (6) The discarded tax is an EX-CESS |
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| 34 | SACRAL | Ceremonial bag left behind sun-god (6) SAC (bag) + RA + L |
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| Down | ||||||||
| 2 | TAHINI | Stylish institute covering up Asian condiment (6) I think this is A (Asian) in THIN (stylish) I[nstitute], though I can’t justify the first two elements from Chambers |
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| 3 | ECOLOGISTS | Pass over main points after latest from little green men? (10) [littl]E + COL (pass) + GISTS (main points) |
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| 4 | ROSEBUD | Was upwardly-mobile comrade a memorable feature of Citizen Kane? (7) ROSE (was upwardly mobile) + BUD (comrade) |
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| 5 | LICKPENNY | Financial burden of old movie not opening ahead of Penelope (9) [f]LICK (film, movie) + PENNY (short for Penelope) |
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| 7 | GLUON | Tiny thing hypothetically transformed incomplete lounge (5) Anagram of LOUNG[e] |
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| 8 | ASSET | Good dog doesn’t need lead (5) [b]ASSET |
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| 9 | GAGA | Silly joke answer (4) GAG + A[nswer] |
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| 10 | ANGST | Existential dread in English street (5) ANG (Latin Anglice, English) + ST |
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| 11 | CARAFE | Get irritated with annual return for hot water bottle (6) CHAFE (to get irritated) with H replaced by A R |
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| 14 | SHETLANDER | Scot Gemmill finally admitted into boisterous Hearts end (10) [gemmil]L in (HEARTS END)* |
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| 16 | LISTENERS | Programmes including Descartes, say, upset audience (9) Reverse of RENE in LISTS |
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| 20 | AARONIC | Pontifical ocarina playing (7) OCARINA* |
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| 21 | RYBATS | Scotsman’s prepared stones around entrance by breaking prominent upright (6) Reverse of BY in STAR (prominent, as in a star part) |
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| 23 | LINGUA | Suffering a mauling when renouncing mother tongue (6) Anagram of A MAULING less MA |
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| 24 | DOUCE | Sweet cut of ox meat raised energy (5) | ||||||
| 25 | OF USE | Practical fellow enters river (5, 2 words) F in OUSE |
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| 26 | WARPS | Kinks, Clash and Pixies releasing content (5) WAR (clash) + P[ixie]S |
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| 28 | APEX | Apparently someone who’s left tip (4) AP[parently] + EX (someone who has left a relationship) |
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2d is perhaps IN (Stylish) I (institute) HAT (covering) all reversed (up).