The usual top-quality puzzle, perhaps a little easier that the last couple of toughies we’ve had.
*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, cd=cryptic definition, dd=double definition.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | UPSPEARED – (PAPERS DUE)*. |
| 11 | ERNE – R in ENE. |
| 12 | EYEPIECE – hom. of “I” + hom. of “peace”. |
| 13 | DOUBLE-MINDED – DOUBLE M (2 * M = 2000) + INDE[e]D. |
| 16 | AIRS – A IRS. |
| 17 | SAFETY NET – TYNE in FEAST*. |
| 19 | SIDER – (I + D) in SER. |
| 20 | ANKARA – AN + ARAK<. |
| 21 | UNITAL – U + LATIN<. |
| 23 | TAMIN – if in SA (“it”), you’d have STAMINA. |
| 24 | UNDERDECK – UNDER DECK. |
| 26 | PUPA – (AP + UP)<. |
| 29 | SPIDER STITCH – (PREDICTS THIS)*. Nice misdirection here, thanks to “sewer”. |
| 30 | IGNORANT – N in (I + GO + RANT). |
| 31 | CALK – C[h]ALK. |
| 32 | ESCAROLES – 0 in CARELESS*. |
| Down | |
| 2 | PROCAINE – (CORE PAIN)*. |
| 3 | SNUFF-DIPPING – (NUFF + DIP) in SIPPING. |
| 4 | PEBA – B in PEA. |
| 5 | AYE AYE – [l]AYE[r] + [l]AYE[r]. |
| 6 | REMAN – REMA[i]N. |
| 7 | EPICENTRE – EPIC + ENTRÉ[e]. |
| 8 | MEDICAMENTAL – [pr]EDICAMENT in MAL. |
| 9 | ACER – [f]ACER. |
| 10 | REDSHANKS – REDS + HANKS. |
| 14 | ASSUMPSIT – SUMPS in (A SIT). |
| 15 | STRANGERS – STR + ANGERS. |
| 18 | TRICYCLE – [length]Y in (T[urning] + CIRCLE)*. |
| 22 | CESSNA – CESS + NA. |
| 25 | DIRAC – I in CARD<. |
| 27 | UPGO – OGPU<, which was apparently "the Russian secret police of 1922–34". |
| 28 | FICO – I in FCO. |
Great blog. Yes, this was good, found SE corner the toughest with CALK and chalk being meanings I’d not heard of and FICO resisting as I did not think of FCO. Favourite clue UNITAL also esp liked DOUBLE-MINDED and others.