A relatively tractable solve for the most part this week, with some rather playful clueing. I did have to check a small number of entries in Chambers though. Finally, 20dn required some creative web searching, as I hadn’t heard of the writer, and was familiar with neither component of the wordplay.
*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, cd=cryptic definition, dd=double definition.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 2 | GUTTERBLOOD – (UTTER + BL) in GOOD. |
| 10 | ARGHAN – ARGH + A + N. |
| 11 | EREBUS – E + REBUS. |
| 13 | SALUBRIOUSLY – (LOUSY BURIAL)*. |
| 15 | ICON – from COIN (“bit”), with the I “moved to front”. |
| 16 | PICUL – Cu in LIP<. |
| 17 | UNMOUNT – UN in UN MOT. |
| 18 | EDUCATION – A in [s]EDUCTION. |
| 21 | PERTUSATE – STUART* in [e]PÉE. |
| 23 | FATIGUE – FATIGUE[s]. |
| 25 | ANNAS – ANNA[l]S. |
| 26 | EGOS – E.G. + SO<. |
| 28 | COMMENTARIES – . |
| 29 | TREMIE – I’M< in TREE. |
| 30 | KISS-ME – S in KISME[t] (“what has to be”). Cleverly misleading wordplay. |
| 31 | PEREGRINATED – PÉRE + GRIN + ATE. |
| Down | |
| 1 | PAST PERFECT – PA’S + T + PERFECT. The PERFECT comes from PREFECT, with RE (“about”) being switched. |
| 2 | GRAVID – G[olfe]R + AVID. |
| 3 | UGLY CUSTOMER – (GUY + MUSCLE OR + [weigh]T)*. |
| 4 | THUD – TH[e m]UD. The EM is removed as it is ME “getting up”. |
| 5 | TABULAE – TAB + (A in ULE). |
| 6 | REIGNITES – (IT + E[dgy]) in REIGNS. |
| 7 | BROOM – B + MOOR<. |
| 8 | OBSCURANTISTS – (BURSTS + ACTION)*. |
| 9 | OULONG – OU + LONG. |
| 12 | SYNTHESISED – THE SIS in DENYS<. |
| 14 | OUTRUNNER – RUNNE[l] in TOUR*. |
| 19 | OUABAIN – OU + (I in A BAN). The OU could be either of Oxford or the Open University. |
| 20 | TAGORE – TAG + ORE. Presumably Rabindranath Tagore. |
| 22 | TAXEME – T + AXE + ME. |
| 24 | GREIG – G + (E in RIG). Tony Greig is one of numerous South Africa-born English test cricketers. |
| 27 | URSA – [favo]URS A[stronomer]. |