I’d hesitate to say this was an especially easy week for Beelzebub, but I did manage to complete the puzzle unaided, in one sitting, which is something of a rarity. It would be interesting to hear how other solvers found this.
*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, cd=cryptic definition, dd=double definition.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | LEASING – A SIN in LEG. |
| 7 | BLOB – B + LO + B. |
| 11 | INTERESTS – RE in (IN TESTS). |
| 12 | BEAR – dd. |
| 13 | OBTAINED – ((A BIT)* + N) in O.E.D. |
| 15 | FISGIG – (GIGS + IF)<. |
| 16 | RAREFIED – R.A. + (I in DEFER<). |
| 18 | MOSSCHEEPER – (SOME PERCHES)*. |
| 20 | INAUTHENTIC – (Au in HINT*) + ENTIC[e]. |
| 22 | GRAPHEME – HEM in GRAPE. That degree in Linguistics continues to pay off. |
| 24 | ITCHES – [w]ITCHES. |
| 26 | DIAGNOSE – (A in DIG) + NOSE. |
| 27 | SONG – SON + G[ospels]. |
| 28 | COWARDICE – (WAR in COD) + ICE. |
| 29 | LETT – LET + T. |
| 30 | GYRATED – Y in GRATED. |
| Down | |
| 1 | LIBERTICIDAL – (ILLICIT BREAD)*. Nice word, new to me. |
| 2 | ENEMA – (AMEN + E)<. |
| 3 | SERVES UP – EVER* in PUSS<. |
| 4 | IRON – I + R + ON. |
| 5 | NEBBICH – EBB in NICH[e]. |
| 6 | STAID – ST + AID. |
| 8 | LANGSPIEL – (ANGS[t] + PIE) in (L + L). |
| 9 | OREIDE – [st]ORE IDE[ntified]. |
| 10 | BADGER-LEGGED – (GLARED* + EGG) in BED. |
| 14 | BROADCAST – (ROAD + C) in BAST. |
| 17 | BETHESDA – BET + HADES*. |
| 19 | HEARSAY – EARS in HAY. |
| 21 | NOTICE – NO + (C in TIE). |
| 22 | GENOA – O in (GEN + A). |
| 23 | MINCE – C in MINE. |
| 25 | HERR – H.E. + R.R. |