Beelzebub 1,231

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A fairly steady, but certainly not over-easy, solve this week, I found. Many answers fell in smoothly, with a small handful (such as 12, 23 and 2) that I felt I should check before writing in. 31 across seems to be about the only word that fits, and certainly relates to taxes, but the wordplay has me beaten.

*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, cd=cryptic definition, dd=double definition.

Across
1 ISOSTATIC – (COT AS IT IS)*.
11 INUNDATE – NUN in (I + DATE).
12 SPAULD – U in (D + LAPS)<.
13 CLAM – C + LAM.
14 GATEMEN – GAT + EMEN[d].
15 REIRD – DRIER<.
16 STADDA – ST + ADD + A.
17 UNPROTESTING – (PERU NOT)* + STING.
19 COUNTENANCER – (NAN + CE) in COUNTER.
23 TALBOT – (A LB) in TOT.
26 KATTI – [hobb]IT TAK[en]<.
27 DAGWOOD – DA (a Burmese knife) + (W in GOOD).
28 EATS – E + ATS.
29 BARRIO – BAR + RIO[t].
30 SPONGILY – (PONG + I[ntro]) in SLY.
31 DECENNARY – Money from old tax, in short, variable.
Down
1 INSTRUCTRESS – IN + (CURT< in STRESS). “Summary” is used as an adjective in the clue.
2 SEPHEN – S + EP + HEN.
3 SQUIRR – SQUIR[e] + R.
4 ANDANTE – DAN in ETNA<.
5 TUFTS – F in TUTS.
6 INLETS – LISTEN*.
7 VALEDICTORY – DEAL* in VICTORY.
8 STAND – ST[r]AND.
9 HEMP AGRIMONY – HEM + ((Ag + RIM) in PONY). A “tattoo” can be “a native-bred Indian pony”, I learn.
10 MANIPULATOR – (ANIMAL UP)* + TOR.
18 ENNOBLE – (N + NO in [k]EBLE.
20 TOWAGE – WAG in TOE.
21 NAPRON – N + APRON.
22 ETRIER – E + TRIER.
24 ADAPT – ADA + PT.
25 TOXIC – OX in TIC.

2 comments on “Beelzebub 1,231”

  1. Interesting, I had something different for 21dn – NARRAS, an arras being a type of tapestry (and where Polonius was stabbed). This gave me NECESSARY for 31ac, NEAR for short around CESS for old tax, plus Y for variable

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