Plenty to like here, with lots of cunning misdirection and nice surfaces. Most favourite was 29ac.
| Across | ||
| 9 | ANXIETIES |
One with sixteen wheels carrying international concerns (9)
=”concerns”. A=”One” plus (sixteen)* around I[nternational] – Edit thanks to NeilW
|
| 10 | AZERI |
Asian touring Zaire? (5)
from Azerbaijan, =”Asian”. (Zaire)*
|
| 11 | STOUT |
Wide? Stumped! End of innings (5)
=”Wide”. ST[umped] plus OUT=”End of innings” in cricket.
|
| 12 | TORMENTED |
Demonstrate freely, not as bothered (9)
=”bothered”. (Demonstrate)*, minus as.
|
| 13 | ANTBEAR |
Aardvark or elephant? Be a risky selection (7)
=”Aardvark”. Hidden in “elephANT BE A Risky”
|
| 14 | BELGIAN |
European shake up enabling Norway to leave (7)
=”European”. (enabling)* minus N[orway]
|
| 17 | BROWN |
Former PM Blair abandoning the centre, now criminal (5)
=”Former PM” Gordon Brown. B[lai]R plus (now)*
|
| 19 | OLD |
Early or later? (3)
=”Early”, belonging to the past; =”later”, having existed for a while
|
| 20 | CHORD |
Sound, sound material (5)
=”Sound”. Sounds like ‘cord’=”material”
|
| 21 | YELLOWS |
Field swirls with blues and other colours (7)
=”[other] colours”. Reversal (“swirls”) of LEY=lea=”Field”, plus LOWS=”blues”.
|
| 22 | PALAVER |
At first, Pompeii’s lava flowed about, circling commotion (7)
=”commotion”. P[ompeii] plus (lava)* plus reversal (“circling”) of RE=”about”
|
| 24 | SCRAMBLER |
It clambers off road to begin with? (9)
=”It” [that clambers]. (clambers)*, plus R[oad]
|
| 26 | STEAM |
Half of Amsterdam’s compounds go with speed (5)
=”go with speed”. (Amste[rdam’s])*
|
| 28 | WHEAT |
Sorry to cover earth with grass (5)
=”grass”. WHAT=”Sorry”=’excuse me?’, around E[arth]
|
| 29 | TREE RINGS |
As reported in Dublin, 300 signs of growth (4,5)
=”signs of growth”. TREE sounds like ‘three’ in an Irish accent, plus RINGS=”00″
|
| Down | ||
| 1 | DAYS |
How long it took God to create, say (4)
=”How long it took God to create”. D[eus]=”God” plus (say)*
|
| 2 | EXPORT |
No more Post Office? Right time to deliver abroad (6)
=”deliver abroad”. EX=”No more” plus P[ost] O[ffice] plus R[ight] plus T[ime]
|
| 3 | SETTLE INTO |
Get comfortable with ET? Listen to alien (6,4)
=”Get comfortable with”. (ET Listen to)*
|
| 4 | BITTER |
Trite composition follows B sharp (6)
=”sharp”. (Trite)* after B
|
| 5 | ASCRIBED |
Put down a small plot, after felony was twice curtailed (8)
=”Put down”. A plus S[mall], plus BED=”plot” after CRI[me]=”felony” twice curtailed
|
| 6 | PALE |
Light from television system needs energy (4)
=”Light”. PAL=”television system” [wiki] plus E[nergy]
|
| 7 | NEUTRINO |
It’s minute ’n’ massless (or thereabouts) (8)
=&lit, a minute and almost massless subatomic particle. (minute n or)*, minus M[ass] hence “massless”
|
| 8 | BIRD |
Time to mock up original design (4)
=”Time”, slang for a prison sentence. Reversal (“up”) of RIB=”mock” plus D[esign]
|
| 13 | ABBEY |
Top Cat pinches Dibble’s seat in church (5)
=”church”. [t]ABBY=”Top Cat” – with “Top” as a verb, to take the top off of something – around [Dibbl]E
|
| 15 | LACKLUSTRE |
Bad luck splitting rent rates below student flat (10)
=”flat. (luck)* inside (rates)* – “rent” as in torn apart as an anagrind – both after L[earner]=”students”.
|
| 16 | NADIR |
Bottom of storm drain (5)
=”Bottom”. (drain)*
|
| 18 | OWLERIES |
Locations of birds or eels, 50% with snakes (8)
=”Locations of birds”. (or eels wi[th])*
|
| 19 | OBSOLETE |
Fish in batter to be past its sell-by date (8)
=”past its sell-by date”. SOLE=”Fish” in (to be)*
|
| 22 | PORTER |
He carries Philip or Terry inside (6)
=”He carries”. Hidden in “PhiliP OR TERry”
|
| 23 | VIENNA |
European city where 6 queen was raised (6)
=”European city”. VI=6 in Roman numerals, plus reversal (“raised”) of ANNE=”queen”
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| 24 | SOWS |
Plants and animals? (4)
=”Plants” seeds; =”animals”, female pigs
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| 25 | MATH |
Maybe algebra, trigonometry, histograms, primes for Americans? (4)
…the American spelling of maths. M[aybe] A[lgebra] T[rigonometry] H[istograms]
|
| 27 | MOSS |
Fashion icon‘s very upset to wear two dress sizes (4)
=”Fashion icon”, Kate Moss. Reversal (“upset”) of SO=”very”, inside M[edium] and S[mall], two dress sizes
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