Crosaire No 16570 by Crossheir – Monday, February 19th, 2018

Blog explanations available at 10pm on the day of publication

Across:

8 Marsh (marsh = BOG-) loses head (i) a wee bit (‘iota’ without ‘i’ = -OTA) (BOGOTA) in American capital (BOGOTA capital of Colombia),

9 Chocolate cakes (BROWNIES) with boozy (= anagram indicator) wine (wine = -WNIE-) swallowed by brothers (BRO-S) (BROWNIES),

10 Charges (FEES) Irish for getting out of fisheries (‘Irish’ for getting out of ‘fisheries’ = fees = FEES),

11 Confused (ALL MIXED UP) by everyone (ALL) getting to socialise (MIX-) at English (-E) party up north (Democratic Unionist Party = -D UP) (ALL MIXED UP),

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12 Development (GROWTH) of great (G-) argument (-ROW-) with the (the) brief (e) (‘the’ without ‘e’ = -TH) (GROWTH),

14 The Stones (rocks = ROCK S-) on key (-ALT key) (ROCK SALT) coming out of The Cellar? (ROCK SALT from the salt cellar),

15 Brazil, for example (A HARD NUT TO CRACK), can be a difficult opponent (A HARD NUT TO CRACK),

18 Bordeaux wine (Bordeaux/French ‘wine’ = VIN-) is for young man (lad = -DAL-) upset (= reversal indicator) at getting duck twice (-OO) (VINDALOO) in Indian restaurant (VINDALOO),

20 American thug (GO-ON) conceals detective (-DS-) (GODSON) is a protégé of Mafia boss? (godfather’s protégé = GODSON),

22 Key (music key A-) to most of 24 across (most of “lied” = -LIE-) going to the country (-NATION) (ALIENATION) in isolation (ALIENATION),

24 Made it up (LIED) for deli (deli = LIED) salad (= anagram indicator),

25 Oriental (east = E-) state (= homophone indicator) plant (“sow” = “so” = S-O) admits pressure (-PRESS-) (ESPRESSO) can be stimulating (ESPRESSO),

26 Do something to alarm (SET OFF alarm) rotten (OFF) group (SET) to begin with (= position indicator) (SET OFF),

Down:

1 Turning up (= reversal indicator) nice street (rue = -EUR) with sense of purpose, leaders (sense of purpose leaders = sop = POS-) (POSEUR) seeking attention (POSEUR),

2 Drink (“booze” = “boos” = BOOS), in a manner of speaking (= homophone indicator), sounds like a spirit (spirit/ghost sounds  = BOOS),

3 Produced (= anagram indicator) Roman hat (Roman hat = MARATHON) in the long run (MARATHON),

4 First victim (ABEL) in list from the Bastille (‘list’ from the ‘Bastille’ = bale = ABEL),

5 Signs are (ZODIAC), turnover (= reversal indicator) from financial assistance (aid = -DIA-) leads to nothing (-O-) in Czech Republic (CZ = Z-C) (ZODIAC),

6 A foreign (a = UN-) drink of fermented honey (mead = -MEA-D) is guaranteed (-SURE-) (UNMEASURED) to be poured freely (UNMEASURED),

7 Agent (rep) is not finished (p) (‘rep’ without ‘p’ = RE-) with the people (-PUBLIC) (REPUBLIC) on this island (REPUBLIC),

13 Sick of everything to do with The Globe (WORLD-WEARY) or is that just me being cynical (WORLD-WEARY),

14 Back in (RETRO) reading (from the 3Rs = R-) station (RTE = -ETR-) rejecting (= reversal indicator) nothing (-O) (RETRO),

16 Perhaps unlocked (HAIRLESS) hotel (H-) for a bald cockney? (a Cockney drops ‘h’ from ‘hairless’ = AIRLESS) (HAIRLESS),

17 Paper (ORGAN-) gets award from university (first = 1ST =  -IST) (ORGANIST) for playing up what Bach had to offer (ORGANIST),

19 Lies (lies = LI-SE) badly (= anagram indicator) about first-class (-AI-) (LIAISE) network (LIAISE),

21 Unique (ONE-OFF) way of speaking (tone) missing the first (t) (‘tone’ without ‘t’ = ONE-) half of 26 across (half of “set off” = -OFF) (ONE-OFF),

23 Image (IDOL) is from part of Brunei dollar (is from part of ‘Brunei dollar’ = IDOL),

24 Lists of the songs by Capital’s (lists of the songs by capitals = LOTS) groups (LOTS).

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