Crosaire No 17223 by Crossheir – Saturday, March 28th, 2020

Blog explanations available at 10pm on the day of publication

Across:

1 Take pressure off your supporters standing in The Ground (take pressure off your feet  = PUT ONE’S FEET UP) or just do nothing? (PUT ONE’S FEET UP),

10 Organisation (UN-) tested partner (-TRIED and tested) (UNTRIED) lacking experience (UNTRIED),

11 One aunt (one aunt) travelling (= anagram indicator) (one aunt = TONNEAU) in the back of the vehicle (TONNEAU),

12 One of the flowers (IRIS) from Trim (h), in a manner of speaking (‘Irish’ without ‘h’ = IRIS),

READ MORE

13 Content to disturb a nuisance (content to ‘distURB A Nuisance’ = URBAN) from the city (URBAN),

15 Omen (omen) is unfinished (n) (‘omen’ without ‘n’ = ome) by director (D-) retiring (= reverse indicator) (ome = -EMO) (DEMO) in March (DEMO),

17 Put away (EAT) or defended by defence attorney (defended by ‘defencE ATtorney’ = EAT),

19 Ridiculed (JEERED) James, the first (‘James’ the first = J-) from Spain (-E-) to order (= anagram indicator) deer (deer = -ERED) (JEERED),

21 Peter’s (peters) treatment (= anagram indicator) (peters = PRESET) is arranged in advance (PRESET),

22 It’s a tight squeeze (BEAR HUG) sticking listening device (-EAR) for initial handler (initial ‘Handler’ = -H-) into hidden microphone (bug = B-UG) (BEAR HUG),

23 Ban (OUTLAW) similar to 16 down  (OUTLAW similar to ‘debar’),

25 Rain dance from animated cartoon (‘rain dance’ from ‘animated cartoon’ = mattoo = TOMATO) – The Fruit of the Greenhouse (TOMATO),

27 Senior lawyer (Attorney General = AG-) on at end of Prime (at end of ‘primE’ = -E) (AGE) Time (AGE),

29 Want to leave Botswana? (‘want’ to leave ‘Botswana’ = bosa = ASBO) Get court order! (court order = ASBO),

30 Get the lead out (SMELT) in a Roma (‘a Roma’ = aroma = smell) mostly (l) (‘smell’ without ‘l’ = SMEL-) on square (-T square) (SMELT),

31 Scowl (LOUR) from volunteer missing event (‘volunteer’ missing ‘event’ = olur = LOUR),

34 Ultra-conservative (DIEHARD) theologian (Doctor of Divinity = DD = D-D) takes in Ireland (Ireland domain = i.e. = -IE-) on the beer (Harp) briefly (p) (‘harp’ without ‘p’ = -HAR-) (DIEHARD),

35 Writers (PENCILS) of punchlines dismissing Hun (‘punchlines’ dismissing ‘Hun’ = pclines = PENCILS),

36 It’s the gaffer’s job (gaffer’s/electrician’s job on a film is to PUT ON THE LIGHT) to stage a production (stage a production = PUT ON) that’s stretched (tight = T-IGHT) around Inferno (hell) that’s abridged (l) (‘hell’ without ‘l’ = HE L-) (PUT ON THE LIGHT).

Down:

2 Unwind (UNTWINE) in a foreign (a = UN-) car  (model T = -T-) coming from port (port = -WINE) (UNTWINE),

3 Cross out (OMIT) tips from optimist (‘tips’ from ‘optimist’ = omit = OMIT),

4 Bear (ENDURE) or swallow? (ENDURE),

5 Successful mouse-catcher presumably (FAT CAT) does the business better than most (FAT CAT),

6 Lough (Lough ERNE) found in Eastern Europe (found in ‘eastERN Europe’ = ERNE),

7 Of no value (USELESS) to Britten leaving business letter (‘Britten’ leaving ‘business letter’ = usessle = USELESS),

8 Threatened (PUT IN JEOPARDY) Russian Leader (Putin = PUT IN) with uncertainty (JEOPARDY) (PUT IN JEOPARDY),

9 Annoyed (PUT OUT) informer (GRASS) finally (= position indicator) getting to (TO) (PUT OUT TO GRASS) retire (PUT OUT TO GRASS),

14 Artist (-RA-) consumed by lighter (‘lighter’ is a canal boat/barge = BAR-GE) (BARRAGE) battery (BARRAGE),

16 Leave out in the cold (DEBAR) with hairy (= anagram indicator) beard (beard = DEBAR),

18 A little bit of atmosphere (1% of earth’s atmosphere = ARGON) picked up (= reverse indicator) amount oceanographers (among ‘oceaNOGRAphers’ = nogra = ARGON),

20 What one might have on The Greens some mornings (DEW) in Israeli (Jew) State (= homophone indicator) (‘Jew’ = ‘DEW’),

21 Place (PUT) for raising (= reversal indicator) three of the quintuplets (three of the ‘quinTUPlets’ = tup = PUT),

24 Dramatic scene (TABLEAU) of forces off the Beaufort Scale (‘forces’ off the ‘Beaufort Scale’ = beautal = TABLEAU),

26 Scrap (ABOLISH) with sailor (Able-Bodied seaman = AB-) losing the head (p) with European (‘Polish’ without ‘p’ = -OLISH) (ABOLISH),

27 Admits (admits) criminal (= anagram indicator) (admits = AMIDST) is at the centre of things (AMIDST),

28 Turns up (= reverse indicator), clairvoyance, for example (extrasensory perception = ESP = -PSE), is linked to drink (ale = ELA-) (ELAPSE) – and that’s progress? (go by/advance = ELAPSE),

32 Men getting out of manhole (‘men’ getting out of ‘manhole’ = ahol = HALO) with divine head light (HALO).

33 Opposed (ANTI) to characters in Constantinople (to characters in ‘constANTInople’ = ANTI).