Crosaire No 17396 by Crossheir – Friday, October 16th, 2020

Blog explanations available at 10pm on the day of publication

Across:

8 Double agents don’t get stoned (‘double agents’ don’t get/without ‘stoned’ = ubleag = BELUGA) in the expensive fish restaurant (BELUGA caviar),

9 A good time (FUN-) to get laser (laser) treatment (= anagram indicator) (laser = -ERALS) (FUNERALS) from those looking after 10 across (FUNERALS look after the ‘dead’),

10 Relative (dad = D-AD) squeezed energy (-E-) (DEAD) out of juice? (DEAD),

11 Get wind of the fact (DISCOVERED) detective’s (DI’s = DIS-) given protection (-COVERED) (DISCOVERED),

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12 Undertakers asked out (‘undertakers’ ‘asked’ out = unertr = RETURN) – presumably, this is the reply? (RETURN),

14 Notes the similarities (COMPARES) in some carp (some carp = COMPARES) swimming (= anagram indicator),

15 Most of characters in 9 across (most of ‘funerals’ = FUNERAL) and 25 across (‘director’ = DIRECTOR) (FUNERAL DIRECTOR) responsible for putting people down (FUNERAL DIRECTOR),

18 Take stock (SHOPLIFT) of new (= anagram indicator) Polish (Polish = SHOPLI-) newspaper (Financial Times = -FT) (SHOPLIFT),

20 Apologists ignore a lot (‘apologists’ ignore ‘a lot’ = pogiss = GOSSIP) of tittle-tattle (GOSSIP),

22 Turns up (= reverse indicator), the foreign (la = -AL) bad-mannered (rude = -EDUR-) military group (corps) is mostly (s) (‘corps’ without ‘s’ = corp = PROC-) (PROCEDURAL) for show – with the cops doing it by the book (PROCEDURAL cop show),

24 First mate loses taste (‘first mate’ loses ‘taste’ = firm = FIRM) for outfit (FIRM),

25 Credit or (credit or) freak out (= anagram indicator) (credit or = DIRECTOR) with one of those making a scene? (DIRECTOR),

26 Instructions for cooking (RECIPE) price- (price) -fixing (= anagram indicator) (price = RECIP-) for energy (-E) (RECIPE).

Down:

1 Peter out (RECEDE) with shrink? (RECEDE),

2 Kitty (FUND) discovered (found) without Oscar (o) (‘found’ without ‘o’ = FUND),

3 A reading (a reading) rewritten (= anagram indicator) (a reading = GARDENIA) by Jasmine from The Cape? (Cape jasmine = GARDENIA),

4 They return to the sea, having grown up on land (EFTS), escaping from the sand, for starters (‘Escaping From The Sand’ for starters = EFTS),

5 Spill the beans (INFORM) and oats out of foam or tins (‘oats’ out of ‘foam or tins’ = fmorin = INFORM),

6 Grouses (GRIEVANCES) or beefs? (GRIEVANCES),

7 One of those in church (altar) report (= homophone indicator) (‘altar’ = ‘ALTER), for example (e.g. = EG-), going around (-O) (ALTER EGO) with Mr Hyde, for instance (Mr Hyde is Dr Jekyll’s ALTER EGO),

13 Watched out for (-EXPECTED) organisation (UN-) opening (= position indicator) (UNEXPECTED) out of the blue (UNEXPECTED),

14 A number of characters committed a crime (a number of characters ‘commitTED A Crime’ = tedac) setting up (= reversal indicator) (tedac = CADET) trainee officer (CADET),

16 Is cowardly (UNHEROIC) to a nice (Nice, French ‘a’ = UN-) gallant (-HEROIC) (UNHEROIC),

17 Surreal (surreal = RE-ULARS) novel (= anagram indicator) about one thousand (grand = -G-) (REGULARS) frequent visitors to The Bar (REGULARS),

19 Write in an antiquated way (INDITE) to institute (Dublin Institute of Technology = -DIT-) behind (= position indicator) popular (IN-) science foundation (‘sciencE’ foundation = -E) (INDITE),

21 Burst in suddenly (IRRUPT) as it (I-T) sounds like car (purr) reversing (= reversal indicator) (purr = -RRUP-) inside (IRRUPT),

23 It’s not common (RARE) in uplifting (= reverse indicator) itineraries (in uplifting ‘itinERARies’ = erar = RARE),

24 Profile (FACE) both sides fall from grace (both sides ‘FAll from graCE’ = FACE).