Crosaire No 17889 by Dominic

Blog explanations available at 10pm on the day of publication

Across

1 Anagram (working) of “amused” = Medusa (who could turn you to stone)

4 Content (satisfied) with MP (politician) replacing N (new) = contempt = mockery

9 Larking (playing) less G (good) = Larkin, a poet

READ MORE

10 Scan (check) + tier (level) = scantier = not so full

12 Stale (dated as in old fashoined) + china (slang for mate) = stalemate = impossible to move in chess

13 CIA (spies) capturing EL (the in Spanish) = Celia

14 Invention (lie) around ter (term less M) = intervention = mediation

18 Anagram (revolutionary) of “shall draw in a” = Hadrian’s Wall = an old structure

21 First letter (starts) of Running Out Of Money Yet = Roomy = plenty to spare

22 Chic (smart) + a + Goan (someone from southern India) = Chicagoan

24 Anagram (abandoned) of “road we’ve” = overawed = scared

25 Violent (wild) - N (nitrogen) = Violet = a plant

26 If hard bit’s over, the rest is easy; rest easy = relax

27 Anagram (at sea) of “lose” in NN (middle letters of chaNNEL) = “Nelson”

Down

1 Mole (spy) + kin (family) = moleskin; material and a type of notebook

2 Darts (moves quickly) taking (capture) ark (shelter) = dark arts = magic

3 Spine (courage) becomes snipe (criticise) as p (president) moves down (falls in a down clue)

5 Anagram (terrible) of “practice throw” less W (weight) = orchestra pit = where band is located

6 The solution to ten across = scantier (more revealing)

7 I inside (wearing) manly (adventurous) = mainly = in general

8 Tar (sailor) + tan (sun damage) = tartan, a material

11 Safe (inoffensive) + crackers (christmas items) = safecrackers = thieves

15 Ready (money) + made (earned) = readymade, a controversial type of art

16 Anagram (troubled) of “lad comes” = Damocles” who had a sword hanging over him

17 Plank (board) + ton (not reversed) = plankton = sea food

19 Ardour (passion) sounds like (expressing) harder = how you must try to imrove

20 Popular belief of what Germans use to reserve sunbeds etc. on holiday

23 A bride (new wife) - R (resistance) = abide = tolerate