Crosaire No 14846 by Crossheir – Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Across:

8 So (SO-) it’s on foot (-LACE) if that’s any consolation (SOLACE),

9 Tough (HARD) stud (TACK) gets the biscuit at sea (HARDTACK),

10 Sounds like he’s looking over town (mayor = MARE) that’s beastly (MARE),

11 Get a ticket for this (DOUBLE-PARK) phoenix by two perhaps (DOUBLE-PARK),

12 Joins in (IN-) to end game (-MATE) in hospital (INMATE),

14 Works out plot (SCENARIO) that no one races (no i races = SCENARIO),

15 Character (NUMBER) eating biscuits sounds like (CRUNCHING) keeping score (NUMBER CRUNCHING),

18 Cut up (-SAWED) by the sea we hear (sea = SEE-) had its ups and downs (SEESAWED),

20 Can this be (BE-) the speed (-RATE) to read the riot act? (BERATE),

22 It’s not true (UNFAITHFUL) to make fun (fun = UN-F-) around belief (-FAITH-) approaching university in Limerick (-UL),

24 Bad start (start of bad = B-) puts holes in (-AWL) bark (BAWL),

25 Mix up (up = -P-U-) memoir (memoir = EM-ORI-M) selling variety in store (EMPORIUM),

26 Not confident (UNSURE) peacekeeper (UN-) has guarantee (-SURE).

Down:

1 Kill mother off casually (DO MA IN) on estate (DOMAIN),

2 Put hand up as gesture (WAVE) we hear to surrender (to surrender = waive = WAVE),

3 Principal (principal = HEAD) stuff (stuff = GEAR), like a mortar board perhaps (HEAD GEAR),

4 You used to be (‘you’ used to be THOU) grand (thousand) with sand (sand) behind you (THOUsand),

5 Screen (GRILLE) registration (reg = GR-E) covering 49 (-IL-) to 50 (-L-),

6 The Guardian (STEPFATHER) is one stride (STEP-) ahead of vicar (-FATHER),

7 Sting in the tail (SCORPION) when conspirator loses art (CONSPIRATOR loses ‘art’ = SCORPION),

13 Advocate of foreign affairs (AMBASSADOR) makes Arabs so mad (Arabs so mad = AMBASSADOR),

14 Take out west from shrewdest (SHREWDEST loses ‘west’ = SHRED) piece of material (SHRED),

16 Abuser (USER-) has reputation (-NAME) for getting into computers (USERNAME),

17 Unclear (NEBULOUS) how foggy this is (NEBULOUS),

19 Surrounded by (WITHIN) West Indian leaders (first letters/leaders of West Indian = WI-) carrying no fat (-THIN),

21 This big marble (big marble = TAW-) may not be wet (-DRY) is a poor quality on show (TAWDRY),

23 Iron (F-E) over morning (-AM-) will give you a quarter of an hour of this (15 minutes of FAME),

24 Indulge oneself in (BASK in) blessed (B-) question (-ASK).