Crosaire No 17280 by Crossheir – Wednesday, June 3rd, 2020

Blog explanations available at 10pm on the day of publication

Across:

8 Take a shine to (POLISH) one of the buffs (POLISH),

9 Performed (EXECUTED) and made a killing (EXECUTED),

10 Show off (CROW) cycle (C-) chain (chain/line = -ROW) (CROW),

11 The branch of cryonics presumably (PASSING FAD) that cools quickly? (PASSING FAD),

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12 Hats off to harvesters (‘hats’ off to ‘harvesters’ = rveers = SERVER) for putting out the lunch (SERVER),

14 Watches (watches/minds = MIND-S) over place (-SET-) (MINDSETS) with outlooks (MINDSETS),

15 What Haughey’s sensing when Mara says “no more nibbling at my leader’s bum” (FEELING THE PINCH) – we’re going through austerity (FEELING THE PINCH),

18 Model (= anagram indicator) elated (elated = DEL-ATE) over, for example (e.g. = -EG-), (DELEGATE), commission (DELEGATE),

20 Flower (River PO-) from a foreign (German ‘a’ = ein), revolutionary (= reverse indicator) (ein = - NIE -) society (-S) (PONIES) in The Shetlands (Shetland PONIES),

22 Those paying the cost (FINANCIERS) for central (i) pains (central ‘paIns’ = -I-) in back (back/finance = FINANC-E-) at the ends of lumbar regions (at the ends of ‘lumbaR regionS’ = -RS) (FINANCIERS),

24 Half of those in 25 across (half of ‘feelings’ = FEEL) have an opinion (FEEL)

25 Love/Hate, for example (FEELINGS), opens with 15 across (opens with ‘feeling the pinch’ = FEELING-) meeting skinhead (‘Skin’ head = -S) (FEELINGS),

26 Recall from memory (RECITE), fortune lost by counterfeiter (‘fortune’ lost by ‘counterfeiter’ = ceiter = RECITE).

Down:

1 Track (course) on the radio (= homophone indicator) (‘course’ = ‘COARSE’) produced by Shaggy (shaggy = COARSE),

2 Verdict (VIEW) from judge? (VIEW),

3 Endless (t) talk (‘chat’ without ‘t’ = CHA-) from a gent (‘a gent’ = agent = rep) going over (= reverse indicator) (rep = -PER-) overly nuanced leaders (‘Overly Nuanced’ leaders = -ON) (CHAPERON) in The Guardian (CHAPERON),

4 Comes together (GELS) for villagers getting rid of rival (‘villagers’ getting rid of ‘rival’ = lges = GELS),

5 Signed (signed) off (= anagram indicator) (signed = DESIGN) the work of the architect (DESIGN),

6 Guessing to (guessing to) unravel (= anagram indicator) (guessing to = SUGGESTION) what could be a hint (SUGGESTION),

7 Overly fussy (PEDANTIC) writer (-ED-) with a (-A-) selection of good books (New Testament = -NT-) in photo (pic = P-IC) (PEDANTIC),

13 An easy target (VULNERABLE) is defenceless in the firing line? (VULNERABLE),

14 Pat leaves part-time (‘Pat’ leaves ‘part-time’ = rtime = MITRE) type of joint when cornered? (MITRE joint in carpentry),

16 Has an appreciation for (has an EYE- for) what goes into port (-LINER) (EYELINER) and its make up (it’s make-up = EYELINER),

17 Publicity (EXPOSURE) for show (EXPO-) guaranteed (-SURE) (EXPOSURE),

19 It’s a sign of stress, in a manner of speaking (ACCENT), for son leaving Constance (‘son’ leaving ‘Constance’ = ctance = ACCENT),

21 Lets off steam (-VENTS) after (= position indicator) engineering (E-) (EVENTS) big social gatherings (EVENTS),

23 One Direction (EAST), The Extremes, Eagles and Judas Priest (the extremes ‘EAgles and judas PrieST’ = EAST),

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