Crosaire No 16959 by Crossheir – Wednesday, May 22nd, 2019

Blog explanations available at 10pm on the day of publication

Across:

8 College (-C-) in Sofia (Sofia = FIAS-O) damaged (= anagram indicator) (FIASCO) by disaster (FIASCO),

9 State (state) isn’t finished (‘state’ without ‘e’ = STAT-) with one of those charged (-ION-) with stealing (stealing) leading (s) (‘stealing’ leading = -S) (STATIONS) religious pictures (STATIONS of the Cross),

10 Extract of Balzac ideology (extract of ‘Balzac ideology’ = ac id = ACID) can be corrosive (ACID),

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11 Unable to get agreement on (DEADLOCKED) flat pint perhaps (DEAD-) given to local drunk (-LOCKED) (DEADLOCKED),

12 Turns up (= reversal indicator), the Spanish (el = -LE) -American gothic writer (Edger Allan Poe = Poe = -EOP-) gives power (P-) (PEOPLE) to the men and women (PEOPLE),

14 Book’s content (P-AGES) covers a (-A-) Saint’s (saints = -SS-) (PASSAGES) voyages (PASSAGES),

15 Trouble at home (DOMESTIC) with function of (F-) lamps (-LIGHTS) (DOMESTIC FLIGHTS) with local connections (DOMESTIC FLIGHTS),

18 Makes every effort to get (ATTEMPTS) try (ATTEMPT-) for top scorer (top ‘scorer’ = - S)  (ATTEMPTS),

20 Harry (harry/pester = BADGER) has awful (BAD-) head gash (head ‘gash’ = G-) in hospital (-ER) (BADGER),

22 Wine of the year (VINTAGE) from California (CA-), primarily Rutherford (primarily ‘Rutherford’ = -R) (VINTAGE CAR), is used as vehicle for conveying the Oenologist’s expertise? (VINTAGE CAR),

24 It’s poetic – grass (literary/poetic ‘grass’ = LEA-) on the weekend (‘week’ end = -K) (LEAK) is an escape (LEAK),

25 Comet (Comet is one of Santa’s REINDEER) seen in the sky once a year? (REINDEER),

26 Old news agency (TASS news agency = TAS-S) welcomes the (the) heartless (heartless/no centre: ‘h’) (‘the’ without ‘h’ = TE-) (TASTES) preferences (TASTES).

Down:

1 Mysterious (= anagram indicator) cleric (cleric = CIRCLE) from Ring (CIRCLE),

2 Bruised rib removed (‘bruised’ ‘rib’ removed = used = USED) – was it previously owned by someone else? (USED),

3 Course (ROAD) study (TEST) (ROAD TEST) is an indication of how the coach is working (ROAD TEST),

4 Haitians drop hint (‘Haitians’ drop ‘hint’ = aias = ASIA) to European neighbour (ASIA),

5 Key (music key = F-) to Basel (Basel = -ABLES) adaptation (= anagram indicator) (FABLES) of morality stories (FABLES),

6 Dismissed (DISCHARGED) theologian (D-D) over one (-I-) small (-S-) order (order/command = -CHARGE-) (DISCHARGED),

7 Concern (INTEREST) for disturbance (= anagram indicator) in street (in street = INTEREST),

13 What is the hostess doing (PRESENTING) giving out? (PRESENTING),

14 Stole from stockpiles (‘stole’ from ‘stockpiles’ = ckpis = PICKS) with a number of tools (PICKS),

16 Briefly did a caricature of (OUTLINED) holiday (OUT-) bar (-LINE-) in the middle of Cordoba (in the middle of ‘Cordoba’ = -D) (OUTLINED),

17 In elite bar (elite bar = LIBERATE), bubbly (= anagram indicator) is free (LIBERATE),

19 Writer (pen = P-EN) covering first (-I-) Grand Prix (-GP-) (PIGPEN) in untidy American place (US PIGPEN / pigsty),

21 Some characters deliver a service (some characters ‘deliver a service’ = er a ser = ERASER) cleaning up mistakes, on paper (ERASER),

23 Plug (CORK) for banks computer network (banks/sides ‘computer network’ = CORK),

24 Group (LIST) no longer dismissed by Rolling Stone (‘no longer’ dismissed by ‘Rolling Stone’ = list = LIST).