Crosaire No 17036 by Crossheir – Tuesday, August 20th, 2019

Blog explanations available at 10pm on the day of publication

Across:

1 One is up to one’s neck (CRAVAT) sorting (= anagram indicator) car (car = CRA-) tax (-VAT) (CRAVAT),

4 Sour (OFF-) port (-P-) is (-IS-) taken with a fair amount (half of) of Pâté (half of ‘Pâté’ = -TE) (OFF-PISTE) – that’s one slippery slope! (OFF-PISTE),

9 Runs daily (EDITOR) and rides out without us (‘rides out’ without ‘us’ = rideot = EDITOR),

10 You won’t get insurance for this (ACT OF GOD) in the flood (ACT OF GOD),

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12 Qualification (AMENDMENT) for American (A-) repair (-MEND-) workers (-MEN-) at the end of employment (at the end of “employmenT” = -T) (AMENDMENT),

13 Is on the verge of making contact with (NEARS) new (N-) listeners (-EARS) (NEARS),

14 It’s almost (t) bright (‘intelligent’ without ‘t’ = INTELLIGEN-) going to Clare (-CE) (INTELLIGENCE) for news (INTELLIGENCE),

18 Is going nowhere (SOLID AS A ROCK) safe like Gibraltar (SOLID AS A ROCK),

21 Arabian (HORSE) removes museum from summer house (removes ‘museum’ from ‘summer house’ = rhose = HORSE),

22 Central (au) to faux (central to ‘fAUx’ = AU-) Ottoman (Ottoman =  -TOMATON) novel (= anagram indicator) (AUTOMATON) by an unemotional type (AUTOMATON),

24 Confident and stylish type (DEBONAIR) making first appearance (debutante = DEB-) on the radio (on air = -ONAIR) (DEBONAIR),

25 Old bank (Anglo = ANGOL-) corrupted (= anagram indicator) a (-A) (ANGOLA) country in west Africa (ANGOLA),

26 Draw attention to (STRESS-) to 9 across, in short (‘editor’ = -ED) (STRESSED), desperate for a holiday (STRESSED),

27 Harry (HASSLE) lashes (lashes = HASSLE) out (= anagram indicator).

Down:

1 Make a comeback (= reversal indicator) – pose (sit = -TIS) for first album (first ‘Album’ = -A-) with Mel C (Mel C = CLEM-) (CLEMATIS) and Plant (CLEMATIS),

2 Upsets (AILMENTS) salt mine (salt mine = AILMENTS) engineer (= anagram indicator),

3 Give a wide berth to (AVOID) admiral heading (‘Admiral’ heading = A-) to Gulf (-VOID) (AVOID),

5 Wake up and smell the coffee? (FACE THE FACTS) It’s something you could make up perhaps (make up FACE) with article (THE) from encyclopaedia! (FACTS) (FACE THE FACTS),

6 Raised from the ashes (Phoenix) without crossing (x) (‘Phoenix’ without ‘x’ = PHOENI-) intelligence agency (-CIA) (PHOENICIA) in old country (parts of Lebanon/Syria = PHOENICIA),

7 Cue (SIGNAL) to Anglo-Americans to skip on camera (‘Anglo-Americans’ to skip ‘on camera’= aglins = SIGNAL),

8 Adam (ELDEST) and Ray from Steelyard (‘Ray’ from ‘steelyard’ = steeld = ELDEST),

11 Authentic local (LEGIT-) single (-I-) carpet (-MAT-) is (-IS-) engineered (-E) (LEGITIMATISE) to allow it conform with the standards (LEGITIMATISE),

15 Draw attention (Lo! = LO-) to circle (-O-) observed (-SE EN-) by detective (-DS) (LOOSE ENDS) with unfinished business (LOOSE ENDS),

16 Wedges (wedges/slices = PORTIONS) offered by the chipper? (PORTIONS),

17 Family (-KIN-) in shock (shock = S-CARE) (SKINCARE) use this to save face (SKINCARE),

19 Casts a shadow over (SHADES) Dante’s ending (‘DanteS’ ending = S-) in The Inferno (-HADES) (SHADES),

20 Kid (-RIB-) in Belgium (BE = B-E-) has recipe (-R) (BRIBER) for one producing sweetener (BRIBER),

23 Some characters maintain a momentum (some characters ‘maintAIN A Momentum’ = ainam) turning up (= reversal indicator) (ainam = MANIA) with wild enthusiasm (MANIA).