Crosaire No 17184 by Crossheir – Wednesday, February 12th, 2020

Blog explanations available at 10pm on the day of publication

Across:

8 Break the news (INFORM) to Vogue (IN-) model (-FORM) (INFORM),

9 Kept up to date (INFORMED) by journalist (-ED) behind (= position indicator) 8 across (‘inform’ = INFORM-) (INFORMED),

10 Recall (= reverse indicator) some Halloween ogres (some ‘HalloweEN OGres’ = enog = GONE) no longer with us (GONE),

11 It’s just (ON THE LEVEL) Frank? (ON THE LEVEL),

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12 Pretentious type (snob) up (= reversal indicator) (snob = BONS-) Alpine summit (‘Alpine’ summit = -A-) on top of ironwood (on top of ‘Ironwood’ = -I) (BONSAI) tree that doesn’t have much growth (BONSAI),

14 Ending it (ending it) badly (= anagram indicator) (ending it = INDIGENT) without a penny to one’s name (INDIGENT),

15 Knowledgeable view (INFORMED OPINION) of 9 across (‘informed’ = INFORMED) and most of 18 across (most of ‘opinions’ = OPINION) (INFORMED OPINION),

18 Poison in (poison in) cure (= anagram indicator) (poison in = OPINIONS) leads to convictions (OPINIONS),

20 Lie in (RESIDE) both ends of restaurant guide (both ends of ‘REStaurant guIDE’ = RESIDE),

22 Contempt (DISRESPECT) in crushing (= anagram indicator) spiders, etc. (spiders etc = DISRESPECT),

24 Cheer for (ROOT for) Degas coming out of stage door (‘Degas’ coming out of ‘stage door’ = toor = ROOT),

25 Psst? Real (psst real) problem (= anagram indicator) (psst real = PSALTERS) with church collections! (PSALTERS),

26 Idealist leaves registered mail (‘idealist’ leaves ‘registered mail’ = regerm = MERGER) from Union (MERGER).

Down:

1 All together (IN TOTO) it’s hot (IN) at ’22 (two + two) hearing (= homophone indicator) (‘two + two’ = ‘to + to’ = TOTO) (IN TOTO),

2 Centre (CORE) set up (= reverse indicator) in Little Rock (in ‘LittlE ROCk’ = eroc = CORE),

3 Market (EMPORIUM) duck (-O-) found stuffed in prime (prime) cut (= anagram indicator) (prime = EMP-RI-)? Matriarch (mum) loses the head! (m) (‘mum’ without ‘m’ = -UM) (EMPORIUM),

4 Lighten up perhaps (DIET) and take the figs out of digestif (take the ‘figs’ out of ‘digestif’ = diet = DIET),

5 Provoke (OFFEND) old (O-) party (Fianna Fáil  = -FF-) stump (-END) (OFFEND),

6 Sounds like something spies used to do at Checkpoint Charlie (FREE AGENTS), as they are not connected (FREE AGENTS),

7 Present (HERE-) to peacekeeper (United Nations = -UN-) at summit (top), brief (p) (‘top’ without ‘p’ = -TO)(HEREUNTO) to this formal legal document (HEREUNTO),

13 Baked (= anagram indicator) nurse’s cold (nurses cold = SCOUNDRELS), bad eggs (SCOUNDRELS),

14 Custodians disregard a Scot (‘custodians’ disregard ‘a Scot’ =  usdin = INDUS) having banks in Tibet, Kashmir and Pakistan? (INDUS river has river banks in Tibet, Kashmir and Pakistan),

16 The fastest (the NIPPIEST) flowing (= anagram indicator) pipe in (pipe in NIPPIE-) street (-ST) (NIPPIEST),

17 Section (PART -) from paper (Times) cut (s) (‘Times’ without ‘s’= - TIME) (PART-TIME) by employee working on Weekend (PART-TIME),

19 Citrons from discount store (‘citrons’ from ‘discount store’ = dsoute = OUSTED) thrown out (OUSTED),

21 Snored (snored) badly (= anagram indicator) (snored = DRONES) in low humming sounds (DRONES),

23 It’s a luxury (EASE) eating like a horse? Only the sides! (‘EAting like a horSE’ only the sides = EASE),

24 Bank’s raison d’être (Banks ‘RAison d’êtRE’ = RARE) is unique (RARE).