Another unusual grid with only 15 across clues but 21 downs – it’s almost four little puzzles bolted together. Not an indirect anagram in sight in a pleasant middle of the road offering.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | APPARAT – AP(PARA)T; political machine of the Communist Party; |
| 6 | FUSTET – FUS(TE)T; TE from T(h)E; Sumach tree in Venice; |
| 10 | COSMOPOLITICS – (complicit so so)*; playing politics big time; |
| 13 | MOURN – MO-URN; ballot box=URN; |
| 14 | YNAMBU – (ANY reversed)-(bum)*; a big bird, possibly feathered; |
| 15 | TEA,CHEST – T(EACH)EST; |
| 16 | CUBEB – CU(BE)B; old Indonesian drug; |
| 19 | REPRESENTMENT – REP-RESENTMENT; REP-3=type of cloth; |
| 28 | INION – IN(I)ON: anatomical jargon; |
| 29 | EMPOLDER – EMP(ire)-OLDER; to reclaim land from the sea; |
| 30 | GOMUTO – GO(TUM reversed)O; a palm tree; |
| 31 | EMEER – E(ME)ER; |
| 32 | HAEMODIALYSES – (so I’m healed say)*; |
| 33 | TARSUS – TARS-US; |
| 34 | SNASTES – (nastiness – in)*; a used wick; |
| Down | |
| 1 | ACATER – AC-ATE-R; bill=AC; had=ATE; recipe=R; source of ship’s biscuits; |
| 2 | PSOAS – P(SO)AS; (dance) step=PAS; well=SO; a muscle; |
| 3 | AMUCK – A-MUCK; |
| 4 | APNEA – A-P(NE)A; NE from (o)NE; breathing disorder; |
| 5 | TOUS-LES-MOIS – (most use soil); plant from WI; |
| 6 | FLYTE – hidden (brie)FLY-TE(rrible); quarrel in Queensferry; |
| 7 | STAUN – STAUN(ch); suffer in St Andrews; |
| 8 | TIMBRE – TIM(BR)E; |
| 9 | TSUBA – A-BUST all reversed; ornamental plate on Japenese sword; |
| 11 | OMENED – O(MEN)ED; |
| 12 | INCITE – sounds like “in sight”; |
| 17 | LEAN-TO – hidde (c)LEAN-TO(ools); |
| 18 | IN,FERE – INFER-(performanc)E; together as in with a partner; |
| 20 | PRIMER – P-RIMER; |
| 21 | T-CROSS – T(CR)OSS; consider=TOSS; small crown=CR; a tau (see under T in Chambers); |
| 22 | WIGHT – three meanings 1=courageous 2=creature 3=reproach; nothing to do with the island in the Solent; |
| 23 | SOUMS – SO(‘UM)S; HUM=horrible smell; pastures near Peebles; |
| 24 | FEODS – FE(O)DS; same as feud, land held on condition of service; |
| 25 | SPEAN – S(PE)AN; SAN=posh pupil’s hospital; to wean; |
| 26 | BLEYS – B-LEYS; |
| 27 | ID,EST – I(DES)T; the thing=IT; some in French=DES; |
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