Author name: crosswordanswers

1-across – Something you shouldn’t tempt? : FATE

3-across – Semolina dish : COUSCOUS

8-across – Silly me! : OOPS

9-across – Erudite people : SCHOLARS

11-across – Equal : FIFTYFIFTY

14-across – Take up – take over : OCCUPY

15-across – Froth – agitation : LATHER

17-across – Excessively well-behaved person : GOODYGOODY

20-across – Someone who has overcome danger or trauma : SURVIVOR

21-across – Blacken : CHAR

22-across – New York prison : SINGSING

23-across – French author of Germinal : ZOLA

1-down – Ornamental frills : FROUFROU

2-down – Design of letters etc. : TYPEFACE

4-down – Plant with showy flowers : ORCHID

5-down – Like e.g. missiles which can’t travel far : SHORTRANGE

6-down – Good but not great … : OKAY

7-down – … a bit meh : SOSO

10-down – Orchestral works : SYMPHONIES

12-down – Train : CHOOCHOO

13-down – Ambiguous situation : GREYAREA

16-down – Lie next to : ADJOIN

18-down – Egyptian goddess : ISIS

19-down – Small, insectivorous bird : WREN

1-across – Latin dictum equating drinking with honesty : INVINOVERITAS

8-across – Japanese peak of 12,388 ft : FUJI

9-across – Vigorous; if corbel : FORCIBLE

10-across – Thread-like pasta : VERMICELLI

12-across – Servant : BUTLER

14-across – Sound quality : TIMBRE

15-across – Australian city with a duplicated name : WAGGAWAGGA

19-across – Football tiebreaker : SHOOTOUT

20-across – Obligatory bet : ANTE

21-across – Bicycle with wheels of different sizes : PENNYFARTHING

2-down – Queasy : NAUSEOUS

3-down – ‘A piece of cake’ or ‘a walk in the park’, say : IDIOM

4-down – Colonel, e.g. : OFFICER

5-down – Sign up : ENROL

6-down – Element with the symbol Ir : IRIDIUM

7-down – Friendly nation : ALLY

11-down – South coast resort : BRIGHTON

13-down – Despicable – information : LOWDOWN

14-down – Vehicle that pulls heavy loads : TRACTOR

16-down – Rot : GOOFF

17-down – Inundated : AWASH

18-down – Excited cry : WHEE

1-across – Suitable compromise : HAPPYMEDIUM

9-across – Preliminary paintwork : UNDERCOAT

10-across – Be unwell : AIL

11-across – Asian country which has the world’s only non-rectangular national flag : NEPAL

13-across – Snookers : STYMIES

14-across – Corrupt – Johnny? : ROTTEN

15-across – Rectangular : OBLONG

18-across – Tried : REHEARD

20-across – Intense light beam : LASER

21-across – Menagerie : ZOO

22-across – Diluted espresso : AMERICANO

24-across – It opens a lot of doors : SKELETONKEY

2-down – Coordinating conjunction : AND

3-down – One released from prison conditionally : PAROLEE

4-down – Admirer of China’s ‘Great Helmsman’ : MAOIST

5-down – Eccentric : DOTTY

6-down – In complete agreement : UNANIMOUS

7-down – Award picked up by Antony Gormley and Anish Kapoor : TURNERPRIZE

8-down – Action hero, adversary of Ming the Merciless : FLASHGORDON

12-down – Farmer’s implement : PITCHFORK

16-down – E.g. gold ingots : BULLION

17-down – Yearly period which has its own calendar : ADVENT

19-down – Help : AVAIL

23-down – Shock and ___ : AWE

1-across – Brownish spot : FRECKLE

8-across – Wind from the Sahara : SIROCCO

9-across – Canonical work : CLASSIC

10-across – Jane Eyre, say : HEROINE

11-across – Puccini opera set in Rome : TOSCA

13-across – Source of up-to-date information : NEWSPAPER

15-across – Obsession : MONOMANIA

18-across – One who’s paid their debt to society : EXCON

21-across – Author of Pnin and Pale Fire : NABOKOV

22-across – Hostility : ICINESS

23-across – Oyster, for example : MOLLUSC

24-across – Unending : ETERNAL

1-down – Aspect : FACET

2-down – Assessments of knowledge : EXAMS

3-down – Reconcile : KISSANDMAKEUP

4-down – Steer clear of : ESCHEW

5-down – Painter such as Rossetti : PRERAPHAELITE

6-down – Be parsimonious : SCRIMP

7-down – Show-off : POSEUR

12-down – Greek alcohol flavoured with aniseed : OUZO

14-down – Nymph who fell foul of Hera : ECHO

15-down – Musical notes worth two crotchets : MINIMS

16-down – Bite delicately : NIBBLE

17-down – Noob : NOVICE

19-down – Off drugs : CLEAN

20-down – Kind of consonant sound such as ‘m’, ‘n’ or ‘ng’ : NASAL

1-across – Upbeat ballroom dance : QUICKSTEP

8-across – Elan : BRIO

9-across – Predatory swimmer with a name combining those of two fish : PIKEPERCH

10-across – French city – camera component : LENS

13-across – Prepared for combat : ARMED

15-across – Neighbour of Kenya and Tanzania : UGANDA

16-across – Fats ___, pianist and singer : DOMINO

17-across – Sharper : KEENER

19-across – Ornamental pendant : LOCKET

20-across – Lowest point : NADIR

21-across – Military post : FORT

24-across – Side-splitting : HILARIOUS

25-across – Eagerness : ZEAL

26-across – Spar with an imaginary opponent : SHADOWBOX

2-down – Group of soldiers : UNIT

3-down – Group of sailors : CREW

4-down – Mountain range : SIERRA

5-down – Surpass : EXCEED

6-down – Football set pieces : FREEKICKS

7-down – Worker who obeys petty rules : JOBSWORTH

11-down – UK Eurovision winners in 1981 : BUCKSFIZZ

12-down – Cosmetic ointment : FACECREAM

13-down – Marketing specialists : ADMEN

14-down – Giver of e.g. blood : DONOR

18-down – Devil-may-care : RAKISH

19-down – Kind of reptile : LIZARD

22-down – Perspective : VIEW

23-down – Japanese art taught by a sensei : JUDO