Author name: crosswordanswers

1-across – Female bird with a showy mate : PEAHEN

4-across – Often neon,often square stationery item : POSTIT

8-across – Rich cake or pastry of Austrian origin : TORTE

9-across – Mean – so-so : AVERAGE

10-across – <i>Cutty Sark</i><span>,eg – hairdresser?</span> : CLIPPER

11-across – Boa or cobra? : SNAKE

12-across – Toady : SYCOPHANT

17-across – Time ___ time : AFTER

19-across – Lamb’s ___ : LETTUCE

21-across – No 1 for Dizzee Rascal and Armand van Helden – slang for ‘crazy’ : BONKERS

22-across – Deep-fried Indian savoury : BHAJI

23-across – Soup receptacle : TUREEN

24-across – Arm bone : RADIUS

1-down – Coup : PUTSCH

2-down – Lockdown-compliant greeting,perhaps : AIRKISS

3-down – Consider the attractiveness of : EYEUP

5-down – It’s far from shore : OPENSEA

6-down – Papal headgear : TIARA

7-down – Dissertations : THESES

9-down – Citadel of Athens on which the Parthenon and the Erechtheum stand : ACROPOLIS

13-down – Retinue : CORTEGE

14-down – Sea wave : TSUNAMI

15-down – <i>Watership Down</i><span> creature</span> : RABBIT

16-down – <span>Exceptional ability – the </span><i>Guardian</i><span>’s toughest crossword</span> : GENIUS

18-down – José Carreras,eg : TENOR

20-down – Shin bone : TIBIA

1-across – When some fall in love : ATFIRSTSIGHT

9-across – Run off to the match? : ELOPE

10-across – Normally : ASARULE

11-across – Cinch – sleep – loaf : DOSS

12-across – Advance at an equal rate : KEEPPACE

14-across – Insect with an elongated,flattened body and large terminal forceps : EARWIG

15-across – <span>eg </span><i>Titanic</i><span> or </span><i>The Railway Children</i> : WEEPIE

18-across – Beer and ___ : SKITTLES

20-across – Crisps and ___ : NUTS

22-across – Carbuncle : EYESORE

23-across – : AMOUR

24-across – Egomaniacal : SELFOBSESSED

2-down – Pocket : TROUSER

3-down – Twosome – object : ITEM

4-down – Like some fish and mountains : SCALED

5-down – Marker pens : SHARPIES

6-down – Flat round cheese with a yellow rind : GOUDA

7-down – : THENECESSARY

8-down – She’s lessened : HEEDLESSNESS

13-down – Technically skilled musician : VIRTUOSO

16-down – Accompaniment at an event : PLUSONE

17-down – Pulls to the ground : LEVELS

19-down – Optimal : IDEAL

21-down – Service – quantity : MASS

1-across – Grape ivy,busy Lizzie and mother-in-law’s tongue,eg : HOUSEPLANTS

9-across – Appropriate to public ceremony : FULLDRESS

10-across – Ricotta source : EWE

11-across – Online troublemaker : TROLL

13-across – Geometric art form of the 1920s and ‘30s : ARTDECO

14-across – Jostles with a joint : ELBOWS

15-across – Artistic assembly of glass,marble etc : MOSAIC

18-across – Saxophonist Coleman or Golden Globe winner Sally : HAWKINS

20-across – Sprainable joint : ANKLE

21-across – Meadow : LEA

22-across – Liable to launch lawsuits : LITIGIOUS

24-across – People counter : CENSUSTAKER

2-down – Portrait or landscape,perhaps : OIL

3-down – ‘If something might go wrong,it will’ : SODSLAW

4-down – From the late 1930s,perhaps : PREWAR

5-down – It’s a plus : ASSET

6-down – Auckland’s Rainbow’s End or Queensland’s Dreamworld,eg : THEMEPARK

7-down – Not made to measure : OFFTHESHELF

8-down – Oh! Receivers! : HEROICVERSE

12-down – Cut-off water in the floodplain : OXBOWLAKE

16-down – AI gloat : OTALGIA

17-down – In the circs : ASITIS

19-down – Shaky,Scilly or Western : ISLES

23-down – You can dig it : ORE

1-across – Last Greek letter : OMEGA

4-across – Widespread coniferous trees of distinctive conical shape : SPRUCES

8-across – Informed estimate : EDUCATEDGUESS

9-across – Its capital is Bridgetown : BARBADOS

11-across – ‘Spumanti’ wine town : ASTI

13-across – At work : ONDUTY

14-across – Into stones,crystals etc : NEWAGE

16-across – Event with paces,pistols and seconds : DUEL

17-across – Ruby anniversary : FORTIETH

19-across – Composure : STIFFUPPERLIP

21-across – From the late 1940s,say : POSTWAR

22-across – Contract the brows in a threatening or angry manner : SCOWL

1-down – Bedouins’ loops : ONESBLOODISUP

2-down – Largest living bird after the ostrich : EMU

3-down – <span>Alternative to </span><i>prix fixe</i> : ALACARTE

4-down – I’m off! : SEEYOU

5-down – Starting point on road to riches? : RAGS

6-down – Match with mates : CHESSGAME

7-down – Location for frescoes by Botticelli : SISTINECHAPEL

10-down – Parachute regiment or Man U : REDDEVILS

12-down – Like some modern ‘beefburgers’ : MEATLESS

15-down – Lethargy : TORPOR

18-down – Not many : AFEW

20-down – Card game – facilities : LOO

1-across – Muscle : BICEPS

4-across – Like this clue : ACROSS

9-across – Forty winks : SHUTEYE

10-across – It’ll show you the world : ATLAS

11-across – Rica,Brava or Blanca : COSTA

12-across – In proportion : TOSCALE

13-across – I’m a novelist : LOVEINAMIST

18-across – On occasions : ATTIMES

20-across – Hot drink – I should ___ : COCOA

22-across – So as to be heard : ALOUD

23-across – Perform surgery : OPERATE

24-across – Lose light : DARKEN

25-across – Creditable – obliging – far from obscene : DECENT

1-down – Cut in half : BISECT

2-down – Black suit : CLUBS

3-down – Forebode : PRESAGE

5-down – Disorder – ___ theory : CHAOS

6-down – Joan of Arc city : ORLEANS

7-down – Prince Harry’s dukedom : SUSSEX

8-down – Bookmaker’s location : BETTINGSHOP

14-down – Up to our : OUTPOUR

15-down – Heavy knife or cutlass of Central and S America : MACHETE

16-down – French duck – hoax : CANARD

17-down – Arrive : MAKEIT

19-down – Pop’s Ure – gnat’s kin : MIDGE

21-down – Fruit container – decrepit vehicle : CRATE