This crossword No. 12620 clues and answers were published on Thu 21 Oct 2010 and the puzzle can be visited by following The Guardian Quick Crossword No. 12620 link.
All Across Clues and Answers:
1-across – Third brightest star in the sky — run a caliphate : ALPHACENTAURI
8-across – Deep container for cooking and serving food : PIEDISH
9-across – Trifling : PETTY
10-across – Disconcert : FAZE
11-across – Country’s military planes : AIRFORCE
13-across – On the water : AFLOAT
14-across – Taking on duties temporarily : ACTING
17-across – Women’s very brief shorts : HOTPANTS
19-across – Spring/summer month : JUNE
21-across – Practice : USAGE
22-across – Least fatty : LEANEST
24-across – Does this explain how it all began? : BIGBANGTHEORY
All Down Clues and Answers:
1-down – Snake : ASP
2-down – Curly savoury snack : PRETZEL
3-down – Very dry : ARID
4-down – Denoting the cultural traditions of a group : ETHNIC
5-down – Printing surface of any character : TYPEFACE
6-down – Speak : UTTER
7-down – Group of prominent US universities : IVYLEAGUE
10-down – Old camera attachment : FLASHBULB
12-down – City in California : PASADENA
15-down – Before birth — routine : INUTERO
16-down – German POW camp : STALAG
18-down – Nasal accent : TWANG
20-down – Go quickly : DASH
23-down – Attempt — hear : TRY
This crossword has in total 26 where 12 are across and 14 are down.