Crossword

2699: Summer Dresses II

Unclued lights, singly or correctly paired, are of a kind.  One light does double duty. Across 1    Son becomes aware of cutter (6) 5    One who digests fish first (6) 10    Ancient Briton’s edged axe (4) 11    I don’t approve of expert? It’s possible (10) 15    Deck sport when turning round river (5) 17    County

2698: Au pairs

Fourteen unclued lights comprise seven pairs. Across 7 Looked for nothing when leader makes a U-turn? (6) 12    Medical instruments deal with something breaking old cast (9) 13    Maybe Queen’s speech is without purpose, on reflection (5) 15    Shot bird left, eaten by parasite (9) 16    Twins, perhaps extremely amoral, notable (6) 21    European dictionary

2697: Futile felines

Nine unclued lights (with one doing double duty) can be arranged into a possible quiz show announcement with the word lengths: 2,4,3,7,6,3,7,7,2,4,2,4,4,2,4,5. The three remaining unclued lights are possible answers. Elsewhere, ignore one accent. Across 4 Democracies do wrong without desserts (3,6) 9 English artist having month involved with 38 (6,4) 11    Evaluate report for

2696: It’s better up north!

The unclued lights are of a kind. Across 12    Sun ruined helter-skelter without cover (9) 13    Lizard found in Wagamama! (5) 15    Screen role I transformed into (9) 16    Rabbit’s discovered in delay at terminus (6) 20    Quietly thatched house and made watertight (7) 21    Oddly, his leg is pulled by Cupid! (6) 22    Location

2695: Struck hard

A word can be prefixed by six unclued lights so as to form new words (including two place names). 9D is a pertinent piece of poetry (five words). Solvers must shade the appropriate unclued light. Across 1 Pepper makes host back off (5) 6 Butterfly and weathercock fool about (7) 11    Small fly buzzing

2694: Arc lights

The unclued lights, including a pair and six of two words, form an association which a normal entry clearly suggests. Across 11    Icons reconstructed with excellent backing and capital (7) 12    Scottish author wants hedge trimmed at one end (6) 13    Scottish bird sports new supporting items on the way in (9) 14    Falls off

2693: Summer dresses

Unclued lights (two of two words) refer to works in the same genre by a closely associated pair. Across 1 In store, old copper pipe (8) 7 Moves swiftly, caught in foam (5) 12    Woman claimed win after slimming (6) 16    Evidence of wound almost frightening (4) 17    Scots fabric, affectedly pretty line (5) 18   

2692: Flexibility

We welcome the duo called Madrigal to the compiling team this week. The unclued lights (including four of two words) can be arranged to provide a quotation (in ODQ) and its author. Across 10    Learn of American through grammar school covers (6,4) 12    African country’s note covering one rule (6) 13    First-rate head polled children

2691: Very large fellow

The title wrote three unclued lights (one of two words) with the letter-count (3,8,6,4), whose members are the other unclued lights (two pairs, another of two words and a singleton). Solvers must highlight the singleton’s missing moniker hidden in the completed grid. Across 11    Half the beans initially seem superfluous accompanying hot paste with chillis

2690: Resignation

A quotation (in the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations) runs clockwise around the perimeter of the grid, beginning with the last letter of 20. The apostrophe has to be included where it appears. Five unclued lights are of a kind; one is directly linked to the quotation, the others indirectly. Across 9 Dangerous atmosphere in outskirts of

2689: Annus Impuratus?

Eight unclued lights (two of two words) advise solvers ‘3D 38A is 9D, 32D 32D-17A, when 6A 44A 31D’. Across 1 Don’t at first knock small amount of liquid (Scotch) (4) 12   Last, as do picture capture and future exposure (6) 13   What’s in deadly new compound (8) 14   Burn short jacket (5) 15  

2688: 4 ÷ 4 = 8

The unclued four-letter solutions can be paired in a particular way to form the four remaining eight-letter unclued lights. Across 1 Burns searches thoroughly around Union Street (8) 5 Developed green, variable power (6) 10    Labour man’s entertaining turn (5,5) 12    Irish backing chorister on Venetian bridge (6) 13    New tune outside? (5,3) 16    Account

2687: Up in arms

The unclued lights are of a kind, verifiable in Brewer. Across 7 Recurring tea dance (3-3) 12    Following sound of artillery, I curtail call to official (9) 13    Steer clear of a hole (5) 15    Make the most of session in recruitment event (4,5) 16    Effect of high dose (6) 20    One stood up and

2686: Poem VIII

Clockwise round the grid from 1 run the final words (3,6,4,3,6,3,8,4,3,4,2,6) of a poem. Two unclued lights (one of two words) are also taken from the poem, whose author’s surname appears as a clued light which must be shaded. Across 9 Canon meeting King and Queen? (5) 10    Harrow produces playboy (4) 11   

2685: Scocourban

The unclued lights (including a pair) are of a kind. Across 3              No manual required for addict at pre-season match (4-8) 10            Old store attendants operating on different levels (4-3) 11            Extra name in article about garden feature (7) 13            Room spray distributed to armies (8) 16            Newspaper aunt’s torment (5) 19            Mum, almost for ever, in ward (9) 22           

2684: Romans 5

Five three-word phrases (in both Brewer and Chambers) have something in common. The unclued lights, correctly paired, form the second and third words of these. The first five words are hidden in the grid (across or down) and should be shaded. Across 1               Material two monarchs contribute to law suit (8) 5               Over-decorated cook eats

Christmas crossword: Organic Message

Down clues and entries are normal. Across clues have normal definitions but wordplays that omit a single letter from each answer, whose enumeration is given, and whose reduced form must be entered in the grid. Read in clue order, omitted letters spell out an Organic Message. Download a printable version here. Across 1               Mistress fixed

2683: Famous last words

Around the perimeter clockwise from square 1 goes a quotation in ODQ minus its last word. This last word suggests the remaining unclued lights, a final example of which (6) must be highlighted in the completed grid. Across 11            Jam is an Asian food (6) 12            US record nut with some bread (6) 15            I’m

2682: Exchanges

The unclued lights (including a pair, one word of which has to be read in reverse) are each somehow related to one other. Two grid entries are of two words and one (jocular) entry has four words and includes an apostrophe. Across 10            Where lines meet new lines (4) 12            Payment to landlord as the

2681: ‘I see wets in disarray!’

Eight unclued lights are of a kind. Across 5               Al Gore eats by the truckload (6) 9               Dim and confused, fell in and died (3-7) 14            Boxer from Hayle is oddly knocked out (3) 16            Case of invertebrate found in hydrochloric acid (6) 17            March with nudists’ leader in buff (5) 18            Tramp about with