Cheesecracker

2644: Joinery

The unclued lights can be joined to form six pairs.         Across    6    No intro to US showbiz approach? (7) 11    Left earlier than usual in mere sport (4) 12    Whiteness of marital bed, only partly (6) 14    Again announce gusto outside bar (9) 17    Translated phrase, Latin, gets round (7) 18    Something stuck

2636: Happy ever after

Twelve unclued lights may be grouped into three quartets and their unchecked letters spell out ask engineering-academy.gov.uk; each quartet comprises two natural pairs. All unclued entries are normal words, one is in Merriam–Webster and one is thematically linked to its quartet via a Broadway musical. Across 1   Maybe PC speed unit cut after unexpectedly taking

2630: Souvenir

The 37 and 38 evoke 16D 22A/26, once 19 26, the 19 being 6 at the 41 5, 41 26 and 41 13.          Across    1    Language school opened by Republican state (8) 11    Repeatedly check bones in historical operation (10) 14    Sweet red Dutch headwear (8) 16    US city king boxes to

2623: Half-day closing?

29 29-36’s 14 13 31 25 1D 2 24, in which 1 Down and 24 are each non-words that concatenate two real terms. Unchecked, unclued letters spell out SEXY DUTCH X-MAG.         Across    1    Fling marauder off base, across main road (7,6)    9    Husband going inside can slim (4) 11    Distinguished mayor’s robing

2618: Chain gang

Eleven unclued entries may be connected from 38 to 17, their unchecked letters spelling out CHAIN’S PAIRS, WE AGREE?         Across    1    Maximum animosity reported (4)    3    Vineyard by cross (4)    5    Losing starter, rubbish service is behind (6)    9    Again communicate on mobile in van (10) 16    Mostly free car

2608: Support

Ten symmetrically placed un-clued lights can be entered given consistent support. Across 1    Left old murder victim in slip (5) 10    An historic fancy Greek vestment (10) 11    Snowdrift BBC DG once reported (6) 14    Runs into show behind dimwit (5) 15    Good spicy food omitting cold fish offal (5) 16    On a pump, perhaps

2603

Puzzle 26 is 6A 18 40 1A 27 40 6A 41 6A 37 40 24 10 40 6A.         Across 11    Three-sided rig with natural fitting (10) 13    Ribald cop breaking PC’s temporary storage? (9) 15    At heart, the Lion joined by a Lamb (4) 16    Round wooden peg in face having twofold symmetry (7)

2585: Happy Anniversary

An anniversary (1A, three words) today offers ten unclued entries, all of whose unchecked and cross-checking letters spell out HAHA! DRY GINS ASSURING TRASHY ANAGRAMS. Across 9    State welcome hosted by Oscars (4) 11    Stanza in excessive, unending Ave Maria delaying mass (6,4) 12    Bash old boy, a grass (4) 18    Pulling evenly, stripped part of

2573

  22 5 42 14 25 31: 29-40, 10-26.   Across 1 Hidden by grass, squad joined after separation (8) 9 Most of scenery framed by brainbox movie maker (10) 16 Will’s interest in America essentially sprang (6) 17 Region outside northern stadium (5) 18 Dread being tense after fringe cut by bishop (5) 20

2561: PORTS

Six unclued entries comprise systematically ordered non-words thematically linked by a normal entry, itself unclued.   Across 1 Awaiting consideration, poor hippie teen holding nothing back (2,3,8) 11 Most of back pain almost leaves (7) 12 Some over-50s right about Hindu music? (5) 14 Small section of foreign letter penned by French novelist (6) 16

2552: ????

Eight unclued entries comprise four pairs whose thematic ordering is provided by 3, 31, 37 and 41.   Across 1 Deft, dry in denial (5) 6 Bitter unit – British back in charge (7) 11 Criminal or liar with cult having three cells (10) 13 Distress furniture suitable for oils? (9) 15 Talks, say, regularly,

2540: Recycling components

Eight unclued lights, arranged symmetrically, comprise two quartets, one of which makes the other go round.   Across 1 How much poor Matthew has aged (14, three words) 11 What’s got blowers regularly engaged? (5) 13 Cheeky make-up (5) 14 Nothing fresh about first social reformer (7) 15 Some change local larder outside flat (10)

2525: Prime Times

Elements of four symmetrically disposed unclued lights confirm the 5 Down. Enumerations indicate lengths of clues’ ‘full’ solutions.   Across 1 People are pruning every European tree (6) 6 Cook cut gooey rock cake (7) 11 Bishop leaving foundation unaltered (4, two words) 12 Skywriting? (9, two words) 14 Radical Left holds back boy (5)

2510: Prom session

Twelve symmetrically disposed unclued entries comprise three distinct interlinked quartets.   Across 1 Precise conjecture about coin-flip, oddly (8) 6 Peter out back, eating square meal (6) 10 Hit round ring – rim of upper drum (6) 11 Tiny baby consumed by gas (7) 12 Pedestrian holds back directions to Wick (5) 14 Advert I

2491: Recycling

Ten unclued lights comprise a septet with a common theme. Across 1 Running article perhaps subject to trial? (7) 5 Again flick back whip (6) 9 Has Olympian formerly lost heart? (4) 11 Ham risotto moulded with cup (10) 12 Muse caught by crude backing (4) 14 Net damages BBC owe (6) 16 Parisian to

2480: Warning

Solvers should heed a warning when deducing ten symmetrically placed unclued lights (two of three words and one of two words). Across 1 Poet entertaining Round Table (5)4 Together, brutes briefly help the old order (9)11 Live international back on a roll (6)12 Sting seen in church right by jetty (7)15 Oddly enough, Chloe broke

2468: Noah entry?

Eighteen clues contain deficient wordplay, the missing elements of which, when highlighted, confirm the theme. Across 1 Party with a previously haughty man (6) 6 Waste disposal initially declined (7) 11 Small braces (4) 12 Dog has a drink outside well (5, 4) 13 Boozer hugging a member’s tree (5, 3) 14 Old coins from

2462: Over and Out?

The seventeen entries with definition-only clues are to be treated according to a symmetrically disposed theme which has to be highlighted. Other clues are normal; all enumerations are of entry lengths. Across 1 Bothers about losing, initially, eight pounds (6)7 Help senior NCO when cutting hair (6, two words)11 Wallop maker (10, hyphened) 13 A

2411: Left out

Clues for ten thematically linked entries (all single words) have been left out.   Across 9    Hot-rod awry? — fancy not being this (10) 14    Jackass regularly rejected 60s music (3) 18    Behind in award, finally going ahead (5) 20    Get better poet to enter competition (7, two words) 22    Venture around the City, not

2400: Unclued

All unclued entries are, unusually, not all unclued; all are different and there are no proper nouns. A repeated cryptic clue fixes not only once such entry, but also the central 2×2 block and, as a result, another such entry. Ignore one accent. Doc writes: we welcome Cheese-Cracker to the compiling team.   Across 1