No 12850, Wednesday 05 Feb 2020, Bruno

ACROSS
5   Overcoming rejection at the start, man of action pursues a lover (6) ADORER {A}{DO{Re...n}ER}
7   Energy department’s undergoing review having incurred a politician’s charge (8) STAMPEDE {E+DEPTS}* over {A}{MP}
9   Harry came with aid having obtained top grade at college (8) ACADEMIA {CAME+AID}*{A}
10 Upset that incense’s tip reduced in size? (6) SADDEN (-m+s)SADDEN M to S Medium to Small?
11 It can’t pass on heat... a large number do not concur, surprisingly (12) NONCONDUCTOR {N}{DO+NOT+CONCUR}*
13 Sinatra’s not popular with Poland’s first governor (6) SATRAP {SinATRA}{Po...d}
15 Roughly cleanse laundry.. starting to pull out cover (6) ENCASE ClEANSE*
18 First note replacing fourth in master’s music (12) PROCESSIONAL PRO(-f+c)CESSIONAL
21 Architecture firms located to the east of Reno's borders (6) ROCOCO {RenO}{CO}{CO}

22 Shepherd girl’s daughter’s husband... (8) HERDSMAN {HER{D'S}{MAN}
23 ... is quiet having skill to cover one’s burnt heart (8) TACITURN {TAC{1}T}{bURNt}
24 American Catholic Union had people with intelligence (6) ACUMEN {A}{C}{U}{MEN}

DOWN
1   Manufacturer of stimulant left out canker (8) PRODUCER {PROD}{UlCER}
2   New President quietly suppressed article on old President (6) TRUMAN TRUM(-p+an)AN
3   Record cats playing around plant online (8) CASSETTE {CAS{SET}T*}{E}
4   Web architect goes periods without love sadly (6) SPIDER PERIoDS*
6   Caught between party and test of Ph.D. work (8) DOCTORAL {DO}{CT}{ORAL}
7   Right now America has respect (6) STATUS {STAT}{US}
8   Hidden pass at the bottom of river (4) DEEP {DEE}{P}
12 Adventure hidden in Holmes’ cap — a deerstalker (8) ESCAPADE [T]
14 Urge poor assembly to defer (8) PROROGUE*
16 Constructs building after removing new joint to intersect (8) CROSSCUT COnStRUCTS*
17 Spooner asks man coop for bird (6) PEAHEN (~ he pen)

18 Computer professor starting to make money (6) PROFIT {IT}<=>{PROF}
19 Mist shrouding red tide (6) STREAM {ST{R}EAM}
20 River flows up to the star... (4) NOVA<=

Reference List
Top grade = A, Large number = N, Popular = IN, Notes = C and F, Daughter = D, Husband = H, Left = L, Quiet = P, Online = E, Love = 0, Caught = CT, Party = DO, Pass = P, New = N, Joint = T, Computer = IT, Red = R

Dr RKE's TalePiece

A Tryst with Truman

A docudrama premiering on 5th Feb in NOVA Cinemas

PRODUCER and director: Bruno

Scriptwriter: RKE

Music: "NON CONDUCTOR"

(Book your tickets early to avoid a STAMPEDE! )

Synopsis:

Harry TRUMAN spent his childhood in a ROCOCO style country house built by his father, who made a handsome PROFIT as HERDSMAN and livestock trader in the DEEP south of Missouri. Living close to the STREAM, Harry knew every CROSSCUT in the forest, where he had had many an ESCAPADE, to hunt PEAHEN and fowl. He was no ADORER of the ACADEMIA and left college as he failed in the freshman year. Apparently, he had not heard of Robert The Bruce and the SPIDER story to try again-and-again. So, he never heard the PROCESSIONAL music played in the graduation ceremony. He, however, showed his ACUMEN as a pianist. After the first world war, he became a democrat, soon becoming a regional SATRAP in Missouri. Later, in his presidency years, the Senate was PROROGUEd and he decided entirely on his own to drop atomic bombs instead of the CASSETTE bombs in Japan. His heart was not SADDENed by this decision, as he believed he had saved millions of American youth returning ENCASED in coffins from the war. Never a TACITURN person, he was articulate and famous for his one-liners like "the buck stops here".