The Sunday Crossword No 3308, Sunday 26 May 2024

ACROSS

1   Covers loosely with cropped top and trouserstrousers (8) BESTREWS {BESt}{TREWS}

5   Printed – and hightailed it (3,3) RAN OFF [DD]

9   Musical aces exhibiting supreme talent regarding instrumentation, primarily? (7) MAESTRI Acrostic &lit

10 Round child tucked in to cheese roll (7) BRIOCHE {BRI{O}{CH}E}

11 Decipher crossword’s clues? Only about five (5) SOLVE {SOL{V}E}

12 Attracted by quirky demeanour (9) ENAMOURED*

13 Ken sends urn toppling in debauchery (11) DRUNKENNESS*

17 Everyman has room for improvement, reader: honestly! (1,7,3) I PROMISE YOU {I}{PROMISE}{YOU}

20 Central character in Dungeons & Dragons? (9) AMPERSAND Definition by example

22 Manages nuts and loaves (5) HEADS {MD] 

23 Desserts with flirts (7) TRIFLES [DD]

24 Land – ground – earthier – not hard (7) ERITREA EARThIER*

25 Vacantly idling in vehicles: they’ll produce smoke (6) CIGARS {C{Id..nG}ARS}

26 Some priest ran Georgia, leading to disunite (8) ESTRANGE [T]

DOWN

1   Live around flightless birds in muddle (6) BEMUSE {B{EMUS}E}

2   Nicks from old swords caught (6) STEALS (~steels)

3   Scoundrel and lunatic brought up in N Sea port (9) ROTTERDAM {ROTTER}{MAD<=}

4   Alcoholic drinks, assuredly not some 1917 reds (5,8) WHITE RUSSIANS [DD]

6   Old soldier and mother heading up to see friend in Seville (5) AMIGO {O}{GI}{MA}<=

7   Took place in company, rising, better – about right? (8) OCCURRED {CO<=}{CUR{R}ED}

8   Tricky; finished struggling (8) FIENDISH*

10 Pleased by ‘cake’ that’s reconstituted pulses (5-4,4) BLACK-EYED PEAS* 

14 Less well behaved; more like Fanny Adams? (9) NAUGHTIER (~noughtier)

15 Performed with a cold jerk that’s preachy (8) DIDACTIC {DID}{A}{C}{TIC}

16 On LSD, that’s staggering (8) TRIPPING [DD]

18 President’s computer working to suppress resistance (6) MACRON {MAC}{R}{ON}

19 Avoid dunce’s cap, excelling (though only somewhat) (6) ESCAPE [T]

21 Governor that’s needed by draughtsman (5) RULER [DD]

Reference List

Child = CH, Hard = H, Old = O, Right = R, Fanny Adams = NOUGHT, Cold = C, Resistance = R