The Sunday Crossword No 3343, Sunday 02 Feb 2025

ACROSS

1   No trace of husband or nephew in Hibernia or lands further south (6) IBERIA hIBERnIA

5   Six slices of tripe set alongside old Spanish bread (6) PESETA [T]

8   Spooner tells us one seasoning food’s approaching being delightful (2,4,2,3) AS NICE AS PIE (~ a spicer's nigh to as nice as pie)

11 Scarlet towers over not-so-bright stars (3,6) RED DWARFS {RED}{DWARFS}

12 Overly loud American, looking back, going on (5) AFOOT {TOO}{F}{A}<=

13 Philippine city’s enthralling student paper (7) MANILLA {MANIL{L}A}

14 They split – to do the reverse! (7) ELOPERS (Run away to join) 

15 Called out: Starter’s cooking – taste? (7) SOUPCON (~soup's on)

17 Earl, scoundrel, overcome by booze, making misstep (7) ERRATUM {E}{R{RAT}UM}

20 Morning deity rejected doctrine (5) DOGMA {AM}{GOD}<=

21 Quack, then maraud wildly in a kind of story (9) DOCUDRAMA {DOC}{MARAUD*}

22 Creating three of M*A*S*H’s characters? (11) ASTERISKING Definition by example

23 Bride’s delirious, in bits (6) DEBRIS*

24 In southeast, Dutch to leave S African grassland thin (6) SVELTE {S{VELdT}E}

DOWN

2   Solve this clue to beget grand urban construction! (11,4) BRANDENBURG GATE* &lit

3   Second life for polystyrene wall filling (7) RENEWAL [T]

4   Verify eccentric Cartesian (9) ASCERTAIN*

5   Fruit and asparagus tip falling to the floor (5) PEARS (-s)PEAR(+s)S

6   See opera – ENO – never seeing energy in its star? (7) SOPRANO {See+OPeRA+eNO}

7   Sherlock’s defining characteristic heard in final moments (3,4,8) THE HOME STRAIGHT (~the holme's trait)

9   School leavers’ event in which patriotic songs belted out at last? (4) PROM (From 'Last Night of the Proms')

10 Occupying this inventor? Safety, principally! (4) OTIS Acrostic &lit

14 Troubles, including yoga, tai chi etc (9) EXERCISES [DD]

15 Does the groundwork for gits? (4) SODS [DD]

16 He makes little effort, braggart downgraded at first (7) COASTER (-b+c)COASTER

18 About to eat, having swallowed whiskey and claret (3,4) RED WINE {RE}{D{W}INE}

19 Everyman getting fourth of rounds, suppressing touch of angst, reluctant to pay (4) MEAN {ME}{rouNds} over {Angst}

21 Reads about faces (5) DARES*

Reference List

Husband = H, Nephew = N, Loud = F, American = A, Student = L, Earl = E, Dutch = D, Energy = E, About = RE