The Sunday Crossword No 3354, Sunday 20 Apr 2025

ACROSS

1   Aplomb – or kind of a trick? (10) CONFIDENCE [DD]

6   4, whichever way you look at it! (4) BOOB<=>

9   Cutter between Channel Islands, losing direction, distressed (7) INCISOR {IN}{CI}{SORe}

10 Bullfighter Damon shown exit, we hear (7) MATADOR {(~matt)MAT A DOOR}

12 ‘Paella?’ groaned displaced American writer (5,5,3) EDGAR ALLAN POE*

14 Jury’s findings after court’s thrown out Italian scorer (5) VERDI VERDIct

15 Runners’ trainers? (9) BEANPOLES [CD]

16 Excess denim – rare – fancy! (9) REMAINDER*

18 Part of caterpillar going slowly (5) LARGO [T]

20 Per Spooner, the time for gardening had come: no-one told me (3,3,1,2,4) HOW WAS I TO KNOW (~now was i to hoe how was i to know)

23 To begin with, thoroughbred turned, went at moderate pace (7) TROTTED {Th...d}{ROTTED}

24 Mix using seeds to augment relish – delicious, primarily? (7) MUSTARD Acrostic Semi&lit

25 Confines swans (4) PENS [DD]

26 Buff and shine statue, mostly vigorously (10) ENTHUSIAST {SHINE+STATUe}*

DOWN

1   Prune extract (4) CLIP [DD]

2   Heavily armed and dim – peacekeepers flipping! (7) NUCLEAR {UN<=>NU}NUCLEAR

3   At home, Mark supposing that Everyman is able take time to be petty (13) INSIGNIFICANT {IN}{SIGN}{IF}{I CAN}{T}

4   Fright being topless, a mistake (5) ERROR tERROR

5   Chair reupholstered with lamé fabric (5,4) CAMEL HAIR {CHAIR+LAME}*

7   Crossword setter’s into dictionary, mate: that’s kind of complex (7) OEDIPAL {OED}{I}{PAL}

8   Where you might get a flat top – hopefully not from the tenor (10) BARBERSHOP [CD/Semi&lit]

11 They go up and down in tailspin, storm raging (13) TRAMPOLINISTS*

13 Somewhat extrovert, he topes too much (4-3-3) OVER-THE-TOP [T]

15 Badly bred, dined staying in PJs? (9) BEDRIDDEN*

17 Butcher’s second wife unhappy (3,4) MOW DOWN {MO}{W}{DOWN}

19 Basic facts; a little conflict’s arisen (3,4) RAW DATA {A}{TAD}{WAR}<=

21 Va-va-voom, or emphatically minimal speed? (5) OOMPH {00 MPH}

22 Change hearts of greedier visitors (4) EDIT {greEDier}{visITors}

Reference List

Court = CT, Peacekeepers = UN, Time = T, Second = MO, Wife = W