Solution to 5D has been deliberately left unsolved and is to be answered only by a non-regular / novice commenter, with proper annotation. Those who have answered earlier in the week, please give others a chance.
Open for anyone to solve, if not solved by 1 PM.
ACROSS
8 Tailless mouse scampering and wrestling (4) SUMO MOUSe*
9 Devil who reformed to become Santa? (5) SATAN*
11 Father and a couple of daughters get the French means of boat propulsion (6) PADDLE {PA}{DD}{LE}
12 Game to sing about drink (8) SPORTING {S{PORT}ING}
13 Deploy National Guard in grotto in south east to rummage for usable stuff (8) SCAVENGE {S{CAVE}{NG}E}
15 Desire to harm mummy with parasites (6) MALICE {MA}{LICE}
17 Boy abused badly for smears (7) BEDAUBS {B}{ABUSED}*
19 A brain is confused about a sea (7) ARABIAN{A}{R{A}BIAN*}
22 Witch estimates, to some extent, it needs to be scratched (6) ITCHES [T]
24 Left without parents (8) ORPHANED [E]
26 Things to be thrown usually purchased before marriage (8) CONFETTI [CD]
28 Hiding behind stone, alien makes spaceship engine (6) ROCKET {ET}<=>{ROCK}
30 Only one part of a shoe (4) SOLE [DD]
31 Post office has exciting picture (5) PHOTO {P{HOT}O}
32 It's right on the map, perhaps, before Anglia (4) EAST [C&DD]
DOWN
1 Island near Florida having copper and barium (4) CUBA {CU}{BA}
2 Avoid going around carrying student in Massachusetts and European region (8) MOLDAVIA {O{L}DAVI}* in {MA}
3 Since bird is back on the ship,... (6) ASTERN {AS}{TERN}
4 Wrongly heats in ship and hides (7) STASHES {S{HEATS*}S}
5 Whistle blower in school unit with queen (8) ?N?O?M?R ()
6 Flying pilots and weapon (6) PISTOL*
7 Peel's small relative (4) SKIN {S}{KIN}
14 He's in court having captured a conman (5) CHEAT {C{HE}T} over {A}
16 Hundred rushed with some enthusiasm to get lifting device (5) CRANE {C}{RAN}{En...m}
18 Violently busts operations in boarding places (3,5) BUS STOPS {BUSTS}*{OPS}
20 British farms' subordinate units (8) BRANCHES {B}{RANCHES}
21 Type of lizard, perhaps, from can returned in back room (7) MONITOR {TIN<=} in {ROOM<=}
25 Average offspring becomes a clergyman (6) PARSON {PAR}{SON}
Reference List
King = K, Daughter = D, The in French = LE, Boy = B, Alien = ET, Student = L, Ship = SS, Small = S, Court = CT, Hundred = C, British = B, Following = F, Bachelor = B, Specs = OO, European = E
24a DD!
ReplyDeleteDo you mean 26A? Even that is not entirely correct.
ReplyDeleteNo 24a left//without parents
DeleteOrphaned can be deprived and not left
DeleteIn the sense of abandoned/left alone
DeleteA few tricky one's.
ReplyDelete9a that's the whole debate!
ReplyDeleteDid satan reform to become santa
or
Santa frustrated became satan!!
😀
DeleteSathia
5D - INFORMER is whistle blower
ReplyDeleteIN FORM (school unit) ER (queen)