No 14555, Tuesday 05 Aug 2025, Incognito

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* 

10 American tax authority includes king and irritates (4) IRKS {IR{K}S}

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<=}

23 Raised that boy following Theodore (6) HEFTED {HE}{F}{TED} 

25 Average offspring becomes a clergyman (6) PARSON {PAR}{SON} 

27 Bachelor wearing specs has European instrument (4) OBOE {O{B}O}{E}

29 Removing curs from Syracuse redevelopment? Not hard... (4) EASY SYrAcusE*

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