Crossword Help Forum
Forum Rules

Phil @16 the drag reference is quite amusing now I see it!

PS pretty sure that’s not intentional

Thanks Brendan. I think I just about get 24A now. (A becomes AN, and two Ns as in the abbreviation for 'new' in a classified ad?) As Mathi (I think) pointed out, rather tortuous if that's the correct parsing. I did like the 'the old throwback' part of the clue, though - very clever.

Hi Phil,
I think it's just N= New so News (plural) = NN

Hi Jono
Yep, I'm sure it's just a crazy coincidence ... but it did enable me to insert the correct answer when I was going down the wrong track and looking for the name of a queen. (I hadn't reached 18D yet!) Once it was in I saw the correct parsing ... aside from the aforementioned quibble about the use of QU rather than Q for the abbreviation.

Thanks Phil and Brendan, now have the French location and finished enjoyed today's.

Completely stumped on 9a

i found this very difficult. no idea on the parsing of 18d.

3d is a clue type i dislike. did anyone build it up from its parts?

cosmo - it's only the top parts of the waves.

9ac is a Spoonerism which involves swapping the front of words around. Thus my dishwasher becomes my wish dasher, and every time I step into a lift that says “doors closing” I flip it to “claws dozing”.

In the case of 9ac, Spooner understands or is well versed in the part of a wave you might ride along on. If you then swap the fronts of those words you get a part of a ship, in this case pluralised. I always think of pirate ships having these.

Hi Chris,

18d 7 letter "blockbuster" film minus (mer)C(ury) + ending in (radio gag)A - definition - "queen"