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Thanks Jono @17.

I'm sure your right but I still can't make it work.

If something is "stained with blood then hasn't it ??NE ???

I guess it's the past tense of "stained " that I'm struggling to convert, in a sentence, to the present tense.

I don’t think the 3,2 parse is relevant. It’s just two meanings of the 5 letter answer. Both past tense.

But if it's a double definition, then which 2 parts is the answer defining?

First 3 words and last 3 words

I took 9a. as a synonym for 'stab', as in 'attempt' (2) + 'stained with blood' (3).

Ahhh, thank you Mattrom,

That now makes total sense.

Better, I like it. Thanks, Mattrom.

Ah yes, I agree - that's the correct wordplay (not the DD that I had).

Struggling with this. Held up by putting STRAIN OUT for 1d - works perfectly well, if strain=air as in song! Shown wrong by 11a.

Finished but quite the slog. Please can you help me with the parsing of 13ac and 18dn. Answers are obvious from the crossers but just don't see the wordplay. Thanks