Monday 30 January 2023

February Prize Puzzle

 Cross Contamination by Coot


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Clashes appear in ten cells. A one-word description of the theme can be made using one set of letters, and a two-word description using the other set. Solvers should fill the grid using the former and write the latter under the grid.

Across
1. E. Truss is bonkers, most likely (6)
4. Old funnymen's self-esteem wearing skimpy underwear? Not good (3,5)
9. Favourite in garden? "Varied aster bed", admits King (9)
11. Spirit level finally located behind a trailer, oddly (5)
12. Short video recalled enclosure from Epsom or Pontefract (5)
13. Two-thirds of fish in pan sparkle, done very quickly (5-4)
14. Principal artist lost without it (4)
15. Tense about working this evening (7)
19. Old squeeze, say (7)
21. Spam maybe bit of meat to cause distress (4)
24. After international match, approach gets automatic evaluation? (4,5)
26. Stuck setting, Coot's disappeared! (5)
27. What cuts cow having gut extracted with probes? (5)
28. Recent reported madness includes love for a nasty illness (9)
29. Quality stock (8)
30. Poor taste uniform required by school (6)

Down
1. Fight boy at wedding in process of getting wasted? (9)
2. Directed a war video - it's fast-paced but unwatchable! (5,4)
3. Close match... dismissal... runs... edge... over (6)
5. Top 40: where you might appear if your number's up! (3,4)
6. Keeper of poorly iguana backed medic to intervene (8)
7. Doubting marks of former student discovered lying about files (5)
8. Your task: take sample from aerosol ventilator (5)
10. Fresh milk found here, unopened (4)
16. Irritates one of the French retained doctors, perhaps (9)
17. Fleet, initially failing to depart, tortuously trace signal (9)
18. Quoted by awkward journalist (8)
20. Cushion for footballer's quiet, stylish home (4,3)
22. Egg on meat often served in bread, crusts removed (4)
23. Shellfish in small river starts to paddle intensely (6)
24. Cat's tail semi-upright by... (5)
25. ...sleepy Imam, periodically finding shade (5)



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