Celebration Cracker by Anax
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As Big Dave announced previously I got married last week and Anax made me a puzzle http://crossword.info/anaxcrosswords/flashling here’s my solution to it, thanks BD for letting me publish the solution here.
There’s quite a few allusions to fireworks of which my wife and I do profession displays and there’s a Nina of 5/18 in CATHRYN WALLACE which was her name. But this is an Anax, there’s a bit of unfair stuff due to personalisation, no one said it was going to be easy.
Across
| 1 | Lingerie model is nude (6) | UNDIES | [IS NUDE]* |
| 5 | See 21d | ||
| 9 | One flying club magazine (8) | WOODCHAT | WOOD (golf club) & CHAT magazine |
| 10 | A green firework (6) | ROCKET | Double definition, the salad plant & a firework |
| 11 | You are mostly around for fireworks (6) | UPROAR | U (you) and AR(e) mostly around PRO (for) for a different type of fireworks |
| 12 | Award given after a German gig (6) | HANSOM | HANS (German name) & OM (order of merit) for a carriage. |
| 14 | Breaking the law re Chinese fireworks (9,6) | CATHERINE WHEELS | [THE LAW RE CHINESE]* Very nice clue. |
| 16 | If whiter, evidently unsafe? (7,4,4) | PLAYING WITH FIRE | Playing “WITH FIRE” gives [IF WHITER]* |
| 20 | Firework primarily bought to create fireworks? (6) | BANGER | B(ought) primarily & ANGER (fireworks) |
| 22 | Smelly product smothering a Romeo’s organ (6) | LARYNX | LYNX (a range of deodorants) around A R(omeo) |
| 24 | In which you’ll find nothing cleaner (6) | VACUUM | Double definition |
| 25 | A security group’s trouble over Asia Minor (8) | ANATOLIA | A & NATO & AIL reversed |
| 26 | Softening of Caroline’s voice when drinking wine (7) | DETENTE | TENT (wine) in (Simon) DEE who was the voice of Radio Caroline |
| 27 | Michael Atherton’s secret anxiety (6) | LATHER | Hidden in clue |
| Down | |||
| 2 | No closer to the other corner (4) | NOOK | NOOK(y) A bit of the other… |
| 3 | Clumsy about day, hour, minute? (2-5) | IN DEPTH | D(ay) in INEPT(clumsy) & H(our). Great misdirection. |
| 4 | There must be a term for such a regular journey (6,3) | SCHOOL RUN | Cryptic definition |
| 5 | Phil’s wife can try to get changed without husband (7) | CATHRYN | H(usband) in [CAN TRY]* |
| 6 | Rt Hon Dicky Dudley, economist (5) | NORTH | [RT HON]* |
| 7 | Breaks string that binds one in Italy (7) | LACUNAE | UNA (1 in Italian) in LACE |
| 8 | Actress has run American over – fat (3,7) | SUE POLLARD | LOPE & US all reversed & LARD |
| 13 | Delaware vagrant secures a good US civilian honour (5,5) | EAGLE AWARD | A & G(ood) in [DELAWARE]* |
| 15 | Party perhaps admitting a worry about firework (9) | WATERFALL | WALL (party wall) around A & FRET reversed |
| 17 | Gentile’s thrown up spoilt dairy product (7) | YOGHURT | GOY (Gentile) reversed & HURT |
| 18 | Inventor‘s wife, utterly brilliant (7) | WALLACE | As in Wallace & Gromit, W(ife) & ALL & ACE. Yes we had A Grand Day Out. |
| 19 | Twig‘s thin, suspect said (4,3) | FIND OUT | Sounds like FINE DOUBT |
| 21/5a | Fireworks chap can date between jobs (5,7) | ROMAN CANDLES | MAN CAN D(ate) in ROLES |
| 23 | Firework that belongs to me (4) | MINE | Double definition |