Welcome to another engaging puzzle in our quick crossword series, No 17,576. If you’re a fan of wordplay and challenging your vocabulary, dive into this set of clues across and down to test your skills.
Across Clues
1. Job completed – my uncle Robert (4,4,5): A phrase indicating the completion of a task, related to an uncle named Robert.
8. Discount travel period (7): Refers to a time when fares are less expensive.
9. Example: Manchester Ship or Grand (5): This clue hints at a type of waterway.
10. Extremely dry (4): A word that describes the state of being very thirsty.
11. To express anxieties openly and with relief (8): Includes ‘oneself’; divulging personal concerns freely.
13. Phrase completion: “The world is my ___” (6): An expression of limitless possibilities.
14. A morning cereal (6): A common breakfast dish, usually oats.
17. Stuffed vine leaves (8): A culinary delicacy involving vine leaves filled with a savoury mixture.
19. The least deep of the Great Lakes (4): Referring to a specific lake known for its shallowness compared to others.
21. Type of gut bacterium (1,4): Consists of two words, with a single letter followed by four.
22. Fast communication medium, possibly hot here (7): Describes a rapid mode of delivering messages, with temperatures mentioned metaphorically.
24. Minuscule European nation (13): A principality known for its small size.
Down Clues
1. Phrase never uttered to a goose (3): A short word or sound regarded as unsuitable to say to this bird.
2. Intellectuals or specialists (7): Another term for individuals with expertise in scientific fields.
3. Fashion designer ___ Saint Laurent (4): Completing the name of a renowned fashion icon.
4. Unkind and inconsiderate (6): A term describing mean or thoughtless behaviour.
5. Excessively flattering (8): Describes someone behaving in an insincerely earnest manner.
6. Intoxicated and woven with rattan (5): A term that can mean both being hammered and a style of woven material.
7. Anagram: Sweetbrier and inelegant (9): Relate the words in a disorderly arrangement.
10. Plenty for the price (1,4,4): A phrase involving a letter and two words summing up to a good deal.
12. Enormous rock part of ancient architecture (8): Refers to a huge stone, commonly seen in prehistoric sites.
15. Juvenile pilchard (7): The term for a young or small form of this fish.
16. Technical support advice: ‘Turn it off and on again’ (6): Reference to a popular IT troubleshooting tip.
18. Lacking tautness (5): A term for something that is loose or not firmly held.
20. Singer/songwriter ___ Redding (4): Complete the name of a famous soul artist.
23. Poet’s term for nightfall, contracted (3): A short poetic word or phrase signifying the end of the day.
Reporting based on coverage first published by theguardian.com.