Crossword Help Forum
Forum Rules

Hello, Elle!
It is fine walking weather!
You appear to left your bug behind you!
Why not invite your local lady in for a coffee and a blether?
You may find out her son's plans for the house?
3 puzzles? Impressive!

Hi, Rusty!
Yes, it has been a lovely day for walking!
It was necessary to walk quickly in order to keep warm, but I am happy to do that now that I have my energy back!
I have enjoyed today!
Of course I invited my "visitor" in for a coffee!
I'm beginning to wonder just whose house she is planning to move into though....
Maybe mine? She has been back three times today!
She rings the bell....I open the door......and in she pops!
It's a tad disconcerting!
As far as I can gather regarding plans, she and her husband want to live next door, but their son wants to do it up and sell it........
Or so he tells us.
I only managed to do three puzzles because they were all relatively easy ones today!
I still cannot parse 20d and 22a in the 15 x15?
I have "gutless" and "brimstone"?

Hello, Elle!
No harm having a coffee with the lady.
20, A conjecture could be a "guess"
The origins of "the latest" are the initial letters, "t" and "l".
Clue uses the word "about", so put "guess" around "t" and "l" and you have "gutless", meaning "chicken".
22, to nearly run over, could mean something is full to the "brim".
"Stone" could be brownish-grey (I hope!)
And a "brimstone" can be a "butterfly"
Though I prefer a "flutterby"!

rusty

Agree with all that - I cant get the C?R?B one. I suppose chocolate is bar over to give C?RAB - but whats the sugar?

Hello, Jigjag!
Carob is a sugar substitute.
It is "carb", short for carbohydrate, around "o" for "over" in cricket.

Setter is using chocolate to indicate "carb".

thanks rusty - ive never heard of carob

Me, too.
Carob is a substitute for chocolate, found in Health shops.
"Over cutting sugar" is "carb" around "o". Carob.
Sorry for being so convoluted, Jigjag!

Jigjag,
Ignore my post at 18896, it is incorrect!

I have some lovely carob pods among my collections from the days when I used to travel the world. We did taste some beans but they, like others , need roasting etc