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Unless I have the solutions wrong, I feel that there are several dubious definitions in the puzzle.

Express pleasure for Conservative line *R*W CROW

Meat and a lot of fancy food as a prize *A*P*R HAMPER

Set containing a pearl *E*D BEAD

Crow, express pleasure, that seems fine. - C, Conservative and Row, line.


Hamper is sneakier. Ham = meat, Per = A (£5 per head, £5 a head),. Hamper, a lot of fancy food as a prize.

... I forgot to add that Chambers gives ' a basket, and its contents, usually food' for Hamper.

Set, bed seem reasonable - for gardening say.

Hi, malone. They were my parsings.

The BRB gives to crow as "to croak; to utter a crow; to boast, swagger, triumph (often with over)" So I'm not keen on the "express pleasure"

Again a hamper doesn't necessarily contain "fancy" food nor is it a prize particularly.

Thanks, Ken. Collins - often used to by the Times - has 'utter cries of pleasure', for 'crow'.

My in-laws won a few hampers in their time, and those definitely contained 'fancy' food. I agree, though, it's not a very good clue.

I agree also that 20 was not very good. I figured that must be it as "ham" is the only meat that would fit, and I did see the definition in Chambers that you refer to, but still.

I have one that I can't see:

23: Charlie worried about queen's old car (5)

A hint would be welcome.

Another I didn't care for was 15; I dislike "up" as an anagram indicator.

Think NATO alphabet for the first word, then the usual for worried and queen.

I had thought that, but I hadn't considered that word as a term for an old car. Now I'm thinking that I have heard it before. Thanks, buddy.

Where I grew up they were called beaters.