Crossword Help Forum
Forum Rules

After an hour gave up with less than 1/3 solved. My worst attempt for months . I've looked up the answers (thanks danword) and puzzled over several for ages .
I can safely say that I would never have solved the long anagrams 1a, 25a and 4d which doesn't help.
I guessed the correct answers for 3d and 13a but couldn't parse so didn't put them in.
1d,9a, 10a, 21a and 23a were too clever for me.
If you'd asked me to list wines then 23d would have been way down by list.
Never heard of the fish if it is spelled that way nor did I know that 18d existed on a map.
To compound my misery missed the hidden word clue.
Of course getting just a couple more would have led to more crossers and who knows?

You probably missed the 2nd hidden word clue as well then, but it does also parse as a non-hidden (which is how I got it), with bone = meal.

Too right -thought it was an anagram of Tartars surrounded by as you put it above. And to think I solved all bar one of the FT crossword yesterday well within an hour!

9a - Add me to the list of those who didn't realise this was hidden until after I'd solved it! I kept wondering why there was no containment indicator and what part "allegedly" played and was "bone" both definition and part of the wordplay?

Then the light finally dawned:-)

I found most of this not too difficult but 8A has me stumped. It seems there aren’t many ways one could parse the clue but nevertheless it’s not coming to me. Could someone lend a gentle hint?

8 is a backward clue, as indicated by "returns". Definition "catastrophe", reversal of a word meaning ...

Thanks geekier… I had all that and it’s still not coming to me. I think my 2D might be wrong…

Sorry for that previous post, geeker. Autocorrect had a different notion of how to spell your handle.

Hi Horn2x,

2d - 5 letter term for "seats" as in 'backsides' with "Romeo" replaced with "Juliet" - definition is "rises"

8a - a term for "ill-temper" (as in 'he's in a temper' or he's in a ????) reversed/returns gives you a word meaning "catastrophe" as in ''disaster' or 'misfortune'.

Thanks, Brendan. I had 2D wrong; your hint gave me what I needed and then 8A became obvious.