Not the Saturday Prize Puzzle – 059
Epics by Retiarius
+– + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
Foreword
Welcome to the latest in our series of weekly puzzles.
This week we have a puzzle from Retiarius, a new setter. If you are a follower of Fifteensquared he is one half of Handel, the team that used to blog Guardian and Independent on Sunday puzzles.
The puzzle
Epics by Retiarius
There is an interactive version of the puzzle here.
If you prefer your puzzles on paper, a pdf of the puzzle an be downloaded from the interactive version.
| Across | Down | |||
| 1 | Ambassador’s terrible year without girl (8) | 1 | English caught in this branch of philosophy (6) | |
| 5 | See 12 | 2 | A frenetic arrangement links man and machine (9) | |
| 9 | Educate intensively in 12 venue? (8) | 3 | Theatrical cast includes old women (5) | |
| 10 | Publican might raise a glass to these spirited distributors (6) | 4 | About unusual cures: a lifesaver (7) | |
| 12/5 | Attempt to ingratiate dog with extremely risky indulgence (5,6) | 6 | A quiet cheer’s right for judge (9) | |
| 13 | Ignorant king hiding in a French lair returns (9) | 7/25 | Pilgrim follows Bono in bizarre accompaniment to 12 (5,5) | |
| 14/21D | Mad, mad jury hear about very loud spice girl? (6,7) | 8 | Leftover aid lures deviant (8) | |
| 16 | Bamboo-lover swallows arsenic 12 (7) | 11 | Unexpected deviation leads to big leap in profits (4) | |
| 19 | Idleness: I note it’s returned in time (7) | 15 | Eager for 12 to go? (3,2,4) | |
| 21 | Lower bailiwick’s top (6) | 17 | Provoke garrison’s leader with superior new weapon (6-3) | |
| 23 | Food spies ordered to kill (7,2) | 18 | Cheap wine holds old boy up 12 (8) | |
| 25 | Island hosts model 12 (5) | 20 | Declared competent for victim (4) | |
| 26 | Be extremely randy for old servant in uniform (6) | 21 | See 14 Across | |
| 27 | Rile a bishop’s first organiser (8) | 22 | Daft critic’s a lemon? (6) | |
| 28 | Decorative horn a Texan carries (6) | 24 | The Count of Cardinal Crimes? (5) | |
| 29 | Unsullied young Clegg might’ve earned this epithet at choir practice, say (8) | 25 | See 7 |
NTSPP -060 >