The solved grid
1S
P
2H
E
3R
E
S
4B
U
5M
P
6S
C
E
E
A
A
A
7R
E
L
I
C
8L
I
T
H
I
U
M
U
I
U
E
H
L
B
9F
O
X
T
R
O
T
10T
I
B
I
A
F
T
U
A
S
11J
I
12T
T
E
R
B
U
G
13P
A
W
R
L
14V
E
R
S
E
15M
A
16Z
U
17R
K
A
E
H
E
A
I
E
S
18S
W
E
E
T
E
N
19P
L
A
I
T
T
A
E
P
C
I
20A
I
D
E
D
21P
S
Y
C
H
I
C
Across
1 Across She reps, shaken up, are round objects (7) → SPHERES Anagram
Anagram of “she reps”.
4 Across Swellings found in album psalms (5) → BUMPS Hidden word
Hidden inside “album psalms”.
7 Across A barrel icons expert hides an antique inside (5) → RELIC Hidden word
Hidden inside “barrel icons”.
8 Across Confusingly, hi multi is the lightest metal (7) → LITHIUM Anagram
Anagram of “hi multi”.
9 Across Wildly, tor oft x forms a lively ballroom dance (3,4) → FOX TROT Anagram
Anagram of “tor oft x”.
10 Across First letters of the irritated bull is angry spell a shin bone (5) → TIBIA Initialism
First letters of: the, irritated, bull, is, angry.
11 Across Bitter jug, shaken up, is an energetic swing dance (9) → JITTERBUG Anagram
Anagram of “bitter jug”.
14 Across Tips of various elderly relatives seem eccentric, a line of poetry (5) → VERSE Initialism
First letters of: various, elderly, relatives, seem, eccentric.
15 Across Bosnian currency embracing German word for 'to' is a lively Polish dance (7) → MAZURKA Container
ZU inside MARKA.
18 Across Add sugar with a tiny bit inside a Sten gun (7) → SWEETEN Container
WEE inside STEN.
19 Across A braid of hair, oddly, in a polka mitt (5) → PLAIT Alternate letters
Every other letter of “polka mitt”, starting with the first.
20 Across Cores of a chair, brief, model, theme and order helped (5) → AIDED Middle letters
Middle letters of: chair, brief, model, theme, order.
21 Across Physic, plus a hundred, wildly rearranged, is a mind reader (7) → PSYCHIC Anagram
Anagram of “physic c”.
Down
1 Down Unkempt individuals, scuffs and an R, jumbled (7) → SCRUFFS Anagram
Anagram of “scuffs r”.
2 Down Curl in chopper's kiss (5) → HELIX Charade
HELI + X.
3 Down Old currency embraced by a pair of rights, happen again (5) → RECUR Container
ECU inside RR.
4 Down However hydrogen's bill, turned back, a place to soak (7) → BATHTUB Reversal
BUT H TAB reversed.
5 Down Sack for letters found in email bagpipes (7) → MAILBAG Hidden word
Hidden inside “email bagpipes”.
6 Down Endings of circus, opera, album, club and gala, a Brazilian dance (5) → SAMBA Initialism
Last letters of: circus, opera, album, club, gala.
8 Down Permit a semester an article for the varsity athlete (9) → LETTERMAN Charade
LET + TERM + AN.
11 Down A marine, or pot boss (7) → JARHEAD Charade
JAR + HEAD.
12 Down Scrambled, a wet teed shot got posted online (7) → TWEETED Anagram
Anagram of “wet teed”.
13 Down Quiet endurance with a circuit chip, a man-made material (7) → PLASTIC Charade
P + LAST + IC.
14 Down Roman five embracing an estimate, before an amp, an old-style match (5) → VESTA Container
EST inside VA.
16 Down Yankee, pixel density, Zulu turned around, spirited (5) → ZIPPY Reversal
Y PPI Z reversed.
17 Down A rift, beheaded, can extend to (5) → REACH Deletion
BREACH without its initial B.
How this puzzle was checked
Every clue in this crossword was verified against its own wordplay by
software, then the finished puzzle was read and edited by hand before
publication: definitions, indicators, enumerations and surface readings
all get looked at, and clues that don't hold up are rewritten. The
editorial standards set out what that
covers.
Spotted something wrong here? Email
badclues@decryptic.app and
this page will be corrected. See the
corrections policy.
