Tuesday 5th February 2008

ACROSS:

1: Hepatitis [He + Pat + It + Is ... livery, to do with the liver]
9: ???
10: Free State [Not bound = Free]
11: Statue [You = 'u', in state (condition) ... model]
12: Unitarian [Religious reference]
13: Sneers [Never = Ne'er, Ship = SS ... Scornful]
17: One [One + Ill = O'Neill]
19: Traitor [Art back = Tra + itor (riot) ... no faith]
20: Risotto [Kinght = Sir, back = Ris, to back and forth = Ot + To ... Food]
21: Eve [A dam ... Adam and Eve]
23: Entire [Sounds like hole = 'whole', anagram of In+Tree]
27: Itchiness [State of needing to be scratched]
28: Maenad [Greek? myth of insane women with catlike tendencies - anagram of Mad+Ena]
29: Freewheel [No cost = Free + Wheel (go round on the bike)]
30: System [Stalk at last = stem, arrangement = SYstem]
31: Underrate [Cut-price = Under Rate ... belittle]

DOWN:

2: Errand [Do wrong = Err + And ... run an errand]
3: Averts [a backward cleric = A+VER+TS (backward saint (St)) ... keeps away]
4: In Turn [NI is 'In' turned, one by one = in turn, should have been (2,4)]
5: In Train [obvious]
6: Whiteness [Pallor]
7: Vestments [Religious clothing]
8: Aspersion [May be cast....don't get mills of north reference]
14: Uttermost [To say = Utter + most, cannot have more ... absolutely]
15: Past Tense ['Was' in past tense is 'Is']
16: Stargazer [Film fan = Star Gazer ... at the observatory]
17: Ore [Sounds like 'Or', unrefined]
18: Ere [Ere = before, +bus = Erebus ... underworld in ancient myth]
22: Veteran [Beastly doctor = VET + ERAN (near) ... old]
24: Cheese [Made up = Edam ... kind of cheese]
25: Anchor [nothing = 'O', with ranch (anagram) ... stops ship]
26: Assent [Way it went out - As Sent ... Yes, agreement]

More tomorrow....usual copyright bull.