Solving time: 29 minutes

I found it quite a challenge today and a suitable warm-up for the new Listener due in a wee while.  Am a bit baffled about parsing 9 down, my guess is shown, but I think I’m wide of the mark.

ACROSS            * = ANAGRAM  CD = CRYPTIC DEF  R = REVERSAL

5  ELLIPTICAL       I’LL PLACE IT*

8  OMIT                    (V)OMIT

10  STUN                  NUTS (R)  See MAST in Chambers.

12  TERAHIKI         New fish on me, thanks to Mrs Bradford.

14  BICARB               BARB about I + C (chemist’s first)

15 CARRIAGE TRADE     REGARD IT A RACE*   Another new phrase on me.

17  BRUISE              B + RUSE with I inside.

18  ALSATIAN        AL(L) + SAT IN (demonstrated) with A inside

20  DISHWASHER   DISH +  WAS HER(E)

22  RUIN                   I inside RUN

23  ERDA                   Hidden answer.  Erda was a German goddess and mother to Brunhilde.

24  CARNATIONS     R + NATION inside CAS(E)

DOWN

1  VIENNA                V + I  + ANNE (R)

2  OTIC                      TO (R) + I + C

3  BLOOD BATHS    H inside   BLOOD BATS (Vampires)

4  FOCACCIA            C + CIA after AC + OF (R)

6  LETTER CARRIER  Character (LETTER) +  Infected person CARRIER

7  CARDIOGRAPHER   CARD (Wit) + OR RAGE & PHI *

9  INCARCERATION    I + N ( I note) + CARE RATION with C inside

13  ITINERANCY   IN IT (*) + ERA + C in NY

16  RAILHEAD     RAIL + HE + A D

19  TURBID     TUR (R) + BID

21  ROAD      A inside ROD

 And so, gentle reader, I’m off for an appointment at Listener Towers……

4/14 provided the theme for this enjoyable puzzle, which I found a bit tougher than usual for this setter. What’s a bit strange though is that I count 13 men’s names in the grid: LUKE, JOHN, EDDIE, NICHOLAS, BASIL, ANDREW, JAMES, GEORGE, DAVID, PAUL, PETER, LAWRENCE and MARK. Which makes me wonder if I’ve got one of them wrong…? [Edit: as eimi points out below, Eddie is not a thematic answer as the other twelve are all saints]

Excellent crossword! Quite testing and certainly fun, with enough continuous progress to keep you interested.

There were five types of clue.

1. Five “appendectomies” where the last letter had to be deleted before grid entry,

2. Five “births” where D for daughter or S for son had to be removed from the middle of the “mother’s” body,

3. Five “cosmetic procedures” which turned out to be liposuction - the removal of fats (in this case fat, lard, oil, ghi and butter),

4. Five “serious operations” on the clue, which turned out to be transplants, letter(s) being transplanted from the wordplay to the definition. I only solved these after completing the rest of the puzzle!

5. Twenty normal clues.

The first thing to do was to carry out a letter count on the clues. Ten had one letter more in the clue than in the diagram and five had several letters more. These last five I assumed to be the “cosmetic procedures”, which was confirmed by 33D SIGHING where the only word of four letters to fit in the grid was SING meaning GHI had to be omitted. At this time it was not clear whether this was three consecutive alphabetical letters or clarified butter! Later (FAT)ALLY confirmed the latter and the others followed quite quickly, apart from NUT BUTTER, the clue for which gave me great pleasure! 

HUSS(Y) gave the lead to the appendectomies, and LEN(D)S to the births, though I remain unhappy about “donates” as a definition. 

Solving time : several hours

Just a quick reminder that some of us are gathering for another pub & grub session next Friday.

Full details in this previous posting.