Everyman 3280 – Fifteensquared

Nice and easy this week. There’s a couple of odd words, but usually with such clear signposts and complete definitions, it’s not very hard to check you’ve got the right thing. Overall, a pretty nice puzzle I thought.

Across
1	CALYPSO – C(ombo) + (PLAYS)* + O
5	TOOK ILL – TOO = on top of that (as in “I’ll have another on top of that”) + KILL
9	OUTERWEAR – (AREWETOUR)*
10	CASCA – C in CASA = Spanish for house. Casca was a conspirator against Julius Caesar.
11	EYRIE – (Jane) EYRE around I. An eyrie is an eagle’s nest.
13	SANBENITO – (ESTONIAN)* around B. As described in the clue, a sanbenito is was a robe worn by heretics, particularly during the Spanish Inquisition.
14	PUSH THE BOAT OUT – dd
16	A ROOM WITH A VIEW – dd. Incidentally, this is one of my favourite books so I’m ashamed at the number of checking letters I waited for before getting this!
20	PRESSES ON – PRESS + (NOSE)<
21	TENET – E(veryone) in TENT
22	CLEAN – LE in CAN
23	GRILLROOM – GROOM = curry around RILL = channel
25	SUMMERY – “SUMMARY”
26	RUSTLER – cd. “Nowt” is Scottish slang for cattle.

Down
1	CLOSE-UPS – LOSE in CUPS
2	LOT – hidden in wilL-‘O-The wisp
3	PERFECT NONSENSE – PERFECT = tense (past, present, future etc.) + NONSENSE
4	OVERSEE – VERSE in (p)OE(m)
5	TORONTO – RON in TOTO
6	ORCHESTRA STALLS – (STARTLESSCHOLAR)*. Interestingly, this area of a theatre is most commonly abbreviated as the Stalls in the UK and the Orchestra in the U.S.A.
7	INSTITUTION – dd
8	LEAD ON – (ONELAD)*
12	RESERVE TEAM – RESERVE = book + (MATE)*
15	TWO-TIMER – TWO + (REMIT)<
17	WISE – WISE + GUY
18	TANGIER – (GRANITE)*
19	SPACES – SP + ACES
24	OIL – (OLI)*ves + &lit to a certain extent