2716: Cluelessness
Across
11 Playful killer whales swimming, not terribly well, lacking energy (7)
12 Former parking cut in safe English city (6)
13 Question in National Curriculum test exercises (6)
14 Section of relatively revolutionary musical (5)
15 Wheels finally augmented by auxiliary spoke (4)
17 Drive, say, sport from the east (4)
21 Consult on standard Persian dialect (6)
23 This, cradled in one's hands, breathed spasmodically (9)
26 Drinks case of alcohol with ease, oddly enough (4)
28 Half of alphabet – the smallest part? (4)
30 Airlifted cast in festival (3,2-4)
36 Suppressing anger, bore having shock? (6)
39 Curl up, withdrawing both hands (4)
40 Old does spot leader of hinds (4)
41 Open University linked to Northern Energy (5)
42 How you might thus have tea? (3,3)
43 Saint working final lyrical poem (6)
44 Insert aged airmen in English force (7)
Down
2 Racial shifts around heart of arable Italian region (8)
3 Papal family contributing to investors in industry (6)
4 Animosity over tense card game (6)
5 Supplant American referee's intro on high tackles (5)
6 Exhausted elders assemble, standing for respect (6)
7 Tranquillity that's occasionally needed when one goes to pot (4)
9 Captured in vendetta, saving skin, crumbling (6)
18 King I now see meets large Jewish community (5)
19 Lost slave messenger periodically missing (4)
20 Mafia dons run away from island (4)
24 Brown gong buried in ancient city (5)
25 Essentially, man's idea upset woman (4)
27 Layer in ground at first unknown (8)
29 Most of rubbish in skip (4)
32 Big gun shot on table? (6)
33 Strong effect starts to influence mutual agreement (6)
34 Whale's flap almost covering ear (6)
35 Acknowledgement of A&E perhaps picked up (6)
37 BBC North holds up tips for later? (5)
38 Take out chum (4)
Download a printable version here.
A first prize of £30 and two runners-up prizes of £20 for the first correct solutions opened on 1 September. Please scan or photograph entries and email them (including the crossword number in the subject field) to crosswords@spectator.co.uk, or post to: Crossword 2716, The Spectator, 22 Old Queen Street, London SW1H 9HP.
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