Sydney Morning Herald 2025-07-01

Pretty easy as LR tends to be, but a pretty pleasant solve for a rainy lunchtime. Some fun use of symbols and numbers as clues.

Across

6
Nodding along to beats in reggae (8)
AGREEING — anagram (beats) of IN REGGAE
9
Vocally abstinent, yet had second drink? (6)
CHASED — homophone of CHASTE (abstinent)
10
Squeezes vitamin from orange with flattened palms (6)
CLAMPS — C (vitamin from orange) with anagram (flattened) of PALMS
11
Women with scales misread mass accidentally (8)
MERMAIDS — anagram (accidentally) of MISREAD M (mass)
12
Settlement : year (6)
COLONY — COLON (:) Y (year)
13
Tried one cocktail and adjusted to surroundings (8)
ORIENTED — anagram (cocktail) of TRIED ONE
15
Cockneys reported camel features to officials (4)
UMPS — hUMPS (camel features without first letter)
17
Presently nameless (4)
ANON — double def.
21
Brought up personal assistant getting hired (8)
PARENTED — PA (personal assistant) RENTED (hired)
22
Sickened after Nationals leader got hammered (6)
NAILED — AILED (sickened) after N (first letter of nationals)
23
Sleep in ship with in-demand picture (8)
SNAPSHOT — NAP (sleep) inside SS (ship), HOT (in-demand)
25
Democrat union tries to cut Republican jobs (6)
DUTIES — D (democrat) U (union) TrIES without r (republican)
26
Eagerly take faucet back behind grassland (4,2)
LEAP AT — reversal (back) of TAP (faucet) after LEA (grassland)
27
Controlled rodent with elementary particle and vitamins (8)
RATIONED — RAT (rodent) ION (elementary particle) ED (vitamins)

Down

1
Customer's guidelines when cooking forest emus (5,2,3)
TERMS OF USE — anagram (cooking) of FOREST EMUS
2
Messy quarters for netballer in shame (6)
PIGSTY — GS (netballer) inside PITY (shame)
3
Almost 20 + 3.14 on a zodiac symbol (8)
SCORPION — SCORe (20 without last letter) PI (3.14) ON
4
Members of Wagga Labor Party (4)
GALA — hidden in wagGA LAbor
5
Raised bucks with foreign aid injection prepared (7)
READIED — reversal (raised) of DEER (bucks) with anagram (foreign) of AID inside (injection)
7
Every circuit in grand prix race (6)
GALLOP — ALL (every) O (circuit) in GP (grand prix)
8
Frisk risk, say? (6)
GAMBOL — homophone (say) of GAMBLE (risk)
14
Truth to CNN info I disseminated? (3-7)
NON-FICTION — anagram (disseminated) of TO CNN INFO I
16
Digs weed and small serves of alcohol (8)
POTSHOTS — POT (weed) SHOTS (small serves of alcohol)
18
Went to sleep, strangely defiant (7)
FAINTED — anagram (strangely) of DEFIANT
19
Writing expert liked it organised from within (6)
EDITOR — hidden in likED IT ORganised
20
Break promise to little Genevieve being raised in Rome outskirts (6)
RENEGE — reversal (raised) of GENE (little Genevieve) inside RE (outside letters of Rome)
22
Untidy, untidy lack of clothes (6)
NUDITY — anagram (untidy) of UNTIDY
24
Hippo peacefully cuddling religious leader (4)
POPE — hidden in hipPO PEacefully