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B-headed by Anax
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Bits and Pieces

This is Anax's third puzzle for this site. His previous puzzles set a high standard and B-headed certainly lives up to it. An initial look at the clues will show that he set himself an interesting constraint – as does the amusing title. A constraint such as this tests any setter's abilities, and Anax has more than risen to the challenge, even using it to his advantage. This is not an easy puzzle,  but well worth the graft – my favourite clues are 25 across and 4 down.

Bheaded.jpg

ACROSS
1 Beaten by priest near church (12)
9 Bird-like, you might say with enthusiasm (7)
10 Board-maker, perhaps, smashing crate without hesitation (7)
11 Beheaded after moving cast-iron stocks (11)
12 Bit of old French bread like that taken to university (3)
13 Beverage taker suffering acute pain, initially (6)
14 Bats sleep outside dump, returning by 7 (8)
17 Butcher puts head of mutton behind port (8)
18 Branch office opening old city's mail (6)
21 Brunewald excerpt is original (3)
22 Bravery, as it were? (11)
23 Beyond rivalry that won't finish unsettled (7)
24 Being lower, secures river anchorage (7)
25 Blue, as it is made to be? (12)

DOWN
1 Bar having media get-together? (7)
2 Beatles song, unknown, spotted in hedge I take for recycling (5,4,1,4)
3 Big fish mostly heckle Irish paramilitaries (9)
4 Bash Street Kids' last engagements (6)
5 Blues guitarist's record you won't finish playing (2,6)
6 Bridge in musical to support singers (5)
7 Break point – purpose is essentially guesswork (14)
8 Beef and game (6)
15 Be there to embrace sailor's volte-face (4-5)
16 Bad-tempered, he'd re-written a letter to linguists (7-1)
17 Bottomless pit, currently a source of bait (6)
19 Beer garden's bar missed out – failed to meet expectations (7)
20 Breaking the law with support of a Ukrainian region (6)
22 Bones of soldiers, dead ones (5)

 

Solution to B-headed by Anax