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Puzzle 2 by Sleight
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Sleight's second puzzle is a real challenge, worthy of some of the more difficult offerings in the Times.This one will really get those grey cells going and there are plenty of good penny-drop moments. In particular I liked 13 across and 6, 7, 13 and 15 down.
sleight2.jpg


ACROSS
1
Order for flooring? (4,5)
6 Test channel (5)
9 Wild oxen not at first found trapped in some headlights (5)
10 Running in a coat or nothing at all (9)
11 In defence, a child competent to provide grounds for acquittal (10,5)
13 I turn REME leaderless, disordered (8)
14 Thus you and I head for town (6)
16 One pokes around for signs of activity (6)
18 Despite being involved in critical thought...(8)
21 …Roy’s team of comics and I are in prison population, questionably (15)
23 Unusual hollering left out before end of run for opera (9)
25 Sailors in Irish Sea might do this briefly, but that's not to be taken literally (5)
26 Cracked back on head of statue representing Indian monarchs (5)
27 Order of glass breaking in this case? (9)

DOWN
1
Repairman’s developing solution (5)
2 Rock star in a clan from northwestern England (11)
3 Setting of call for help heard from Daedalus, perhaps (7)
4 Caught sick, end’s near (8)
5 Grimly, crazy lady adopts Rudyard Kipling, initially (6)
6 Issue about a medal for unknown (2-3-2)
7 Heard ‘What’s ’is name?’ is a famous shooter (3)
8 Check canine’s canine, perhaps (4-5)
12 A relationship is never the same after this (7,4)
13 Op-ed’s lead in columnar formatting has a singular perspective (9)
15 David’s still here (8)
17 Slips over and trips on To-Do list (7)
19 Strange barks heard first at this distance? (7)
20 Against a setting of lines (6)
22 Wound-up old man, losing head, after year expressing consuming pleasure (5)
24 Course requiring completion of Pilgrim’s Progress (3)

Solution to Puzzle 2 by Sleight