Good morning,
Help ( Answers/hints ) with the following would be much appreciated.
Thanks in advance!
ACROSS:
1 Precise conjecture about coin-flip, oddly (8) :??????I?
18 Legal excuses persist regularly, certainly on detaining leader (8) : ?S????E?
30 Honk grim old lady – look ahead (8) : ?A??D??R
40 Old vessel, mostly outdated, heading north (5) : ??E?N
DOWN:
1 Initially, Sean Murphy rejected low cabin (9) : T????O??
13 Empty rye drink on set and fill again (8): ????P???
33 Ray is kilometres into gorge (5) : ??A??
1A - abbreviate speculative and insert odd letters in reverse.
33D - a kind of fish with ‘k’ inserted. Think of ‘gorge’ as fill to excess.
That’s all, I’m afraid
30 across - honk = bad smell
1 down - S (Initially Sean) + 5 letter word for potato (Murphy) + a cow's low reversed (rejected)
13 down - r(y)e - rye 'emptied' + 3 letter word for drink + 3 let word for set.
Difficult to give just a hint for 18 across but here goes.
Definition is Legal excuses - persist regularly so take the even numbered letters + on + 3 letter word for certainly...but the N of on goes after the first letter of that 3 letter word.
40 across - Definition is Old vessel. You need a five letter word for outdated minus its last letter + the usual abbreviation for north. The more common definition of the five letter word for outdated is water vapour.
For 18a I have essoynes which is in Chambers and are legal excuses.
the first three letters are the first three odd letters of persist but have no idea what explains 'oynes' in 'certainly on detaining leader'.!
Thanks Novalis. I have filled in almost all the grid but having trouble defining 'the three distinct interlocked quartets'. Your guidance would be appreciated.