Dm14870

[MargoTester]

Ok so I give in:
16d a blast cracks short rapid maths problem qua??a??c
27a it may help fitting Irish copper into his headgear ????c??
4d anthropod etc deep in ground c?n??e?e
23d small piece of Madrid once installed in plant p???t?

[mac44]

quadratic
haircut
centipede
peseta

[dannyk13]

16d.Quadratic
27a.Haircut
4d.Centipede
23d.Peseta

[retrocop]

quadratic
haircut
centipede
peseta

[MargoTester]

Mac has it by one min.
I only have one left now ( no pun intended)
1 d Stalinist miner worried about for socialist m?r?i?t!/?e?i?i?t assume it's Marxist Leninist

[dannyk13]

Yes.

[mac44]

Marxist-Leninist

[retrocop]

Marxist Leninist

[MargoTester]

Thanks Mac Danny and Retro. I thought that was really hard today. Good luck with the Telegraph Retro. I'll stick with the Times Quick Cryptic or my brain might explode.

[retrocop]

Thanks Margo. Am off this p.m. to discuss my histology with the surgeon. Shall sign off now to attend my ablutions and put clean nicks on.

[dannyk13]

Good luck Retro, hope your discussion is positive.

[MargoTester]

Hope all goes well Retro - can't get the picture of your drawers out of my mind!

[retrocop]

Thanks danny. Will keep you briefed. Funny enough I have more trepidation over this meeting than the first when it was confirmed I had cancer. Suppose I already knew in my own mind then.

[retrocop]

I cut a fine dash in my striped skivvies Margo. They match the railway tracks on my manly torso.

[Duncer]

Best wishes retrocop.