Crossword

2627: Chronicled lives

Eight unclued lights are of a kind. Their unchecked and mutually checked letters can be rearranged to spell TOY OF A PARISH DEACON. Across 1    Tramp with extremely dirty pet (5) 10    Believe cad misguided and open to being misled (10) 12    UK dramatist wreathing US city in bunting (7) 14    Flagged cab at last

2626: Eternal youth

Unclued lights name an authoress (two lights), her hero (two lights), his group (one light, two words), and its members (mostly human). Across 4    Stimulant gets lad near to collapse at home (9) 10    FBI agents after government department: time to clean up files (10) 14    In mill channel pressure rose suddenly (5) 15    Labourer

2625: Playtime

The unclued lights (one of two words) and four others clued without their thematic definition are of a kind. Across 1    Two little boys tapped their heads (6)7    Birettas seldom reveal this tuft (6)13    US challenge to foil and dismiss at the wicket (5)14    Material from The Spectator, London (5)17    Salary and gratuity, collected by

2624: Him and her

Each Across unclued light is associated in the same way with a Down one (one of two words).         Across    1    In small conurbations, transport deficiencies (10)    7    Walk from Piraeus to Athens (4) 15    Huge resistance from masculine self-importance? I wonder (6) 18    PM’s residence about to receive first of rock stars

2623: Half-day closing?

29 29-36’s 14 13 31 25 1D 2 24, in which 1 Down and 24 are each non-words that concatenate two real terms. Unchecked, unclued letters spell out SEXY DUTCH X-MAG.         Across    1    Fling marauder off base, across main road (7,6)    9    Husband going inside can slim (4) 11    Distinguished mayor’s robing

2622: Local call

The unclued lights (six of two words and one of three words), one pair or individually, are of a kind, verifiable in Brewer. Ignore one apostrophe.         Across    1    Declare nothing will stop crime, causing disgust (8)    6    Attack, losing head in drinking bout (6) 11    Objects to intellects (5) 13    Young

2621: Faux

You can calculate 48 by 1 + 47 (ten words in total). However, 21 32 12 23 47 (nine words in total). The remaining unclued lights are the two authors who said so.         Across 14    Not so sure judge needs latitude to be good (6) 17    Sacred halls rebuilt in poor area (7) 18   

2620: The right name?

Paired unclued lights are an author and his eponymous characters. Crossing letters in 7D suggest the name in the title; solvers must correct this, entering the character’s real name by changing the contents of four cells, always making real words.         Across    1    A mob alas with disorder of gut (8) 11    I head

2619: All Grieg to me

The unclued lights, (four of two words), when arranged correctly, yield a famous TV quotation. One word does double duty; ignore an apostrophe too.         Across    4    Oblige to provide lodgings? (11) 11    Spanish food of peas cooked with everybody inside (7) 14    Gave a present that’s not about to be old-fashioned (5) 19   

2618: Chain gang

Eleven unclued entries may be connected from 38 to 17, their unchecked letters spelling out CHAIN’S PAIRS, WE AGREE?         Across    1    Maximum animosity reported (4)    3    Vineyard by cross (4)    5    Losing starter, rubbish service is behind (6)    9    Again communicate on mobile in van (10) 16    Mostly free car

2617: Enzed scorers

The 12 thematic unclued lights form the second half of an alphabetical list, one solution finally and another first and last. Across  4    Kitty stewed apricots as single snack (6,5) 11    Saw English animals (7) 13    Around Tyneside Freddie New established new credentials (9) 21    Forty winks before beginning to exercise back of neck (4)

2616: Atomic scorers

The thirteen thematic unclued lights form the first half of an alphabetical list. Ignore all accents. Across 10    Cut-throat chap’s birds (10) 13    Behavioural stimulus affected Earl 8 (8) 16    Girl in chains? (5) 17    Skilfully handled – after a stroke? (7) 18    White van going across Indian territory first (7) 20    Revised asking price

2615: Bronze pile

Unclued lights give the names (one of two words) of some members of a distinguished group. A further member is the answer to a clued light and should be highlighted. One name does double duty. Across 1    Enclose wife in vaulted chamber (8) 5    Mean times approaching (6) 14    Hard ball of wood found in

2614: Monkey business

Unclued lights (one of three words and one of two words, singly or paired) form three groups. Group 1 is three words of a kind; group 2 is two names and a title; group 3 is a name and part of a title. The word that links them must be highlighted in the grid.         Across    8   

2613: Way off

The unclued lights (one of two words), all verifiable in Brewer, precede a word which appears as an abbreviation four times in the lower right-hand quadrant of the completed grid. Solvers should highlight all four examples. Ignore two apostrophes. Across 1    All omelettes cooked with pesto and chives, first (8,3) 7    Furtwängler finally reveals this

2612: Grounded

The eight unclued lights are, or were, of a kind.         Across    1    Daily column about introduction of alternative fuel (8)    5    Cold, and damned unpleasant (6)    9    Tumbledown hut in barbarous realm (10) 16    Drink is finally within reach (6) 17    Joins female on Med, perhaps (5) 18    Unclothed Yanks fled joint

2611: On-board entertainment

Unclued lights are all of a kind. The most recent addition to the group must be highlighted in the completed grid. Across 8    Black swan leads gull (4) 11    Jack holds irrational animal (5) 13    Politician hosts old leader – he has a shock (7) 14    Little US weakling (5) 17    Extremely agile, running for

2610: 700

This is Doc’s 700th crossword in the weekly series. The unrelated unclued lights (including one pair and two proper nouns) display this number.         Across 4      Old nonsense played on the violin by earl by river (6-2-3) 11    White spirit which Travis Head initially put on part of dartboard (7) 12    A French girl returns

2609: Hard work

One unclued light (2 words) labels the others (two of 3 words and one of 5 words, each spread across two entries).         Across 10    If I could cut down showing contempt for Shakespeare … (4) 14    Dispute what stroke does? (3) 15    We should explain coda? (8) 17    They don’t fly about when filled

2608: Support

Ten symmetrically placed un-clued lights can be entered given consistent support. Across 1    Left old murder victim in slip (5) 10    An historic fancy Greek vestment (10) 11    Snowdrift BBC DG once reported (6) 14    Runs into show behind dimwit (5) 15    Good spicy food omitting cold fish offal (5) 16    On a pump, perhaps