Puzzles and Solutions - December 2022

Down

• 1 Fruit of mother and child (6)
• 2 Where red wall seats are thrown into disarray, not won (5)
• 3 Losing moisture, losing your footing & fading away (5)
• 4 Any confusion with second refusals? (4)
• 5 He famously laughs hysterically - ha! - all around the capital of Japan (5)
• 6 Quietly in black and white? That's how eleven performed in Christmas carol (5)
• 8 See 1 Across
• 12 Previous partner uses up get-out options (6)
• 14 See 1 Across
• 15 Pound of pork for me, right? (6)
• 17 Catch what's remaining after all deductions (3)
• 19 Use it to carry him over Derbyshire's peaks (3)
• 22 Bighead's just clever (6)
• 23 One good toilet for property up North (5)
• 24 Comfort gets close to full support (5)
• 26 Private meal but no starter (5)
• 27 The opening ceremony is hackneyed (5)
• 29 A bit of matrimonial decoration (4)

Across

• 1/9/13/14/8/18/31 Seasonal lyrics of eight harsh holy men dining on gingerbread, revelling in nuts (4,4,7,2,4,2,6,3,5,3,7)
• 5 Trendy joint (3)
• 7 Keep dropping a pen (3)
• 9 See 1
• 10 Assist the man with laptop case (4)
• 11 How many swans a-swimming? Five observed outside! (5)
• 13 See 1
• 16 Group that's prohibited on the radio (4)
• 18 See 1
• 19 Oh well! He only had us making introductions (2-3)
• 20 Wholly against books grant (5)
• 21 Runner is spotted in westbound stampede (3)
• 23 Suggestion: assistant head should move to the Far East (4)
• 25 Nun disguised in bloomers is terrified (6)
• 28 Head off after a former serviceman embracing redhead (5)
• 30 Waste is picked up from toilets reportedly (4)
• 31 See 1
• 32 Sweden-Denmark features the ultimate goal (3)
• 33 Decapitated bird hatches another (3)
• 34 Greet men going crazy and coming out (8)