A sleeper only operates in appropriate circumstances. There are six in this grid, all in crosschecked spaces, and they can be arranged to form an appropriate word. Word-lengths refer to the words entered in the grid. Use is made of a common foreign word and three place-names not in Chambers (2016 (originally 1988, when it was also true)).
ACROSS
1 Take in mystic planet’s aura – out of this world! (12)
9 Falcon – one in the old railway company (7)
10 One in possession of stupendous horn? (5)
12 Conclusion: possibly one’s beginning to grow internally? (7)
13 English bounder, one suitably reformed? (4)
14 Following polluted air, caution about poison (9)
16 It fills in a bad rainstorm (5)
19 Give satisfaction around lunchtime (5)
20 For instance, male born holding first option of inheritance may be this (5)
21 Throws over wild parties? (7)
24 Male, about to get stuck into rodents? (These may be) (7)
26 Being able to bend over backwards, as it were (5)
29 Gaze with some anger at Sir’s back (5)
31 Old city, a favourite with artist (5)
32 Soothing drugs? Name is never circulated (9)
35 Henry, with this, would get present earlier (4)
36 Start speech: ‘Unionist MPs must dump leader to reach highest popularity’ (7)
37 Part of rude gesture means ‘Expel’ (5)
38 Solvent? I’d this mixed to make dilute one (7)
39 Withheld agreement, being unhappy with Sweden for a brief time (12)
DOWN
1 Blush, almost, when this poster’s put up (7)
2 They contribute to arms haul (not half!) a Middle East country piled up (7)
3 A lovelorn Quixote in part of book endlessly displays Rosinante? (6)
4 Sending up single women’s enough (4)
5 This is never the sound of a nostril? (4)
6 Pony going round about stand (6)
7 A bit of rat’s-bane I see in poisonous compound (5)
8 Ore in the cargo, we hear (5)
11 The girl’s love is the ultimate in reverence – for one she’d _______ (7)
15 ASLEF’s disruption? Not so (5)
17 One convict initially gets into parts of church and hides as before (7)
18 Clear Foreign Office gets sent up frequently (5)
22 Right fellow should be in suit that’s appropriate (7)
23 Ravaged with too much booze (like Falstaff?) (7)
25 A risen knight to do for one? (6)
27 Roadway in West Country town (6)
28 Knight’s desire – to be prepared for knighthood? (5)
30 Hair cut’s very French! (5)
33 This, if talking year, would be incredible poesy (4)
34 Poke fun? That’s not all right following a joke (4)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
