The Times Specialist 2023 12 24 - Crossword Answers

Clue	Answer
That which fills a small seasonal pie	MINCEMEAT
Sparkling wine which must be made entirely from Moscato Bianco grapes	ASTI
Site where calcareous clay is dug	marl-pit
Scandinavian goddess of love and war	FREYA
Typical of one’s usual behaviour	in character
Rugby position also called stand-off	outside half
Put (someone) in a state of confusion	turn inside out
Phonograph records, collectively	VINYL
Jackie Wilson’s Christmas No 1 of 1986	Reet Petite
Newcastle United manager since 2021	Eddie Howe
Herbaceous perennial also called fox’s brush	red valerian
THE CAPITAL OF QATAR	DOHA
French epic poem, usually about knightly exploits	chanson de geste
CHRISTMAS	NATIVITY
The contents of a poor box	ALMS
Computer data retained for likely reuse	cache storage
The normal position of a bodily organ	SITUS
To cook using dry heat	ROAST
RAISE A GLASS TO	TOAST
Actor who rose to fame as Ron Weasley	Rupert Grint
A rich cake, often layered	GATEAU
A heavenly body whose apparent brightness fluctuates	variable star
Maritime shift of 4-6pm or 6-8pm	DOGWATCH
2018 Christmas film based on a Dr Seuss character	The Grinch
Love Came Down at Christmas is a ____ by Christina Rossetti	POEM
MP who served as Home Secretary, 1983-1985	Leon Brittan
Austrian composer noted for his very short pieces	Anton Webern
In strictly mistaken terminology blamed on Leo Fender, a guitar’s ____ arm is called a whammy bar	TREMOLO
Gelatinous confection also called lokum	TURKISH DELIGHT
Eponymous boy of a 1762 treatise by Jean-Jacques Rousseau	EMILE
Display stands for knick-knacks	ETAGERES
An alternative to yew for making bows	ELM
5-shilling pieces	CROWNS

That which fills a small seasonal pie

MINCEMEAT

Sparkling wine which must be made entirely from Moscato Bianco grapes

ASTI

Site where calcareous clay is dug

marl-pit

Scandinavian goddess of love and war

FREYA

Typical of one’s usual behaviour

in character

Rugby position also called stand-off

outside half