The Channel Crossword

“New nonsense from Charles” set by Māyā (https://mayaofauckland.com/), each month for Channel. No. 72

Across

1 Live as a simple, traditionalist Christian, like my boy in 6 (7) 5 Persuade fish to swallow half a rabbit (6) 9 Economic decline concerning jam, say (9) 10 Forbid you French African language (5) 11 Lion eating social worker's shelter (4-2) 13 Not exactly fair, left at sea without one? (4,4) 15 Russian country house? Yes, have some tea (5) 16 Marine about to argue both ways it's a marine creature (9) 17 Not admonished by organisation's rebel and

UK journalist? (9) 19 Pride member I caught being three-dimensional (5) 22 "Fellow with drink and debts" describes a creature to be shunned in 6 (8) 23 Monday club doer (6) 25 A magical interlude? (5) 26 Gain courage from a knight's entrances in

Theatre of the Absurd (4,5) 28 "The Olde Stuff" - retreat for the 6 wood (6) 29 Man related to 'ouse, as foe was in 6 (7)

Down

1 Residential area went first, as did foe in 6 (7) 2 Old building feature's boring, lacking advantages (7) 3 Things heard before "Monty Python's Flying Circus" (3) 4 Successor to song as voiced (4) 5 Dance with tiger snakes? To a degree (10) 6 "Baccy regularly broke jaw" - new nonsense from

Charles (11) 7 Emblem captures broken-down nag back in the day (4-3) 8 Time to express hesitation again by the tree where 6's hero rested (6) 12 Realise about everyone nursing broken ribs as 6 opens (4,7) 14 Catch up with puck, try throw, being unable to honour obligations (10) 17 Bend a-angle for type of thought in 6 (6) 18 Nothing in law relating to gold roll of coins (7) 20 Well done, holding in present bluster (7) 21 Joyful sound from 6 in church, or let out (7) 24 Milk's core raised to get non-fat version (4) 27 A layer extracted from graphene (3)

Solution to last month's crossword

This month's crossword will also be uploaded to the creator’s blog at: channelcrossword.wordpress.com There, Mãyã will kindly attempt to answer any questions or comments that may arise from the crosswords each month.