Need Puzzle Help

[toetoe]

Cruciverbalists of the board, please help with this salty crossword from the Financial Times of London:

25) The thumbs up for demolition ... _ _ E _ _ _ _ _ E.

27) Tricky situation to contain one animal disease ... S _ _ _ _ _ E.

One more iffy one:

23) Stand in English river by end of weir --- I have ARISE, but 'A' is the only sure letter so far. Five letters (DUH !).

These are TOUGH, Cholly.

[falconridge]

Originally Posted by toetoe

25) The thumbs up for demolition ... _ _ E _ _ _ _ _ E.
These are TOUGH, Cholly.

Here's an iffy suggestion for what may prove to be a weakly clued conundrum: C-L-E-A-R-A-N-C-E. Plug in the lights (in cryptic crossword parlance, the letters actually entered in the grid), and lemme know'fit woiks out.

More anon,
f.r.

[bigmack]

I believe Chumly, aka. Clarence, aka. F'Ridge, has found clearance and if that don't float your boat, strap-on skedaddle.

Uff-da, dem others is brutal.

or not

[Overlay]

27 is SCRAPIE (SCRAPE + I(1))("an infectious, usually fatal brain disease of sheep, characterized by twitching of the neck and head, grinding of the teeth, and scraping of itching portions of skin against fixed objects with a subsequent loss of wool: caused by an unidentified sticky agent that clings to cell membranes")

[toetoe]

That sounds very plausible. It would make the 5-letter "English river ... " answer A _ R _ _.

[Overlay]

I'd say that "arise" is correct for 23, using the "r" at the end of "weir", plus the River "Ise" in England, but I'm not sure where you're getting the "a" at the beginning of the word from, based on the wording of the clue.

[falconridge]

Originally Posted by Overlay

27 is SCRAPIE (SCRAPE + I(1))("an infectious, usually fatal brain disease of sheep [...])

Baa! But of course; as every schoolboy knows.

As we ponder the poser standing in the English river by the end of the weir, p'raps Messrs. Mack and Overlay'd like t'ave a go this 'un:

Pervert aimed boner, finding TV newswench [proper noun, two words: 5,5]:

[toetoe]

Hey Cholly, dis guy's G-U-U-U-UD. I t'ink I know 'im. He's a Paulie too. Hey, habbout dat ? Paulie Math's his name. I went to school widdiz sistah. Yeah, good old Afta. Afta Math. Her name shoulda been During Gym, Chollie; noam sayin' pal ? (rooling.) Hindquattahs like Papanonie, Cholly.

The third letter in "arise" is the light, so "clearance" impossibilitates "arise," sad to say.

Now, "scabie" I heard of, Cholly, but "scrapie ?" I thought that's wotcha call what I had wit' Geraldine Page (heheh).

[toetoe]

Yeah, dat newswench --- I dun her too, Cholly.

[Overlay]

Robin Meade (anagram ("pervert") of "aimed boner")

[Overlay]

Toe:

"Clearance" sounded plausible for 25 as a double meaning, but what other definite letters do you have for that clue? Are you positive that's the answer for that one?

[toetoe]

The *A* is solid, being the first of a five-letter answer to:

"Vessel seen in ChinA OR TAiwan."

[Overlay]

No, I meant the word "clearance". Are you sure that's the answer for the clue, "The thumbs up for demolition"?

[toetoe]

Now the "English River" shapes up like dis: A _ R _ R.

If that *R* is wrong, then "N" as the antepenultimate is all I have gained.

[bigmack]

Originally Posted by toetoe

Now the "English River" shapes up like dis: A _ R _ R.

If that *R* is wrong, then "N" as the antepenultimate is all I have gained.

That R is indeed wrong.

F'Rridge, you scalawag, I ain't even close. 5 & 5 - You certain? Hint away.