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Annotated solutions for Prize 28,871

Across

9 incapably A, B, C IN PLAY (anag)

10 Ceres series (hom)

11 Emily Little Em’ly in David Copperfield

12 Eumenides EU MEN + IDES

13 females FE<MAL>ES [does are female deer]

14 theatre double def

17,21 Three Sisters Little Women was about four sisters + Chekhov’s play

19 Amy Little Dorrit’s first name, youngest of three sisters

20 April first of the three spring months (April, May, June: all girls’ names)

22 weirdos DOWRIES (anag) [Macbeth’s Three Weird Sisters]

24 charlotte/Charlotte double def

26 aorta chinA OR TAiwan (hidden)

28 arena double def

29 accretion crew (hom) in ACTION

Down

1 Nike E(nglish)/KIN (rev)

2 schism CH(urch)/IS in S(pectru)M

3 up my sleeve cryptic def [ref: hand of cards]

4 abbess A/B(achelor)/(Queen)BESS [ERI not ERII]

5 symmetry M (top spy in James Bond books)/MYSTERY (anag)

6 scan (clas)S/CAN

7 predator -ED (suffix for past tense of verbs) in RAPTOR (anag)

8 Isis 1 SIS(ter)

13 Fates fetes (hom) [the Three Fates]

15 eradicated ERA + DIC(t)ATED

16 Ellis embELLIShed [Emily Brontë’s pseudonym]

18 restated RE<STATE>D [Australian and US states]

19 Alsatian AL(l)/ + SAT I<A>N

22 wrench W<(siste)R>ENCH

23 Dorrit (D/t)ORRI(d/T)

24 clan C<L(ine)>AN

25 Lear King Lear had three daughters

27 Anne A/NNE [course from Exeter to Leeds is north-north-east]