Through Thick and Thin 2025

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Across
  1. 3. We sequence words and secret roles, a collection built by you, a tabletop tradition that we teach to every crew (5,5)
  2. 7. An artificial chill for visiting kin, installed in a single day, a gift of air that sparked a frown, but cleared the swelter away (3,12)
  3. 9. A nectar of oats and blue pearls, crushed for a morning start, a violet draught that is served with zeal, to keep a healthy heart (5,8)
  4. 10. A pool for the future that refuses to move though many have tried, we shunned the hefty fix for my dad's hand as our guide (9,4)
  5. 12. A three-day 'pre-knot' marathon with a massive, drunken crew, one villa held our 'parting' toast- a feat for me and you
  6. 14. A morning ritual in a back-and-forth play, you doubt your own growth while your fitness reveals a new day
  7. 15. We sought the five treasures through whiteout and frozen despair, then stood in the glory of giants, a feat beyond compare
  8. 16. A floral sparkle and a band of gold, through every store we chased, a stubborn fit on a nervous hand as our 'single' lives were erased (10,4)
  9. 22. A 'brave' global jester who found himself in the law's cold grip, we took the metro to hear the 'sounds' of his pointed, clever lip (3,3)
  10. 23. We skipped the drowned trails in our 'doubled' moon spree, to seek out the wild and the waves in this land, in the sea (3,5)
  11. 24. It won you a gold and picked your glass, a polymath in the palm; it maps our paths and writes our scripts, with a synthetic calm (4,3)
  12. 25. A 'prime' device you chased with a brand new zeal, now you beg me to trade my dying cell for a more 'fruitful' deal
  13. 26. We drove to the green and the scary deep, with friends in the car, you dodged the bill for a fancy plate, beneath a fort-bound star
Down
  1. 1. Impossible A solo screening near the coast, through a deluge on two wheels, a task for you with 'close' guests on how a drenched drive feels (7,10)
  2. 2. Your maiden voyage to the steppes where the sands start to hum, you found a new crew amid the canyons, with bread & crumb
  3. 4. A duty of 'sticks' and 'silver' forms to keep the spirit bright, a corner carved from love, to house the divine light
  4. 5. After years of "maybe", a flute-player witnessed our vow, amidst hallowed halls and the tears on my father's brow (6,7)
  5. 6. I've cast off the old for a 'fresh identity' delivered to the door, a pink-wrapped rival that leaves me always wanting more (3,2)
  6. 8. We seek the 'largest army' now and study global play, game that turns a friendly host to a robber in the fray
  7. 11. No map is needed for this climb when hunger strikes at night, a plate of mixed delights awaits on a 'summit' within sight (7, 6)
  8. 13. A nomad's dream of wood and cloth for a small monthly fee, we filled our halls with borrowed walls, to stay forever free
  9. 17. We fought through the 'standard' to find our serene retreat, a brilliant yellow beacon that made our long search complete (6,4)
  10. 18. A hurried stop in god's own land where the freshly wedded flock, a fleeting glimpse of the cowherd king, against a ticking clock
  11. 19. The "Master Hunter" in a dark brown hue, dropped into a blast; we left six of these at the coast, too many to hold or last
  12. 20. Four of five days she's ailing, yet she rules with a frantic hand, a chattering force of 'stress' you barely can withstand
  13. 21. An invited guest for your trio, born of a borrowed flame, three doctors later, the 'silent' puffer's gift finally had a name