Saga December 2014.

[cloudpirate]

23 Across..Organised obstacle race with best departed for flight..(8) C - R - - - - -.

19 down...Admit playing gut..(7) - N - - R - M..can only think of INTERIM,but why? a parse would put me out of my misery.

24 Down..Books about riding a camel? (4) - - N T.

All help appreciated in advance.

[frugalfred]

23. "caracole" in ther military sense? Anag. of "obstacle race" less "best"

[elliemay1]

O on T

[elliemay1]

^ OT=Old Testament (books)
riding=on
Oont=camel

[frugalfred]

A caracole is also a spiral staircase, hence a "flight" of stairs.

[elliemay1]

Thanks for BA, cloudpirate. Are you sure of letters in 19D? Is that word 'gut'?

[cloudpirate]

Yes elliemay1..definitely "gut"..thinking it might be something of a play on the instrument the "theremin"

[elliemay1]

Will keep trying, cloudpirate!

[writesbad]

19 innards? (nards = game)

[elliemay1]

Cloudpirate, just to clarify, which clues gave the letters R and M? I assume that answer begins with 'in' for enter.

[cloudpirate]

elliemay1....The R came from ..Irritating directions enclosed with this wine (8) answer =RIESLING

The M came from ..Water-plant in river concealing fish..(10) I have T - - - L - W - E -. my answer is Tumbleweed.

[Mamyalynne]

Tangleweed

[Mamyalynne]

19 Enteron

[Mamyalynne]

http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/enteron

[cloudpirate]

Thank you Mamyalynne the whole thing now makes sense.

[Mamyalynne]

You're welcome.

[cloudpirate]

Thank you elliemay1 for your patience..the last one should have been Tangleweed and not Tumbleweed making the "Admit playing gut" as "ENTERON"..Thank you once again.

[elliemay1]

You're welcome, cloudpirate. I have been off-line for a while and have just seen this now. Glad you got it sorted.