Saturday Times Prize Crossword 25957 Saturday November 29Th 2014

[Julest1]

I think I've finished this but there are several I still can't parse. Wisdom grateful received on these...

1d Host keen on mince and small apples = McIntosh Reds. Anagram of mince and host plus s for small but where do r and d come from? And where is the anagram instruction?

2d Vision is one coming before me in wall? = dream. No idea why apart from vision = dream.

12a Crafty personnel to mend bridges with head of department = shrewd. Crafty is the def but the rest is a mystery apart from head of department = d.

20a On the way back, hit bottle bank = depot. Bank can mean depot. Otherwise no idea.

[scorpiojo]

Dam - wall
Re comes before mi, fa etc

[Julest1]

Ok just saw 12a although I would quibble with sew = mend.

[scooping]

dream
dam being a wall?

[Julest1]

Ahh thanks scorpiojo

[scorpiojo]

Topped as in drank?

[scorpiojo]

^ Toped even

[Julest1]

And thanks again. That's a new one for the vocabulary.

[scorpiojo]

From elsewhere:
MC - host
Into - keen
Shred - mince
S(mall)