Cryptic clues
Across 1 Disappear like a delivery truck? (6) 5 May well reveal strength (5) 8 Common speech, of course (6) 11 Insurance protection allowed for bedspread (8) 12 Inferior actors need new management (6-4) 13 Intended to deceive in a novel way? (10) 14 Levying tax of a grand (8) 15 Such icons show style (4) 16 Deleting data in time to perform in choir (7) 19 Tries a different parody (6) 22 Laid up inside? Life force provided by hot food (6) 24 I will shortly break a leg. Is that against the law? (7) 27 Sticks to Harrods in the end (4) 28 Declare contents of two vases on return (4) 29 Evil use becomes difficult to pin down (7) 30 Sodium disguised true quality (6) 31 Fake bullets left in financial institutions (6) 33 Told tales about Los Angeles and one of the Kennedy clan (7) 34 Deserve to be paid (4) 36 Polite response to present situation (5,3) 39 Where divas create a scene (5,5) 41 Joker in rail carriage sees Wild West convoy (5,5) 42 Warm and welcoming kind of fire (8) 43 Put on a front but never get mixed up with leading entertainers (6) 44 Member of the nobility has lawyers’ association overturn negative vote (5) 45 Tasteless to publish Sir Agnew’s part in reversal (6) Down 2 Outlaw has boil problem (7) 3 One of a matching pair strangely titled I Can Win (9,4) 4 Don’t hang up on hearing what fishermen do for hours (4,3,4) 5 Take out a tomato and cause a stir – that’s a good rule to live by! (5) 6 Inhales sharply as shown inside navigation system (5) 7 Checking mattress material (7) 8 Peas can be used as appetisers (7) 9 A broad expanse of sea cress (5) 10 It’s an extraordinary fabric (5) 17 “Perish” written in gold as symbol of farewell (5) 18 Feeling unwell, Ferrell displays animosity (3,4) 20 Get past the worst and change direction (4,3,6) 21 Added qualification for motorcyclist (5) 23 Strangelove followed head honcho into shack (5) 25 It’s terrific to be like Alexander (5) 26 Idle warning about simple sketch (4,7) 32 Dishonest businessman fits into pushy stereotype (7) 33 Pie ingredient repeatedly mentioned in staged conversations (7) 35 Consequences of exam scores (7) 37 He accompanies Ms Gabor back to lift (5) 38 Loop another ring in nose (5) 39 Proprietor caught up in town errands (5) 40 Self-indulgent – a bit like a pixie (5)