daily double

the hard way

ACROSS 1 Service is nonetheless no good (8) 5 A girl’s figure may be compact (4) 9 The craft of the Jumblies (5) 10 Bird after a piece for another (7) 11 Mixed conditions in the country (6,6) 13 Claire makes a cake (6) 14 Go looking for a scrap when surrounded by the enemy (6) 17 There’s no return on it (6,6) 20 Not at home with shy rejected person (7) 21 Philosopher who gets on with soldiers (5) 22 Thus duplicated it’s mediocre (2-2) 23 Support for one who is lying (8)

DOWN

1 The right side of the map (4) 2 Point learnt afresh, always to be remembered (7) 3 Darling Bill makes a bloomer (5,7) 4 Unimportant person, found after a well-planned murder? (6) 6 Getting in a wild pet is silly (5) 7 It holds and is held in a strange trance (8) 8 They determine the regularity of beatings (12) 12 French boarding houses appreciated by the retired (8) 15 It’s mean to declare how old a person is (7) 16 Liberty for example (6) 18 Bills found in scores (5) 19 Initially supplied secondhand and disposed of (4)

the easy way

ACROSS 1 Disciple (8) 5 Brief satirical sketch (4) 9 Metier (5) 10 Unvarying (7) 11 Especially (2,10) 13 Agree (6) 14 Preacher’s rostrum (6) 17 Agitator (12) 20 Regain health (7) 21 Foolish (5) 22 Lie in ambush (4) 23 Broken piece (8) DOWN 1 Stock (4) 2 Using few words (7) 3 In addition to (4,3,5) 4 Fairness (6) 6 Small rounded hill (5) 7 Rashness (8) 8 Dispiriting (12) 12 Portraying rural life (8) 15 Introduction to book (7) 16 Dread (6) 18 Take place (5) 19 Saucy (4)