CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

Across 1. The principal sea (4) 3. Custard apple not used? Rubbish! (8) 9. Sleepwalk? No – just use your imagination (5,2) 10. A rush of actors from stage left? (5) 11. Take part in the marathon eventually (2,3,4,3) 14. A beaut joint (3) 16. Do you need to climb a ladder to do this to a fish? (5) 17. Adduced every second as had it coming (3) 18. Rod Moss brags about his food arrays (12) 21. 500 bail out as they please (2,3) 22. Select urethane as part of the lesson (7) 23. What would be required for the farmers’ methane production! (3,5) 24. Dosh needed when horse gets foot relief (4)

Down 1. The latest? (8) 2. Inactive nitre (5) 4. Return from the Acropolis and get the chop (3) 5. Buried more money into project (8,4) 6. About the noise – it will echo (7) 7. Penlight Glen left to get a piece of orange (4) 8. A slimmer beau? It is limitless (12) 12. A city between old Formosa & Kaimashi (5) 13. Retirement item somehow sated Deb (8) 15. Spots pimp the French are tailing (7) 19. Turbulent? That’s bad (5) 20. Supporter gets dog’s tail and tooth (4) 22. What you don’t want it to be in 19 on course (3)

Yesterday Across: 7 & 8ac. Ballet dancer, 9. Raid, 10. Heighten, 11. Crashes, 13. Spray, 15. Acrid, 17. Send-ups, 20. Negative, 21. Told, 22 & 23ac. Smoked cheese.

Down: 1. Bazaar, 2. Plod, 3. Itchier, 4. Edwin, 5. Unshaped, 6. Teresa, 12. Sri Lanka, 14. Defence, 16. Creams, 18. Polish, 19. Windy, 21. Twee.