CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

ACROSS

1 Motivated folk falter with stress

getting out of hand (4-8) 9 Picture someone nearing the end of his days in the staff room? (3,6) 10 Dad’s half-hearted spiel (5) 11 Better person steering a

course on the river? (6) 12 Act of cleaner gets son

crying (8) 13 With drinks coming round,

graduate dances (6) 15 Like some purchases, no longer

having to work? (4-4) 18 Member of family telling a

story? (8) 19 Sweet start to the week

reportedly (6) 21 One bird also protecting a very

different kind of bird (8) 23 Character to declare a truce

(4-2) 26 When suffering setback, boy

gets healthy food (5) 27 Once again attend to study

and get into gear (9) 28 Peer admitted being naughty

is deliberate (12)

DOWN

1 One may want to know

what’s in store (7) 2 Left port with cargo on board?

(5) 3 Don’t chuck everything – this

may be useful for repair (5,4) 4 Book of information unopened

(4) 5 Dismissed end to end, we hear

(5,3) 6 Following game, lord briefly

makes money (5) 7 A bar on flight (5,3) 8 Pair getting fever in foreign

capital (6) 14 Spy hugs English copper, having left bit of stuff (8) 16 Day out is fantastic, I admitted? Absolutely right! (3,4,2) 17 Picture house and record memory (8) 18 Once more model engineers must go to shed (6) 20 Former lover modelled in birthday suit? (7) 22 Snake more angry concealing head (5) 24 Choose to put up with the Left rather than the Right (5) 25 Female and male needing help