CRYP TIC CROSSWORD

ACROSS

1 Housework will be split

to show enterprise (7,8) 9 Doing sentry duty in rocky ground screening west of airport (2,5) 10 Pleasant-sounding

doctor takes look inside (7) 11 Gave up hope, seeing legal document cut by second couple (9) 12 Very dry beast with no tail (4) 13 Italian bridge books

returned by rail, mistakenly (6) 15 Record including name and instrument used for such cattle (8) 18 Most of planet consumed

in flood (8) 19 Prayers of star

embracing nurse (6) 22 Range of a record

signing, initially (4) 23 Frank returns carrying material

for board covers (5,4) 26 Country doctor too —

he’s Liberal, for a start (7) 27 The French — after

unusually quiet drink (7) 28 Decisive stage when investments become unprofitable? (5,2,2,6)

DOWN

1 Soup for an American

cowherd needs stirring (7) 2 What ancients wore

to speak at length? (5) 3 Blast area for

sculpting stone (9) 4 Target on river in

Yorkshire is bear (6) 5 Try to impress — call

doctor before work (4-4) 6 This fruit bug lives

to a limited extent (4) 7 Detours planned to include gold heraldic emblem (5,4) 8 Chinese money protecting tiger

maybe in part of Mexico (7) 14 Worker getting one over one, for starters (9) 16 Bizarre request — go in confusion (9) 17 Son heads on holiday and calls on the way (5,3) 18 Bribe covering demand for seafood (7) 20 Stay away from salt dye (7) 21 Hide mark from shabby stuff as well (6) 24 Commercial on independent group of countries is so long (5) 25 Waste time penning instruction to printer (4)