CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

ACROSS

1 Giving up work and

going to bed (10) 9 Vagrant joins fireside circle (4) 10 Infuriated when pact

with police is broken (10) 11 Paper required that’s

first edition (6) 12 Perform in the theatre? (7) 15 One’s success may

be in the balance (7) 16 Listener gains two points

and makes money (5) 17 Found and thrown out (4) 18 Board contest that calls for a

series of counter-moves (4) 19 Exclude from French

licensed premises (5) 21 One’s choice will get cross (7) 22 Dialect around the Kremlin? (7) 24 I had to stand in line —

it’s neater (6) 27 Made a claim that

should be upheld (10) 28 Area of Israeli city (4) 29 Temple altar, perhaps, inlaid

with sort of nacre (10)

DOWN

2 Eastern agent gets

notice (4) 3 Undermine brat with look (6) 4 Team endlessly receiving

rising cheers gets lift (7) 5 Some at school may

hoard tuck (4) 6 Ecstatic, heading off

madly to make plans (7) 7 Going home and staying in? (10) 8 Genuine hard work — to

the lions anyhow (6,4) 12 Bands of gold put on

box by artists (10) 13 Long-running TV programme possibly needs a rest (10) 14 Keen to show hesitation

about decline? (5) 15 Extravaganza composed to

entertain WWI troops? (5) 19 Step on it before

the opening (7) 20 A hot rod driver (7) 23 CIA and RAF in collusion?

A film was made out of it (6) 25 Branch member (4) 26 Have some sense,

charge learner (4)