CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

ACROSS

1 Be eager to describe wife as seductive? (10) 6 Conservative deceived nation (4)

9 Former investigator, we hear (5) 10 Old king’s embracing French friends in their underwear (9) 12 Intelligent beagle knew old criminal (13) 14 Happiness certain to follow appeal (8) 15 Consider filling about right for dip (6) 17 Horrified – price-tag has torn clothes (6) 19 Stupidly gamble about a pound in sport (4,4)

21 Like shipmates fated to sink or swim together? (2,3,4,4) 24 The setter’s disgusting, not about to be rash (9) 25 Animal last to leave country (5) 26 Head’s mad (4) 27 Sonnet king composed in part of London (10)

DOWN

1 More than one hit dance on first instalment of Strictly (4) 2 Line problem (7)

3 Where naughty reptiles go when they pass … their home? (13) 4 Unwelcome callers during a performance? (8) 5 Lecturer flipped about graduate, one of no fixed abode (5) 7 Henry I only comes to fish (7) 8 Put a damper on Danes and their cooking (10) 11 African Queen seen in dodgy areas online (6,7)

13 A pair point out ghost (10)

16 Sloppy cereal unsettled sons (8) 18 Source of wifi in nightclub (7) 20 Draw a piece of land, with time to get absorbed (7) 22 Active US serviceman overcome by booze (5)

23 God turned up in Benidorm (4)