CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

ACROSS

1 Reluctant to entertain Italian

lady for a drink (10)

6 Problem seen on source of deer

lick (4)

9 Poles interceding in

characteristic passage (7) 10 Instrument viewed in

kaleidoscopic colours (7)

12 That girl drinking beer with

courage will be game (4,3,6) 14 Maoist youth argued about

drive back (3,5)

15 Split finance ultimately

invested in London building (6) 17 Help for driver reversing vehicle

after test (6)

19 Driving force may be arrogance

in front of team (8)

21 These may cut supremo absorbed by wild NHS praise (7,6)

24 Whip may see little weight attached to Tory regularly absent (7)

25 Student doing badly with golf

and getting stuck (7) 26 Entertainer that’s attractive to a

parasite? (4) 27 Couriers in confusion with

Greens in disarray (10)

DOWN

1 Pretty cunning (4)

2 Gathered there’s a transmitter for the audience (7) 3 Unfortunately I’m old –

I sustain pretence (13)

4 Ant panicked a politician with

the habit of swimming (8) 5 More than enough beer to keep person who’s been elected (5)

7 Ring in schedule for earlymorning caller (7) 8 Analysed having stopped

working (6,4)

11 Drier and unusually

calm on the side (7,6)

13 Go over plot for one who’s

habitually bad-tempered (10) 16 Has Colin beaten

this chap? (8)

18 Speaker systems cause anger in travellers after vacation (7)

20 Relief especially seen during

ceremony (7)

22 Flier essential to meagre

beginnings (5)

23 Hagglers occasionally finding

time (4)