GUARDIAN CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

(27,492)

ACROSS

7 Sailing ship carrying

nothing ornate (7) 8 Criminal admits passion

to deceive (5,2) 9 Well-bred gentleman

has an advantage (4) 10 Fill end on cracked carving resembling

fabric (9) 12 Did model dishearten

younger, lusty fellow? (5) 13 Balt featured in nasty

Victorian story (8) 15 Try hard with something corny? (4) 16 Office worker, one

doing her nails? (5) 17 Alcohol and nuts spiked

with drug (4) 18 We pass on perverted,

seedy things (4,4) 20 Advanced spin-doctoring

working as protection (5) 21 Dead ends from copper, drug

affair regressing (4-2-3) 22 Peer expected to

pocket a thousand (4) 24 Soldiers list second

site of English defeat (7) 25 Don’t admit catching the clap?

It’s what you get in life (7)

DOWN

1 Smooth, low, captivating note (4) 2 Pro cultivating trees? (8) 3 Server’s trouble, unfortunately forgetting round (6) 4 Name put in coat from clever retailer (8) 5 What soldier may have worn to pace around (6) 6 Car benefiting driver

leaving river behind (4) 11 Isn’t solve exciting to get

the down solutions! (9) 12 Genius dismissing

what he’d call a mug (5) 14 Old couple needing

time on the wagon (5) 16 Playing cricket, competitors now favoured golf (8) 17 One girl or another

at the French seaside? (8) 19 He exercises command

over two monarchs (6) 20 Group of stars, one

parading topless (6) 21 Grant for films runs

out of support (4) 23 Requesting to put

away a second piece (4)