GUARDIAN CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

(27,899)

ACROSS

1 Oily charm from judge leaving meeting (7) 5 Bethlehem visitors find retribution, returning with one change of direction (4,3) 9 X, mark probing new evidence of collision — get the law! (3,12) 10 Hear one welcoming woman (5) 11 One supporting and backing American composer (9) 12 Unexpectedly arrived during tea, drunk on this? (5,4) 14 Part of Africa has bounced back well, if intermittently (5) 15 Russian bishop's prayer not working (5) 16 Put into shape, because tangled (9) 18 Sort of personality: international Mars explorer has tons (9) 21 Brave but missing first chance (5) 22 Pronounced sorrow with board game where finance dictates policy (6,9) 23 Having no hope of fixing 24 (7) 24 Showed approval of 23 being freed (7)

DOWN

1 Nervous in court, cramped (7) 2 Hypocritical speaker to cover least bad book (10,5) 3 Devotees, cricket match being over, not now on square (9) 4 Roman city's northern half taken over (5) 5 Turns to catch the sound of sudden

change of air (4,5) 6 Succinct treatise from small religious

community (5) 7 Are they sent for if popes, say, act so

strangely? (3,2,5,5) 8 Through this shortly

I'll snort horribly (7) 13 Batting, force one senior man away

from boundary (9) 14 Imitation marble is logical

as could be (9) 15 Deprived of sense, incorrectly bound

to accept Liberal (7) 17 Unmoved as grass has stained

coat (3-4) 19 US city with no motorway?

I am surprised (5) 20 A little more drink for toasting

new pet? (3-2)