SUNDAY CROSSWORD — 996

ACROSS:

2 Ex-India P.M. (5,6)

7 Move to music (5)

8 Closely sniffed at (5)

9 Patella (7)

13 Concertina (9)

15 Surgical procedure (9)

18 Cowboy’s rope, lasso (5)

20 Schedule listings (7)

21 Guwahati locale (5)

22 Squash (7)

25 Having a pleasant odour (7)

27 Passing through (7)

28 Undrinkable alcohol (5)

32 Scour (5)

35 Blessing or good fortune (7)

40 Try to equal (7)

41 Copy (7)

42 Libertines (5)

43 Estate agent (7)

44 Showy actions (5)

45 Small coffee cup (9)

49 Of great consequence (9)

53 French bean (7)

54 Card game (5)

55 Voice a belief (5)

56 Sue? (4,2,5)

DOWN:

1 Bath powder (4)

2 At the back (4)

3 __ __ uncertain terms : quite emphatically? (2,2)

4 Tide type (4)

5 Old king of Peru (4)

6 Mexican coin (4)

9 Young felines (7)

10 Transfer to another for care (7)

11 Substantiate (7)

12 Keep on (7)

13 Loose from moorings (6)

14 Neck-cloth (6)

16 Implanted items (6)

17 Wanderers (6)

19 Court minutes (4)

21 War god (4)

23 Attempt (3)

24 Legislate; ratify (5)

26 Deep fissure (5)

29 Commonly used suffix “Tin” anagram? (3)

30 Looked with malicious intents? (6)

31 Claptrap (6)

32 Answers or tells? (4)

33 Reinvigorate (7)

34 City in Rajasthan (7)

35 The juices which help the digestion? (7)

36 Break up, separate forcibly (7)

37 One in Bonn (4)

38 “Ali had” changed to Bertie Worcester’s aunt? (6)

39 Group of six (6)

46 Like congers (4)

47 Clump of grass (4)

48 Rational - not crazy (4)

50 Discontinuity between earth’s crust and mantle (4)

51 Plant part (4)

52 Convent women (4)