THE CROSSWORDS

CRYPTIC CLUES ACROSS

1 Funny story about oriental seafood (6) 4 Reductions in capital growth (8)

9 Two bills I stuck on a tree (6)

10 Cop involved with the trial gets heated (8) 12 Double act no longer seen (4)

13 Big portion of Norwegian trout (5) 14 Well-established business (4)

17 Early news from a rare book sale (5,7)

20 It gives an impression of permanence (9,3) 23 Some steak or grouse perhaps (4)

24 Boards a coach (5)

25 Water thoroughly (4)

28 Is it won by the fastest guns in the West? (4,4) 29 Many a call for courage (6)

30 Negative poles seen to change? Absurd (8) 31 Turn meant to amuse, perhaps (6)

DOWN

1 Switch choices occasionally (2,3,3) 2 Quality that needs raising? (8)

3 Live wildly in sin (4)

5 Family ties for the mother’s boy? (5,7) 6 Cable from a European centre (4)

7 Make straight for this (6)

8 I’m unfortunately upset by highly spiced foreign food (6)

11 Bows? Nonsense! (12)

15 Tolerate a show of resistance (5)

16 Work of monumental stupidity (5)

18 By which railways earn extra money? (8) 19 It gives us illumination - like a star? (8) 21 Get the boat in somehow (6)

22 A money changer who had a farm (6) 26 At liberty to be generous (4)

27 Vehicle to move before take-off (4)

QUICK CLUES ACROSS

1 Understand fully (6) 4 Close examination (8) 9 Handsome young man (6) 10 Pettily bothersome (8) 12 Brisk steady pace (4) 13 Highly skilled (5)

14 Mark left by wound (4) 17 Principal assistant (5-4,3) 20 Remaining unresolved (4,2,3,3) 23 Alcove (4)

24 Ardent enthusiast (5) 25 To caution (4) 28 Compassionate (8) 29 Elephant driver (6) 30 Surreptitious (8)

31 Occult (6)

DOWN

1 Break (8)

2 Exhaustive (8)

3 Leave out (4) 5 Simultaneous but unrelated (12) 6 Advocate strongly (4) 7 Stupidity (6) 8 Semi-solid milk food (6) 11 Important scientific advance (12) 15 Excessive (5)

16 Secret store (5)

18 Idler (8)

19 Wildly excited (8) 21 Hostility (6)

22 Origin (6)

26 To grind (4)

27 Vague (4)