thecrosswords
CRYPTIC CLUES ACROSS
1 Talent shown by a number in entertainment (5) 8 The opposite of easy money? (4,4)
9 Bird came out of the pines (5)
10 Hard trend - it’s rough (8)
11 A warning of later development (5)
12 Bend makes car crash (3)
16 Eccentric ladies highly thought of (6) 17 Book of the year (6)
18 He turns the tap (3)
23 Measures that make people audibly pained? (5) 24 It’s all a nice change for the confederation (8) 25 Language somewhat rich in dialect (5) 26 Popular pro (2,6)
27 A record that’s not way out? (5)
DOWN
2 Letter providing you with accommodation (8) 3 Hazard about a beard (8)
4 He catches someone using top gear on a hill (6)
5 Actor’s instruction to play ‘As You Like It’? (2-3) 6 Challenged about father being outside (5) 7 Butler who at the end simply didn’t give a damn (5)
12 Cleopatra’s preparations for death included it (3)
13 Act in feline way (3)
14 Idleness indeed (8)
15 Perfume the French sell with hesitation (8) 19 Make profit from a shipping company, we hear (6)
20 It’s customary for riding (5)
21 Many remaining split (5)
22 Share a hole (5)
QUICK CLUES ACROSS
1 African river (5)
8 Exclamation of agreement (4,4) 9 Find fault pettily (5)
10 Rabble (8)
11 Blacksmith’s workshop (5) 12 Proverb (3)
16 Loose dressing gown (6) 17 Armed robbery (4-2)
18 Travel regularly (3)
23 A grudge (5)
24 To upset (8)
25 Poisonous (5)
26 Shabby (3-5)
27 Bear bravely (5)
DOWN
2 Large-scale choral work (8) 3 Events (6-2)
4 Part of the eye (6) 5 Surly in manner (5) 6 A coniferous tree (5) 7 Underlying meaning (5) 12 Conciliatory gesture (3) 13 For what reason (3) 14 Suppress by censorship (5,3) 15 Custodian (8)
19 Pantry (6) 20 Temperamental (5)
21 To fuse (5)
22 Dried stalks of grain (5)