THE CROSSWORDS
CRYPTIC CLUES ACROSS
1 Taking money out for retirement (10)
6 A musical character to have on the staff (4) 10 Stable unit in the market (5)
11 A ruinous craft (9)
12 Beat this for a political slogan (8)
13 Test the patience of a good man at a meeting (5) 15 Distances covered by a number of vaults (7)
17 It is pressed into use when distribution by air is required (7)
19 Make another entrance in a more entertaining way (2-5)
21 Main roads? (7)
22 It sounds - like fruit (5)
24 Writer is about to approve a colour (3-5) 27 Head teacher is a source of interest (9)
28 How pointless to follow a girl in a state (5) 29 Rush in three directions at once! (4) 30 It necessitates a lot of extra work in the theatre (5,5)
DOWN
1 Beheaded, it would be even more venomous (4) 2 Not altogether how an undergraduate is working? (2,1,6)
3 Girl wasn’t well brought up (5)
4 A dour disposition is, to us, hard to bear (7)
5 Its aura somehow appeals to those who like mountain holidays (7)
7 Poem attributed to husband (3,2) 8 Enthusiasm experienced by a new poker player? (5,5)
9 Standards are judged by them (8)
14 Piece of rough material that could be smoother (5,5) 16 Retaliates and strikes a player (4,4)
18 Void contest? (5,4)
20 Decorate from top to bottom, or bottom to top (7) 21 Everything in the show is superficial (7)
23 Untie tricky knot (5)
25 They fly or take a train (5)
26 Fuel considered all right in church (4)
QUICK CLUES ACROSS
1 Very comfortable situation (3,2,5) 6 Continued pain (4) 10 Discourage (5) 11 Attractive (9)
12 Hearth (8)
13 Metallic ringing sound (5) 15 Infest (7)
17 Scornful language (7)
19 Shock grossly (7)
21 Old hand (7) 22 Accumulate (5)
24 Unique (8)
27 To place between (9) 28 Confusion of voices (5) 29 Small cut (4) 30 Amelioration (10)
DOWN
1 Portend (4)
2 Harm (9)
3 Absurd proceedings (5) 4 Enthusiastic reception (7) 5 To voice (7) 7 Porcelain (5)
8 Battle (10) 9 Gambling card game (8) 14 Crowning ceremony (10) 16 Restore confidence to (8) 18 Pleasant (9)
20 One part of serial (7) 21 Extremely forceful (7) 23 Garret (5) 25 Brownish yellow (5) 26 Oversupply (4)