{ THE CROSSWORDS }

CRYPTIC CLUES

ACROSS

1 Piece of music in E sharp, perhaps (6)

4 Puts pressure on the men who sail in a ship (6)

9 Conceit revealing vitality in troubled times (7)

10 Previous head of a religious body (5)

11 An essential part of thieves’ language (5)

12 Specific cure that takes some licking (7)

13 It’s cold fare for a revolutionary leader (5,6)

18 Foreign lady who dropped in after marriage (7)

20 Follow directions and engage in litigation (5)

22 Respond and about turn (5)

23 Girl I sign on as an astronomer (7)

24 Gives way under pressure (6)

25 Stockings only put out in the north and south (6)

DOWN

1 Be agreeable to a sleep, perhaps (6)

2 She is strangely hard about love (5)

3 English style of roof tile (7)

5 Bird you shouldn’t have indoors? (5)

6 He turns out to be an oriental conqueror (7)

7 Put emphasis on nervous tension (6)

8 Pocket money makes very little difference (5,6)

14 He doesn’t appreciate where the coal goes (7)

15 He’s about to call up a poet (7)

16 Bird gets so upset over victim (6)

17 Fitting ends for pieces of wood (6)

19 Chosen from the depot (5)

21 It uses rounds or ovals (5)

QUICK CLUES

ACROSS

1 In preference to (6)

4 An overused expression (6)

9 Temporary expedient (7)

10 A culinary herb (5)

11 Coarse cotton cloth (5)

12 Incessant (7)

13 Concisely (2,1,8)

18 Empty threats (7)

20 A cotton thread (5)

22 Item of bric-a-brac (5)

23 Crumbly (7)

24 Friendly greeting (6)

25 Genial (6)

DOWN

1 In comparison with (6)

2 Look of disapproval (5)

3 Set of dietary rules (7)

5 Language of Ancient Rome (5)

6 Watch-glass (7)

7 Not liable (6)

8 Prodigal (11)

14 Uncommitted (7)

15 Infernal (7)

16 Counting frame (6)

17 Unorthodox belief (6)

19 Freshwater food fish (5)

21 A dark brown fur (5)