the crosswords

CRYPTIC CLUES

ACROSS 1 Novel form of alarm sirens (5,6) 9 Provokes old record players (7) 10 A view first seen in

Virginia (5) 11 The Hispano-French girl? (4) 12 Slash the price of flimsy material (8) 14 Think what people who count will do (6) 16 He is in highest command (6) 18 Back at sea (2,6) 19 It ain’t all go (4) 22 Ten is about all right as a symbol (5) 23 One task the fewer for the unemployed (7) 24 A celeb; someone going to Italy perhaps (11) DOWN 2 Having no flaws though I

have a lot (5) 3 A friend totally childless (4) 4 There’s many a shipwreck caused by accident (6) 5 He gives notice (8) 6 Take a liberty? (7) 7 Question wrongly put to trainer for example (11) 8 Told off for having cadged a lift to work? (5,2,4) 13 Large sums made out of composing songs? (8) 15 Sound expert the French follow (7) 17 A capital fellow with a hard-working reputation (6) 20 Porter right on his toes (5) 21 Third man sounds competent enough (4)

QUICK CLUES

ACROSS 1 Testify (4,7) 9 Lessen gradually (4,3) 10 Discover signs of (5) 11 Estimate value of (4) 12 Living in trees (8) 14 Solution to problem (6) 16 Black and white chattering bird (6) 18 Gigantic (8) 19 Depressed (4) 22 General purport of what is said (5) 23 Gold or silver in ingots (7) 24 Dismiss summarily (4,7)

DOWN 2 Expel from property (5) 3 Outbreak of public disorder (4) 4 Tell (6) 5 Hypothetical (8) 6 Drastic upheaval (5-2) 7 Rome (7,4) 8 Intending to be helpful (4-7) 13 Carefully considered (8) 15 Absence of sound (7) 17 West African country (6) 20 Pungent edible bulb (5) 21 Adverse criticism (4)