thecrosswords

PUZZLE 14736

CRYPTIC CLUES

ACROSS

1 Test of French in viva voce (6) 4 I’m going into property assessment (8) 9 Bird to catch on horseback (6) 10 Mix-up in rush to become airborne (8) 12 In France we show higher intellect (4) 13 Odd but amusing (5) 14 Woman given note and present (4) 17 Never out - but not invariably (12) 20 They have no saving graces (12) 23 Bloomer that takes in the pupil (4) 24 Daily record of dairy manufacture (5) 25 Twin gets praise in return (4) 28 It is done in a way that’s a serious crime (8) 29 A minimum investment in the Marshall

Islands (6) 30 They are empowered to go over our

heads (8) 31 Singular example of very little money for

fruit (6)

DOWN

1 I’d turn up in a sort of orange fabric (8) 2 Publicly accuse a stupid person holding one up (8) 3 A secret hideaway for port (4) 5 Scanned route until it became instinctive? (6,6) 6 I stood for office in Middle East country (4) 7 Wrongly blamed for having dawdled (6) 8 They may take the field an hour before midday (6) 11 Postponing a mistake on the green? (7,2,3) 15 Breaks into pictures (5) 16 Lower a large cocktail (5) 18 Discharge indicates need to turn off in use (8) 19 His praises are sung in the services (8) 21 Seat is put out for a nap (6) 22 There’s a lot he wants (6) 26 Big name appears nightly (4) 27 Face the team (4)

QUICK CLUES

ACROSS

1 Expression of high regard (6) 4 Partial (3-5) 9 On few occasions (6) 10 Duration (8) 12 A fine lustrous fabric (4) 13 Polite (5) 14 Minus (4) 17 Ultimately (2,3,4,3) 20 Deferral (12) 23 Highest point (4) 24 Monetary resources (5) 25 No more than (4) 28 Recklessly extravagant (8) 29 Future (6) 30 Person of consequence (8) 31 Fragment of conversation (6)

DOWN

1 Severe suffering (8) 2 Virtue (8) 3 Very strong wind (4) 5 An emphatic refusal (7,5) 6 Dispatch (4) 7 Silly nonsense (6) 8 Assimilate (6) 11 Prevailing state of affairs (3,2,3,4) 15 Reveal a secret (3,2) 16 Food reduced to pulp (5) 18 Run-down (8) 19 In detail (2,6) 21 South American treeless plain (6) 22 Remove defects from (6) 26 Large branch of tree (4) 27 Complain (4)