thecrosswords

PUZZLE 14745

CRYPTIC CLUES ACROSS

1 Agreed with the head (6) 4 A girl to help people out (6) 9 A lover - married unfortunately (7) 10 Rested like being in bed (5) 11 A means of current escape which sustains us (5) 12 Contemporary gift (7) 13 They protect troops from various technocrats (6,5) 18 It’s simply picturesque (7) 20 Left in the cooker to be divided (5) 22 Disunion in the Adriatic (5) 23 It’s not a change of position (7) 24 Such plain nonsense can bring the house down (3,3) 25 The significance of graven images out East (6)

DOWN

1 Ten are ordered to be more smart (6) 2 To raise objection is not entirely modest (5) 3 Win the right to retain article of terracotta (7) 5 Walk like a doctor in drink? (5) 6 Food locked up (7) 7 Changed untidy birthday suit (6) 8 Lose one’s grip and take no further action (4,3,4) 14 A rightful share of proceeds from regal authority (7) 15 Exile not at home with actors (7) 16 Incorrectly be said to be prejudiced (6) 17 Changes which should be made by wrongdoers (6) 19 Left to return to the game (5) 21 Stain article in pale shade (5)

QUICK CLUES ACROSS

1 Fortuitous (6) 4 To moderate (6) 9 Without specific target (2,5) 10 Strong of character (5) 11 More than usually (5) 12 Raise repeated false alarms (3,4) 13 Using maximum force (4-7) 18 By-product (4-3) 20 Genuine (5) 22 Large divided leaf (5) 23 Atone for (7) 24 Song of sorrow (6) 25 Windswept (6)

DOWN

1 Cowardly (6) 2 Apportion (5) 3 Make shorter than planned (7) 5 Tentative effort (5) 6 Support actively (7) 7 Confirm formally (6) 8 Lose one’s nerve (3,4,4) 14 Unvarying (7) 15 In writing (2,5) 16 Serviceable (6) 17 To wit (6) 19 Of a bygone era (5) 21 Jack (5)