the crosswords

PUZZLE 14775

CRYPTIC CLUES ACROSS

1 Painter of some force? (9) 8 Plane in trouble in the Himalayas (5) 9 Further improvement (7) 10 You can count on it (6) 11 Farm, the last in Wyoming with cattle country (6) 12 Hand over a representative (8) 15 Didn’t stay uninhabited (8) 18 Rodney might be over there (6) 20 Ignorant and under a misconception (6) 21 Animal whose food is superior to other animals’? (7) 22 Count in Europe as magnanimous (5) 23 Do not dare to produce a cosmetic for use by men (9)

DOWN

2 The sequence of command (5) 3 Tortured saints - Mark may be one of them (6) 4 Account many wrongly tried to sanction (8) 5 Supply with power? (6) 6 Particular place is in a mess (7) 7 He leaves his coat on the wall (9) 11 Excellent acts worth encores (4,5) 13 Hen perhaps spotted beetle (8) 14 Attribute that makes a writer (7) 16 Are in debt but managed to bring up the children (6) 17 Not just an international trade show (6) 19 Mischievous bit of self-indulgence (5)

QUICK CLUES ACROSS

1 Precautionary measure (9) 8 Well-informed (5) 9 Desist (7) 10 Shrub of rhododendron genus (6) 11 Offer in payment (6) 12 Supporter of a party (8) 15 Earnest, often naive reformer (2-6) 18 Signify (6) 20 Evasive (6) 21 Badly behaved (7) 22 Malicious burning of property (5) 23 In most cases (9)

DOWN

2 Without others’ help (5) 3 Incorporate (6) 4 Fearless (8) 5 Blind temporarily by brightness (6) 6 Previously (7) 7 Overwhelm with shock (9) 11 Shopkeeper (9) 13 Intractable person (4,4) 14 Contrary to (7) 16 Pleasure-trip (6) 17 Inscrutable person (6) 19 Absolute (5)