THE CROSSWORD

CRYPTIC CLUES ACROSS

1 Inspection by officers ends the game on board (10) 6 Clothes changed frequently in the car (4) 10 A doctor and a mother in an exciting story (5) 11 Thought me old fashioned about it (9) 12 Extreme scepticism (8) 13 A blow that’s designed to humiliate (5) 15 Nautical way to the top (7) 17 Strange charm that is pure fantasy (7) 19 Plunder piled so haphazardly (7) 21 Stays to enclose a number in some armour (7) 22 Regretting having to destroy a note (5) 24 Ten girls making money (8) 27 All agreed to distribution of a union sum (9) 28 Pitched one in an outhouse (5) 29 Still having the same points (4) 30 Of use to writers still we hear (10)

DOWN

1 Laws the experts may break (4) 2 Wastes time, a case for improvement (9) 3 A uniform colour perhaps (5) 4 Cupboard that will give more air (7) 5 Directions to medic worried about disease type (7) 7 Reserve shown by one with nothing to say (5) 8 Coarse toast enjoyed by those who are fit (4,6) 9 A red tie’s construed as more sober (8) 14 Main thoroughfare used by merchants (5,5) 16 Firm hold for a golf club I ring pro about? (4,4) 18 An inelegant sort of plant (9) 20 Oaf holds some wood for making attack (4,3) 21 Salad greenery and French dressing in a basket (7) 23 I am on time for the picture (5) 25 Rope in a girl with a ring (5) 26 Extremely irritable? (4)

QUICK CLUES ACROSS

1 Conform to another’s actions (6,4) 6 50 per cent (4) 10 Arboreal African deadly snake (5) 11 Lake used to store water (9) 12 Youth (8) 13 Large webfooted waterbird (5) 15 An imposing building (7) 17 Forceful and energetic (7) 19 Supervised (7) 21 The rest (7) 22 Perfect type (5) 24 Keep one’s distance (5,3) 27 By and large (2,7) 28 Aesthetic discernment (5) 29 Authoritative standard (4) 30 Subject one knows nothing

about (6,4)

DOWN

1 Celebrity (4) 2 Large luxurious motor car (9) 3 Egg-shaped (5) 4 Slavish (7) 5 As an alternative (7) 7 Too proud to stoop to (5) 8 Unconvincing (3-7) 9 Creative (8) 14 Destruction (10) 16 Offensively arrogant (8) 18 Statement of aims and policy (9) 20 Good-for-nothing person (7) 21 1960s British pop group (7) 23 Zealous (5) 25 No longer fashionable (5) 26 Try to find (4)