THE CROSSWORD

CRYPTIC CLUES ACROSS

1 Private lodging provided with little hesitation (5)

8 Gin before opening lets down many an actor (4,4)

9 Fastener held on by a thread (5) 10 Mother chases a bird on the Nile (5,3) 11 Snooker crazy? (5)

12 Eat out in the afternoon (3)

16 Small pigs making a distant noise (6) 17 Eleven pies put out for the fairies (6) 18 Having nothing we must be in the red (3) 23 Cook needs the right oven (5)

24 Found its target, upsetting the women (4,4) 25 Home for a rabbit is pointless for a donkey (5)

26 Wait on the patients, but do them a bad turn? (5,3)

27 Plants that need a lot of water (5)

Down

2 A nickname is appropriate for him (8) 3 They give a seat to one standing (8) 4 He changed course and got shipwrecked (6)

5 Catch a right during the fight (5) 6 After accident, had no motor-cycle? (5) 7 An act that violates an act (5)

12 Tea company (3)

13 It's somewhat cheaper not to be original (3)

14 It may be made in open court or in camera (8)

15 Blamed a number before having made certain (8)

19 Politician caught in cunning habit of a nun (6)

20 Fiddle for a dance (5)

21 List of competitors is a record (5)

22 He has set about making rope (5) QUICK CLUES ACROSS 1 Abyss (5)

8 Vulnerable (4,4)

9 Wet (5)

10 Tower over (8) 11 Felicitous (5)

12 Mental uncertainty (3) 16 Place of pilgrimage (6) 17 Unrivalled (6)

18 Gained (3)

23 Keep for sale (5) 24 Gambling game (8) 25 Inappropriate (5) 26 Farewell appearance (4,4) 27 Considerable wealth (5) DOWN 1 Impact (4)

2 Violent attack (9) 3 Customer in restaurant (5) 4 Highest (7)

5 Originator (7)

7 At that point (5)

8 Suffer a breakdown (2,2,6) 9 Ludicrous (8)

14 Upright and respectable

(3-7)

16 Testimony (8)

18 Impostor (9)

20 Cause to blow up (7) 21 Anticipate (7)

23 Spanish equivalent of

Mister (5)

25 A second time (5)

26 Bow of a vessel (4)