CRYPTIC CLUES
ACROSS
12 Understand why dart was taken away from child? (3,3,5) 13 Animal let loose to unnerve (6) 14 Show over. About half like (6) 16 Smudge or rub out number in (4) 17 Bounder got mother hooked on port (9) 18 Rises by fifty-one feet a second (5) 19 Dog act follows: noisy one (4) 20 Anyway, he’s not given the trophy immediately (2,3,4) 22 Would be short answer to ‘What provide us with coffee?’ (5) 23 Put on a warm coat and buttoned it (7,2) 27 Talk about American records (7) 30 Wind blows this in arid area, making a row (4-2) 31 Among teetotalers, a round of drinks (4) 32 A blast and a ball — great enjoyment (5) 35 Frederic dropped in for something to eat (4) 36 Hoped to find Ted Brown in (7) 38 Pinch like the devil (4) 39 Doesn’t go for leftovers (7) 42 It means the notes will be gone through quickly (6) 45 R-row round and fish (5) 46 Lost: a slim binder with one key attached (7) 47 Google with the Queen and Royals (4) 48 Learner disregarded rules. Is sorry (4) 50 Acted oddly about going in. Made a fuss (7) 52 A niggle. It’s the same, but different (5) 54 A reduction in fare may be required to bring it down (6) 56 Bypasses end of road. Ruse to confuse (7) 57 Film. Good one, seen twice (4) 59 Keep up with, drink by drink (7) 61 The only catch? (4) 64 Game to keep mum (5) 66 Aria soprano started on key (4) 67 On half of them, I try to alter the number (6) 69 Was sent back to the front, as anticipated (7) 72 Meant moving some into a home (9) 73 Feel it’s an attempt to extract money (5) 74 To soften up, offer is increased by a quarter (9) 79 Plan to put a pound in the kitty (4) 81 Passenger with identification. European in luxury car (5) 82 Instant — communication channels take ridiculous time about (9) 83 For cut, getting anaesthetic at hospital (4) 85 Aim, as before, to capture one (6) 86 Beats traditional polish, you say (6) 87 Later, maybe. Would be wrong at the moment (3,5,3)
DOWN
1 Man up, man, and cope! (4) 2 Resilience found in a stuffed shirt (6) 3 Centres round American county (6) 4 Support? I only accepted a bit (7) 5 Find top piece is missing from old catalogue (5) 6 Preparing to cook, once having got bed snug for night (7,3) 7 Worn out by last break point (5) 8 Get lit up and shoot in fight (3,4,2) 9 Among doctors, is so relaxed and talks unreservedly (7) 10 Mixing it, the two females have a row (4) 11 Take a look at only to tweak some more (8) 15 Coming, Dave — ordered half pint (6) 21 ‘No’ said in horse language (5) 24 Do the same, tying mule to a hollow tree (7) 25 ‘Married,’ say, but say indistinctly (6) 26 Dull people from rural areas (6) 28 Manages to get European police to apprehend (5) 29 Command given to dog. One that’s in the way (3) 33 She is wrongly including us among the floozies (7) 34 Myself and wife held a party in a field (6) 37 ‘Courted’ is old-fashioned (5) 40 The high point of one’s travels (5) 41 Fellow fighting a minority group (7) 43 Waken up, or shake, Sue (5) 44 Having duplicate keys to enter ours, as it happens (6) 46 Mythical king, though many have said otherwise (5) 49 He finances pro’s son, playing (7) 51 Get in tizzy about. Women! A pain! (6) 53 Raise (a shame) to be presumptuous (6) 55 What we’re arguing about is the girl’s name (5) 58 How quickly both are revealed to be correct? (2,3,5) 60 Also until the beginning of October (3) 62 Charges a lot (5) 63 Numbers reduced in, preliminary to launch (9) 65 It’s no good being downhearted (8) 68 Spurious coin given to me in pay (6) 70 Drives back at ten, to spruce up (7) 71 Goes off again to Paris, flying (7) 75 Sprinkle on door, top, bottom and side (6) 76 At far end sight mistake and one corrects (6) 77 American woman and British do a switch (5) 78 ‘Duck inside,’ one says in French, ‘twit!’ (5) 80 Fall, knocked back by good right (4) 84 Reveal, with ‘Here’s how’, to be half cut (4)