CRYPTIC/QUICK CROSSWORD

Here’s your chance to win a Collins Concise English Dictionary. Complete the crossword using

either the cryptic or the quick clues and send it to us with your name and address. Send your solution to: Cryptic/Quick Crossword No.651, The Irish Mail on Sunday, PO Box 5332, Cardiff Lane, Dublin 2. Entries must be received by Thursday. The winner will be drawn from a hat. The winner of Cryptic/Quick Crossword No.650 is Amber E. Byrne, Hacketstown Road, Carlow.

CRYPTIC CLUES Across

1 Bishop takes steps to get an inflated bag (7) 5 Elegant, Roy cooked bitter ingredient (7) 10 Sheet of metal to prevent success (4) 11 Check declared and put back in position (10) 12 Cold cream is used in China (8) 13 Northerner finds Mike so awkward (6) 14 Sharp, getting a group of detectives right inside (5) 16 Eccentric tailor may show absence of standards (9) 19 Relative gets drip to run unknown race (5,4) 21 A little something – last of mutton in fire (5) 23 Doctor and sailor possess registered gun (6) 25 Breaks stolen summary (8) 27 Simple way to get security (4,6) 28 Island bickering starts with small bird (4) 29 Dog and mother settling initial argument (7) 30 Railway supporter is a secret agent (7)

Down

2 Get beaten, having nothing approximate (5) 3 Dog wagging a damn tail (9) 4 Wear out soldier, returning insect (6) 6 Bar entertainer, rely on rewriting (8) 7 Lack recipe with hard cheese? Hardly (5) 8 Curate and him somehow united in pain (9) 9 Stupid calculation for food (3,3) 15 An artist puts coal, say, before a sauce (9) 17 Come down on playground item and collapse (9) 18 Drink for a supernatural being, terribly fit (8) 20 Part of shoe that’s conforming (6) 22 Business group caught by later development (6) 24 Sample sweet extremities at meeting (5) 26 Sheepish round wine producer (5)