CHRISTMAS 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: Christmas Cryptic/Quick Crossword, The Irish Mail on Sunday, PO Box 5332, Cardiff Lane, Dublin 2. The winner will be drawn from a hat. The winner of Cryptic/Quick Crossword No. 688 is Eileen Brosnan, Dublin 6W.
CRYPTIC CLUES
Across
9 New remit for religious attire (5) 10 Journey round old shop, circulating carrier (9)
11 Stupid nose in varying size (9) 12 Yawns, switching pages (5) 13 Bully broke torch, capturing her heart (6)
14 More salacious dossier has badly hit Republican (8)
16 Left the cow out – simple (3-4) 18 Behave outrageously as a butcher? (3,2,2)
20 Torn off that woman’s name, to a point (8)
22 Cheeky, losing gold article – a blade (6)
25 Large omen gets broadcast – that’s sharp (5)
26 Old region reports complete environmental problem (5,4) 28 Unacceptable, Edward surrounds comedian, fooled (9)
29 Keen to swap in one for a mountain (5)
Down
1 In the middle of mad performance, I rushed in (4) 2 A male in charge at a very small level (6)
3 Embargo includes English and European rake (8)
4 Act it out in the loft (5)
5 Frank shows depressed side (9)
6 Drunkard gets swine a plug (6) 7 Move, having work left to steal (8)
8 Mark is perhaps too complicated (10)
13 Harold joins fellow admiral in hold (4-6)
15 Burn a great deal, hollowing the pudding (9)
17 Fellow employee to function with different team (8) 19 Manufacturer has caught the Spanish fish (8)
21 Laugh with new king – that is something to be sneezed at (6) 23 Even if finished, no resistance (6)
24 Disorderly word about coordinate (5)
27 Amateur only hides money (4)
QUICK CLUES
Across
9 Bishop’s headdress (5) 10 Military transporter (9) 11 Measurable extent (9) 12 Stares open-mouthed (5) 13 Trojan prince (6)
14 More dirty (8)
16 Relatively unsophisticated (3-4)
18 Act in an exaggerated way (3,2,2) 20 From a particular compass point (8)
22 Crop-cutting tool (6) 25 Citrus fruit (5)
26 Upper atmospheric problem (5,4) 28 Deceived by greater ingenuity (9) 29 Swiss Alpine mountain (5)
Down 1 Surrounded by (4) 2 Nuclear (6) 3 Tall, thin person (8) 4 Garret (5) 5 Blunt (9) 6 Small peg or plug (6)
7 Steal from a store (8) 8 Punctuation mark (10)
13 Wrestling hold (4-6) 15 Pudding with stewed fruit (9) 17 Office colleague (8) 19 Food fish (8)
21 Fabric square for blowing one’s nose (6)
23 Despite the fact that (6)
24 Boisterous (5) 27 Currency unit (4)