CROSSWORD

ACROSS

1. Promotion of friendly relations in House Of Cards? (6-8) 9. Wrongdoers finish up hiding among unopened boxes (9) 10. Casserole reduced by a pound: a bargain (5) 11. Old knave maybe knocked back, seeing stars (5)

12. Tatty trousers ’e turned up (9)

13. No bank will accept a single franc, teller revealed (8)

15. Book published that is about part of Borneo (6)

17. Man finishes off home brew (6)

19. Wader got nervous, seeing canine swimming? (5,3) 22. Theatre promoter briefly keeps male away from the spotlight (9)

23. College girl turned in several compositions (5)

24. Behind a park there's a nut tree (5)

25. Person paid by examination board? I object (9)

26. They risked all, wickedly pinching large picture (3,11)

DOWN

1. Wide minor thoroughfare picked out by car's spotlight? (5,2,3,4)

2. Break actually is around end of summer (7)

3. Crazy journey touring round New Zealand

(5)

4. Comparatively tired old king transported to grave thus? (8) 5. Pictures how pupils are grouped by ability? (6)

6. Almost get rid of crude-sounding speech (9)

7. Composer set up a German school in London, note (7) 8. Do-gooders distributed the grain in British city (8,6) 14. Stop Nottingham team getting ahead of the entire field? (9)

16. Hold hair to give protection from the sun (8)

18. Be involved in cunning match play (7)

20. Rookie in river, grabbing floating platform (7)

21. Drunk became panicky, losing head (6)

23. Empty container — fish basket (5)