CROSSWORD

ACROSS

1 Thriller writer, slow mover (6)

4 Two blows exactly (4-4) 10 Might exhibitionist stand naked under this? (5,6)

11 Female rhino picked up by the ears? (3) 12 Male grasped by a more desperate lover (7)

14 Drunken layabout virtually abandoned

(7)

15 Sadness caused by sacking? (14) 17 Admitting failure finally, collapse of town shocked neighbourhood (4,2,3,5)

21 Padded seat without ends even, a great deal (7)

22 Nice place where I fight in middle of barrage (7)

23 No friend is false, did you say? (3)

24 Soul even, in tool (6,5) 26 Period of ten years passed amid restrictions (8)

27 High street name in dictionary (6)

DOWN

1 Father standing, Paul turning, police officer salutes (8)

2 Surrender weapon (3) 3 A way to fill hole up in pendant (7)

5 Islanders' war, I gathered, about Hebrides at first — here? (5,3,6)

6 Some style about supporting act (7) 7 Initially nearly 500 gatecrashing ’ouse in Greece? Considerably more to follow (3,4,4) 8 Little boy feeding horse like a pig? (6) 9 Manipulating tactic, something attractive and repulsive (5,9) 13 Recipes with meat in a stew, tour de force (11)

16 Fool suffered, getting criticised strongly (8) 18 Head supporting king, and in French parliament (7) 19 Reportedly disregard impediment to create a ripple (7)

20 Counter blow (6) 25 Victory achievable, Napoleon heads for the front (3)