CROSSWORD

Across

1 Harps on about children whose parents are late (7)

5 Some who telephoned for accommodation (5) 8 Stuntman accepted a challenge to live roughly (9)

9 A bird stuck in the mud (3)

10 Regretted sounding discourteous (4) 12 Lively article I finally checked (8)

14 Sell about a litre (6) 15 Winning smash volley (6) 17 The sort of reading a gardener may be interested in (8)

18 A real eyesore (4) 21 Choose crackpot (3) 22 Furnished with a new job? (9)

24 Sat when asked (5) 25 It takes pluck to remove it (7)

Down

1 An award for tidiness (5) 2 Equality in the Stock Exchange? (3)

3 Help a character in opera (4)

4 See 13 Down

5 Arc light? (4-4)

6 One way of handling therapy (9)

7 Duly ran out one’s washing (7)

11 To begin with it is an internal inflammation (9) 13 and 4 Down: Numbers out of order (5,3,6) 14 Give a party a new constitution, perhaps (7) 16 Unpretentious old medicine (6)

19 Note down new present (5)

20 Enjoy the same thing (4) 23 Salt spread over the road (3)