CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

14/5

ACROSS

1. They illustrate how a grid’s made up around the forenoon (8)

4. A branch of police work that’s biting (4)

8. Container that would be enormous were it to contain sulphur (3)

9. One of the bends: remedy involves Valium initially (5)

10. A pot nothing is drawn out of? Likely! (3)

11. Maid becomes watchful if old boy gets ahead of her (7)

12. Bird will take something from somebody when at home (5)

13. To advance to a greater degree, in addition (11)

17. Potato, perhaps, sounds as if it might get blown (5)

18. Old cars, a string of which might come from the butcher’s (7)

20. Grassland discovered where Land’s End approach starts (3)

21. Handy things to be as hard as? (5)

22. It’s a peg, of course (3)

23. Requirement for putting one to bed heads off (4)

24. But it doesn’t produce a vegetable with a shell! (8)

DOWN

1. Contrive to distribute seed around six (6)

2. Following break-up of fat with hesitation (5)

3. To be so highly deserving makes the writer right? It follows! (5)

5. Somehow get up a form of blame when in credit (7)

6. It’s silly to be so loving! (6)

7. Commercial traveller also appears in the edges one tells off (10)

9. When frightened, teeth are sounding like magpies (10)

14. Feeling of resentment makes one unfeeling when topless with fury (7)

15. Pinched Southampton water finally in the second place (6)

16. A view of carpets shaken right out (6)

18. A person to hold the bowl out in entering (5)

19. Possibly a wide crowd player (5)