CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

ACROSS

2. Ray sounds like an old woman (5)

5. One bird starts following another one (4)

7. Card – first in diamonds – served a winner (4)

8. Fought as one did away with it (8)

9. Coffee with egghead thus includes the newspapers (8)

11. Tiger took it to be a light aircraft (4)

12. Paid players for Spain loses out, though (13)

15. An Oxford variety of hose (4)

17. Finding pleasure in New York jig, one moves around (8)

19. Dwelling with a gnu, blow it about (8)

21. Call Ahoy and it may come down hard on one (4)

22. Cry a little and start packing (4)

23. The right friend for a motoring event (5)

DOWN

1. A tooth it may be ironic to start stopping (7)

2. Rush here and there in a daring adventure (3)

3. SOS get me out of the basket! (5)

4. Reasoning from cause to effect, a head of a priory gets one (1,6)

5. A dandy ring found in the fortepiano (3)

6. The way endlessly to grind it for flour (5)

10. Gun used to plunder (5)

11. In my situation a person has cash (5)

13. Of the stars who rest, all get resettled (7)

14. Coming down for disembarkation (7)

16. Accommodate one in school games group (5)

18. A stone one may mount (5)

20. Georgia starts plugging the breach (3)

21. Fodder market in a London street (3) 8/4

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTION

Across: 1. Compensation 8. Overturn 9. Form 11. Kneel

12. Outward 13. Nibs 15. Zero 19. Pension 20. Tramp 22. Reel

23. Sanction 24. Young persons

2. Obese 3. Petals 4. Narrow 5. Isolate 6. Name-dropping

7. Working party 10. Sty 14. Bandeau 16. Fix 17. Innate

18. Stocks 21. Alien

Down: