CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

ACROSS

1. 25’s sweetheart is dovelike (9)

5. Spare a bone for the wife (3)

7. May be wary of changing what’s untrue (4)

8. She is known to count, in Italy (8)

10. Wrongly let in the hair for the supports (8)

11. Stuff is left behind, this being taken at the bar (4)

13. Be sorry to see a king get the bird (6)

15. Old boy got clan to prepare stuff for whitening (6)

18. One method to be played on opponents’ ground (4)

19. Credit can be eaten, as is believable (8)

22. Save diet and use it to calm one (8)

23. One container that’s partly been opened (4)

24. An unknown quantity was numbered by the Romans (3)

25. He was 1’s sweetheart in pantomime (9)

DOWN

1. Noise caught the last-mentioned (7)

2. Size of a beer that’s been spilt (5)

3. De-creased in no dire way (6)

4. Takes in topless chairs (4)

5. This sort of roulette runs as one spins it (7) 18/7

6. It is uselessly drawn round at start of race (5)

9. Metal oneself with preparation of nerve (5)

12. To do so one must be powerless to fly (5)

14. A happy retreat will make one more cheerful (7)

16. Infest one for too many performances, perhaps (7)

17. One with plenty of push for the club (6)

18. Tea’s served out around the South, and it’s worth having (5)

20. There was a jewel in the tomb I jousted for (5)

21. Not to know the kitchen will be irritating (4) YESTERDAY’S SOLUTION

Across: 1. Humour 4. Maniac 9. Mortise 10. Green 11. Noah

12. Calm 13. Too 15. Epic 16. Snap 19. Dip 21. Tent 22. Solo

24. Extra 25. Rossini 26. Sprite 27. Recent

Down: 1. Human kindness 2. Margate 3. Unit 5. Argument

6. Inert 7. Contortionist 8. Repay 14. Distract 17. Promise

18. Snore 20. Pater 23. Isle