CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

ACROSS 8. Wire used to melt gear (8)

9. Bird thus returning to its victim (6) 10. Perseverance with recipes sent it distracted (11) 11. Forget one’s lines and help with the washing-up (3) 13. One concerned in the affair of a thrash (5)

15. Spill mess made of it if one gets the orthography wrong (9) 17. The things one has on one often feel scraps of diversion (8,7)

19. Entirely surrounded when in cover and posted (9) 21. Miss Darling, it is said, before eating (5)

23. Men threaten one such winning serve (3)

24. Capacity of feeling a novel connection with sense (11)

27. Bit of manoeuvring takes diplomacy, I see (6)

28. They save people from us Crees, right? (8)

DOWN

1. A turncoat from the East in grenade explosion (8) 2. Lowland areas defensively contained (4)

3. Jack personified Robert as an American poet (5) 4. Beard gives me a certain weight, if it’s not metric (8,7) 5. Condescend to rout such a foe after five (9) 6. Primate that needed no trim form (3)

7. It sounds like fuel for a storm bird (6)

12. Outward show of respectability never affected leading entrepreneur (6)

14. Hanging ornament made out of slates (6)

16. There is no guilt in simplicity (9)

18. Ain’t curt, maybe, but disinclined to talk (8)

20. A sweet, trance-inducing drink (6)

22. Lower oneself to a starting-point (5)

25. If he’s ill-mannered he’ll be left out (4)

26. Dined when one was expected to turn up (3)