TWO-SPEED CROSSWORD

CRYPTIC CLUES ACROSS

1 Quarters musical intervals (7) 8 Breaking cast, lie with stretcher (7) 9 Get egg-white for a pound and shake up menu (7) 10 To live in Essex is terrific (5) 11 Let father contrive to be sincere (9) 14 Type of wit Ali cultivated (6) 15 Australian and English openers holding bat appear calm (5) 16 Quiet little stream? Quite the reverse (6) 20 In the report I write “nice”, lest I alter it to “heavenly”! (9) 23 Letter; an annoyance! (5) 24 Once more take steps to improve the tyre (7) 25 Smooth-talking person, female singer holding arm (7) 26 Distance when about ready to receive silver (7)

DOWN

1 Loud insect circling tree (6) 2 Increase pulse and be optimistic (6) 3 Employee with time to entice (5) 4 Get a feeling for intelligence (5) 5 Allowed head round to get

artist’s board (7) 6 As one chooses a type of cloth (2,4) 7 One with a twitch found it vinegary (6) 12 Excellent, the French mythical tale (5) 13 Some fuel, I treble amount of petrol (5)15 Left in pain by my old pseudoscience (7) 16 Look for chaser on the loose (6) 17 Large rodent, light brown colour, makes wickerwork material (6) 18 Flicks through a medicine manual (6) 19 Promise Penny unfinished record book (6) 21 Road vehicle left with alternative – rails (5) 22 Was it a roughly gripped instrument? (5)

COFFEE TIME ACROSS

1 Quarters (7) 8 Flexible (7) 9 Egg-white (7) 10 Be (5) 11 Sincere (9) 14 Form of print (6) 15 Calm down, subside (5) 16 Ear-splitting (6) 20 Divine (9) 23 Aspirated consonant (5) 24 Recycled tyre (7) 25 Smooth-talker (7) 26 Distance (7)

DOWN

1 Big, bright (6) 2 Cheerful (6) 3 Allure (5) 4 Be aware of (5) 5 Artist’s board (7) 6 As you choose (2,4) 7 Vinegary (6) 12 Aesop story (5) 13 Fuel amount (5) 15 Medieval chemistry (7) 16 A good look (6) 17 Wickerwork material (6) 18 Film theatre (6) 19 Assurance, promise (6) 21 Delivery vehicle (5) 22 Indian instrument (5)