TWO-SPEED CROSSWORD

CRYPTIC CLUES ACROSS

1 Jo’s bone is altered in

plastic surgery (4,3) 5 Head cook’s without

one (5)

8 Mayoral insignia is 22

yards long (5)

9 Gran’s sharp fabric (7) 10 Bet returned by explosive

sort? (4)

11 Beasts so worked up and

fiery? Not with this (8) 13 A constraint’s unorthodox

dealing (11)

17 Clock used as soldiers are

being prepared? (3-5) 19 Crook needed to conceal

joint (4)

21 Caterer cooked for row of

houses (7)

22 Spiv hiding river fish (5) 23 Relative that’s pleasant, ultimately polite on the inside (5)

24 Acrobat can be found on

the bar (7)

DOWN

1 Steal the Spanish coin (6) 2 Tool for bridge? (7) 3 Spell ‘Judge’ in

Times (4) 4 Depend on New

Testament to show

indication of balance (4,9) 5 Paper covering new union

members (8)

6 Clumsy centipede, essentially

confused (5)

7 End half-hearted European

language (6)

12 Could be given sea picture (8) 14 Net deposit that’s

undesired (3,4)

15 Scientist reveals reduced

weight in noble gas (6)

16 A buffoon to scoff about

saint (6)

18 Overeat — or pass? (5) 20 Half the alphabet — the

smallest part? (4)

COFFEE TIME ACROSS

1 Cosmetic surgery

procedure (4,3)

5 Boss, leader (5)

8 Fetter (5)

9 Buff-coloured cloth (7) 10 Active volcano in eastern

Sicily (4)

11 Dangerous material once used in

buildings (8)

13 Business carried out (11) 17 Kitchen sandglass (3-5) 19 Middle leg joint (4) 21 Continuous house row (7) 22 Brown or rainbow creature (5) 23 Brother’s child (5)

24 Acrobat (7)

DOWN

1 American coin (6)

2 Hand tool (7)

3 Bringer of bad luck (4) 4 Monthly or quarterly financial

document (4,9)

5 Bits of coloured paper thrown

at a wedding (8) 6 Awkward (5)

7 Complete (6) 12 Conceive of (8) 14 Embarrassing backfire of

one's efforts (3,4)

15 Sir Isaac ___, physicist (6) 16 Clown of a medieval king's

court (6)

18 Cheddar ___, limestone

cliffs in Somerset (5) 20 Minute particle (4)