DOUBLE CROSSWORD
CRYPTIC ACROSS
1 Point of departure for a seasonal committee (11) 9 Power to stay in street beside a burst main (7) 10 Engine problems included starting up an inexperienced young woman (7) 11 Choice writing between heads of English (5) 12 Europe trains Memphis in a polite form of words (9) 13 Else rags made for great charity (8) 14 Circlet forged without the right kind of language (6) 17 Demand outside lane be a sewer? (6) 19 Heavy British tennis star standing outside church (8) 22 Worse health for one’s partner (5,4) 24 Great pianist included Mozart’s third in record (5) 26 Tailor-made suit in a country (7) 27 Succeed as a salesman, by the net (7) 28 Shrill example of body modification (3-8)
DOWN
1 Consequently a landing place became smoother (7) 2 Relish ale in order to make trouble (5,4) 3 Define areas talked about as part of the Mediterranean (4,4) 4 Diehard bachelor hobbles around (6) 5 Viewpoint of an old Englishman (5) 6 Depression is end result of his treatment? (7) 7 Land that lies in pieces (4) 8 Indian food nut opened around 2001 (8) 13 Sole unit after heaving ranks of rugby (4-4) 15 Gums made Italy puce (9) 16 Prophet rounded on a distant sailor (8) 18 Improve hen production with cane trash (7) 20 Necessity turned nag into a wild horse (7) 21 Claim a lasagna contained flipping sausage! (6) 23 A step up in Paris eroticism (5) 25 Rank with the sound of eyedrop? (4)
QUICK ACROSS
1 Growths on a cave’s floor (11) 9 Custodian of an art collection (7) 10 Enter uninvited (7) 11 Wash oneself (5) 12 Caustic (9) 13 Graveyard (8) 14 The Mahatma (6) 17 Bureau, office (6) 19 Marmalade (8) 22 Investiture (9) 24 Prepared (5) 26 Cosmetic for the eyelashes (7) 27 Cancel out, render void (7) 28 Keep cold (11)
DOWN
1 Layer of rock (7) 2 Genuine, bona fide (9) 3 African termite-eater (8) 4 One of two halves (6) 5 Tribe inhabiting Rwanda and Burundi (5) 6 Filthy and repulsive (7) 7 Crust formed on a wound (4) 8 Give an account of (8) 13 Personal magnetism (8) 15 ‘The Land Down Under’ (9) 16 Munitions (8) 18 Ultimate consumer (3,4) 20 Become aware of, grasp (7) 21 Capital of Rwanda (6) 23 Husks of grain, separated from the seed (5) 25 Move up and down (2-2)