CRYPTICCROSSWORD

ACROSS

7 Moneylender certain to be in the ancient city (6) 8 Pop star or murderer (6) 10 If such a mistake could be called a bloomer (7) 11 Continue to perform in London (5) 12 One has to be ten to get an animal (4) 13 Rod’s hands (5) 17 Intolerant person with large books (5) 18 Lord has love for the game (4) 22 Correct people used in the commercial (5) 23 Distort queries to get a title (7) 24 Sad soldier in an overturned vehicle (6) 25 Talk idly about one freebooter (6)

DOWN

1 Where the ruffian gets beaten up (7) 2 But Sonny’s ex-partner has another man (7) 3 Very Irish poetry (5) 4 One has a right to make a mistake about the animal (7) 5 ‘The Times’ is out on strike (5) 6 Annie’s becoming silly (5) 9 Warned of education (9) 14 And Di is suffering contempt (7) 15 He might ruin Pat, possibly (7) 16 But we linger outside (7) 19 Father has to try to spoil social gathering (5) 20 The Danes rebuilt the chair (5) 21 A small amount of money for a sea creature (5)

Yesterday’s solutions

Across: 1 Bored. 4 Decided. 8 Lumbago. 9 Throb. 10 Sate. 11 Sporadic. 13 Sump. 14 Aces. 16 Epistles. 17 Isle. 20 Caddy. 21 Torment. 22 Nightie. 23 Baker.

Down: 1 Belisha beacon. 2 Remit. 3 Dear. 4 Droops. 5 Cataract. 6 Derides. 7 Debt collector. 12 Amethyst. 13 Shindig. 15 Gentle. 18 Sleek. 19 Drab.