Double Crossword
ACROSS
CRYPTIC CLUES 1 Native American adder had a happy time of late (6,6) 9 Halfwit or a half less (3) 10 A charming way of talking and a French way of spelling (5,6) 11 Metallic element made my lemon bud (10) 12 Old story with a slightly dreamy theme (4) 14 Broke up dirt that’s rotten and stinking (6) 15 Figures on Latin origin in exotic surname (8) 18 After skirmish in the street, gurgle horribly (8) 19 Heard pair put an end to a single bird (6) 22 Number killed on duty (4) 24 Choked on one’s words as turtle sped off (10) 26 Long-suffering as a bore rambles through surrounds of Paris (11) 27 Part of the circle is carsick (3) 28 Optional term used by church leader (12)
DOWN
1 Poor conductor made journalist remove cap (9) 2 Tie card game after a defensive approach (10) 3 A British leader accustomed to being vilified (6) 4 Helper at an oral examination included page with cryptic clue in total (8) 5 Scum eviscerating the Muscovy duck (4) 6 Electric eel with grey on the side lines (5) 7 With rum cocktail in hand, rise and prepare for the game (4,2) 8 Aches that chemist treated after removing mass (6) 13 Bearing may drive bats outside the harbour (10) 16 Can’t raise rumpus or pin it down (9) 17 Give a big hand to catch the bilge (8) 18 Start to make a contrast (3,3) 20 Sleep on rocks with lack of success (2,4) 21 Underground work may lift a slightly crestfallen nutritionist (6) 23 Giant gargled solution after shaving (5) 25 Brew every eager roisterer starts off with (4) Down:
ACROSS
QUICK CLUES 1 Cardboard picture cut into pieces (6,6) 9 Sign of agreement (3) 10 The middle classes (11) 11 Burdened, hampered (10) 12 Master, employer (4) 14 Hypnotic state (6) 15 Legendary lost continent (8) 18 Allergic reaction to pollen (3,5) 19 A hand containing no winning card (6) 22 Unsightly (4) 24 Directly below (10) 26 Impartiality, lack of involvement (11) 27 Fish eggs (3) 28 Readiness (12)
DOWN
1 Legal system (9) 2 Astonished (coll) (10) 3 Mental acuteness, discernment (6) 4 Coloured compounds (8) 5 Move at speed (4) 6 Lariat (5) 7 Invade and live on a host (6) 8 In opposition to (6) 13 Puppet (10) 16 Dictionary of synonyms (9) 17 Caribou (8) 18 Pesters, badgers (6) 20 Reverberations (6) 21 Myth (6) 23 High intensity light source (5) 25 Break suddenly under tension (4)