BRAINBUSTER
ACROSS 1 Celebration on 14 February (10,3) 9 Yellow-orange colour (5) 12 Churches (7) 16 A blackfly, eg (5) 17 Sound-related (5) 18 Patron (7) 20 Geometric figure (7) 22 Supernatural creature (5) 23 Summarised (9) 24 Arenas (6) 26 Elderly person (6) 27 Bars of wood or metal (5) 28 Buildings with astronomical telescopes (13) 31 Short recordings (5) 32 Be present at (6) 34 Respiratory condition (6) 36 Type of tree (3) 37 In a coma (11) 40 Small social insect (3) 42 Variety is the . . . of life (5) 43 Words that refers to people and places, eg (5) 45 Row (6) 47 Exams (5) 49 Famous (5) 50 Suppress (8) 52 Units of 0,9144 m (5) 54 Top (5) 55 Accumulate or store (3,2) 56 Small island (4) 58 Suggest (5) 59 Keepsake (5) 60 Be concerned (4) 61 Desmond . . . (former archbishop) (4) 62 Large natural habitat (5) 63 Feeling down (4) 64 Basic characteristics (6) 67 Omelette ingredients (4) 68 Critical (4) 69 Jog someone’s memory (6) 72 A curved shape (3) 74 Inactive (9) 78 It’s no . . ! (3) 79 Natural mineral (3) 80 Sprinted (3) 81 Frighten (5) 82 Cook by dry heat (5) 85 Drift (5) 87 Notions (5) 88 Type of fish (4) 90 Make land productive (9) 91 Rice wine (4) 92 Stage accessory (4) 93 Confess (5) 94 Cairo is its capital (5) 95 Large town (4) 96 Western . . . (SA province) (4) 97 Magical (9) 100 Christmas (archaic) (4) 102 Arrive at your destination (5) 103 Talus (5) 104 Corn covers (5) 106 Study (5) 108 Consume (3) 109 Alias (abbr) (3) 110 Include (3) 112 Police title (9) 116 Deception (3) 118 Make (6) 120 Drink brewed from malt or hops (4) 121 Aims (4) 123 Properties, eg (6) 125 To panic (inf ) (4) 126 A clean . . . (new beginning) (5) 127 Threaten (4) 128 Not early (4) 129 Allegation (5) 130 Clan’s symbol (5) 131 Roman garment (4) 132 Yum! (5) 134 A rugby formation (5) 136 Brownish colour (5) 138 Witty exchange (8) 140 Familiar and friendly (inf ) (5) 141 Crown (5) 143 Crib (6) 145 Attribute (5) 146 Grain towers (5) 147 Absolutely! (3) 148 Personal assistants (11) 150 Text message (abbr) (3) 151 Spatter (6) 154 Nonspecialist (6) 157 Scholar (5) 158 Be careful (5,4,4) 161 Tropical fruit (5) 163 Open a present (6) 164 Highly absorbent material (6) 165 Hurry (4,5) 169 The best (5) 170 Paper art (7) 171 Paving material (7) 172 Imp-like (5) 173 Give hope (5) 174 . . . one’s belt (7) 175 It’s all . . . to me (meaningless) (5) 176 Increasingly (13)
DOWN 1 Evening prayer (6) 2 Deteriorated (10) 3 As an inevitable consequence (11) 4 Moment (7) 5 Happy or sad, eg (7) 6 Plate (4) 7 Twisted strands of fabric (4) 8 Free State rugby team (8) 9 Lyrical poems (4) 10 Kept (4) 11 Female ruler (7) 12 Adore (7) 13 Argument (11) 14 Excessive (10) 15 Individuals (6) 19 Seep (4) 21 Ogle (4) 25 Kidnap (6) 26 Winter or summer, eg (6) 29 Perches (6) 30 The East (6) 33 Accelerate (8) 35 Feeler (8) 36 Kettle and toaster, eg (10) 38 Superfluous (8) 39 Cumbersome (8) 41 Incredibly (12) 44 Timid (3) 46 Christian festival (6) 48 Place of worship (6) 49 Muslim shrine (6) 51 The Nile and Danube (6) 53 More self-satisfied (7) 55 Book collection (7) 57 Large flightless bird (3) 60 English river (3) 65 Ketchup (6,5) 66 Contests of speed (5) 70 Creepy (5) 71 Endowment (11) 73 Disintegrated (9) 75 Comfort (4) 76 Traversable (9) 77 Rodents (4) 78 Unusual (9) 83 Succeeding (5) 84 Hint (5) 85 . . . sense (intuition) (5) 86 Marsh plants (5) 89 Town in the Netherlands (3) 91 Secret agent (3) 92 Especially (12) 96 Deceive (5) 98 Gaseous element (Ne) (4) 99 Currency used in Greece, eg (4) 101 Beings (in folklore) (5) 103 With a high gradient (7) 105 Seats for horse riders (7) 107 Weekly or daily publications (10) 111 Annul (6) 112 To water (8) 113 Contract for insurance (6) 114 Stop (3,3) 115 Alternative (8) 117 Kind of verse (6) 119 Duration of life (3) 120 Prokaryotic organisms (8) 122 Person of importance (8) 124 Rest on a chair (3) 132 Semi-transparent (11) 133 Put in place (3) 134 Seek (6) 135 Reflecting surface (6) 137 Preparation (11) 139 Delaying (10) 140 Mistake (6) 142 Passages (6) 144 Showing contempt (10) 149 Cups (8) 152 Mean and unfair (3-4) 153 Oscillating (7) 155 Pacify (7) 156 Ocean mammal (7) 157 Mom or dad (6) 159 Mollusc (4) 160 Gels (4) 162 Bureau (6) 165 Long, coarse hair (4) 166 . . . the habit (quit an addiction) (4) 167 Indian attire (4) 168 Long narrative poem(4)