BRAINBUSTER
ACROSS
1 A time in the past (4,2,3,3) 7 Opposed to (7) 11 Illness (8) 15 Muslim leader (4) 18 Blunder (7) 19 Options (7) 20 Male bovine (4) 22 Enclosed area for horse training (6) 23 Guess (7) 24 Narrow channel (6) 25 Absolutely! (3) 26 Domicile (5) 28 Passage (5) 30 Hardwood tree (3) 31 Informal phrase or word (5) 32 Inactive (4) 33 Merit (4) 34 Deed (5) 35 List of dishes (4) 37 Omelette ingredients (4) 39 Sprint (3) 40 Edge (4) 42 Camera feature (4) 45 Pacify (7) 48 Large South American cat (4) 49 Desmond . . . (the “Arch”) (4) 50 Stuck (7) 53 Head to . . . (top to bottom) (3) 54 Indian attire (plural) (5) 56 Business contracts (5) 59 Shapes (5) 61 Sink (3) 62 Volcano in Sicily (4) 63 Message sent by phone (abbr) (3) 64 Climbing plant (3) 65 Small hotels (4) 66 Caspian, eg (3) 68 Entertainment at a theatre (11) 69 About 1 016kg (3) 70 Interaction (9) 71 Examples (9) 72 Passenger vehicle (3) 73 Mix at a party (9) 74 Suitable (3) 76 Banal (7) 78 Atomic (7) 80 Asperse (5) 81 Nonconformist (9) 84 Chemical compound (5)
85 Overland expedition (6) 87 Aprons (6) 89 Killed (4) 92 Taxing (9) 94 Contest of speed (4) 96 Evident (8) 97 Large semiaquatic snake (8) 98 Sterilise (4) 100 Day before today (9) 101 Petition (4) 104 Gambled (6) 105 A part of speech (6) 107 Subside (5) 108 Restrained (9) 112 Fill with optimism (5)
DOWN
113 Ceremonial staff (7) 115 Dull (7) 117 Secret agent (3) 118 Paces (9) 120 After expenses (3) 121 Onlooker (9) 123 Cadbury, eg (9) 125 Frost (3) 126 Rich person (11) 127 Line (3) 129 The main axis of a plant (4) 130 Boar (3) 131 Irritate (3) 133 Brink (4) 134 A spherical green seed (3) 136 Critical (5) 137 Ocean vessels (5) 140 Friars (5) 141 Animal’s coat (3) 142 Striped female feline (7) 146 Slightly open (4) 147 Downfall (4) 148 Remainder (7) 152 Precipitation from clouds (4) 154 Bombard (4) 155 Groove (3) 156 Paper punches (4) 157 Not alive (4) 159 Liquid (5) 160 Shrek, eg (4) 162 Achievement (4) 164 . . . in (submitted) (5) 165 African antelope (3) 167 Venomous snake (5) 169 Brownish colour (5) 171 Alter . . . (3) 173 Fume (3,3) 174 Conundrums (7) 175 Roll of parchment (6) 177 Yellow-wood, eg (4) 178 Angry (7) 179 Moment (7) 180 Type of fish (4) 181 Paddocks (8) 182 Bodily cavities (7) 183 Incredibly (12) 1 Border (4) 2 Wading bird (5) 3 Able to use numbers (8) 4 Abductees (8) 5 The same thing again (5) 6 Barked (6) 7 Go faster (10) 8 Unintentionally (10) 9 The drink of the gods (6) 10 Implements (5) 11 Exuded (8) 12 Cartridge (8) 13 Identical (5) 14 . . . and pepper (4) 16 Perhaps (5) 17 Make a mistake (4,2) 20 Gentle wind (6) 21 In . . . (incomplete) (5) 27 Deprived (12) 29 In short supply (12) 35 . . . off (rants) (6) 36 Title (4) 38 . . . up (gets ready) (5) 41 Milk supplier (5) 43 Gambling chances (4) 44 Rim (6) 46 Theatre entertainment for children (pl) (10) 47 German shepherd (8) 51 Be uncertain (8) 52 One of Africa’s Big Five (10) 55 Regiment of Zulu soldiers (4) 56 Faults (7) 57 Main blood vessel (5) 58 Coastal area (7) 60 Heated compartment (4) 67 To soothe (7) 69 Wife of a Russian emperor (7) 72 Spoiled kids (5) 75 Motif (5) 77 Accord (9) 79 Elite troops (9) 82 Knitted top (7) 83 The Namib and Sahara, eg (7) 86 Moves (wings) (5) 88 Duplicate (5) 90 One-track circuit (3) 91 Road (3) 92 A pig’s home (3) 93 Set (a table) (3) 94 Music genre (3) 95 Actor’s signal (3) 98 Problems (5) 99 Examine in detail (7) 102 Pupil (7) 103 Representative (5) 104 With regard to (formal) (10) 106 Untidy (10) 108 Coolbox (12) 109 Curly-haired dogs (7) 110 Goes up and down (7) 111 Show prejudice (12) 114 Approximate (8) 116 Objects (8) 119 Rice-paper partition in Japanese houses (5) 122 Leave out (4) 124 An unsung . . . (4) 125 Weaken (6) 128 Crooked (6) 130 Small bag for coins (5) 132 Protuberance (5) 135 Against (prefix) (4) 138 Dreadful (10) 139 Thin, flat cases (10) 141 Liberate (4) 143 Hurt (6) 144 Large deer (8) 145 Ghosts (8) 149 Increase (8) 150 Endowed (8) 151 Mammary glands (cattle) (6) 153 Fury (5) 158 Coral island (5) 161 The Secret . . . (children’s book) (6) 163 Help (6) 166 Demands (5) 168 Counterfeit (5) 170 Adhesive (5) 172 Merchandise (5) 173 Halt (4) 176 A charge (4)