BRAINBUSTER

NO 884

ACROSS

1 Natural to a region (7) 5 Good luck symbol (5) 9 Bend (5) 12 Slipshod (7) 16 Beer (3) 17 Medicine (5) 18 Fanatics (7) 19 Expand (7) 21 Breaking news story (5) 22 Small clump of trees (7) 23 Minded (6) 26 Pleasant (6) 27 Musical compositions

for two (5) 28 Involvement (13) 31 Encouraged (5) 32 Summits (6) 34 Beginning (6) 36 Anguish (3) 37 Passing winter in a

dormant state (11) 40 Small lump (3) 42 Plant tissue (5) 43 Main blood vessel (5) 45 Students (6) 47 Scandalous (11) 50 Shorten (8) 52 Rob (5) 55 Each (abbr) (2) 56 Short for emergency

room (2) 57 Graves (5) 58 Edges (4) 60 Re: kidneys (5) 61 Old-fashioned (5) 62 A small portion (4) 63 . . . there, done that (4) 64 Present (5) 65 An immeasurably long

time (4) 66 Revoke (6) 69 Heavy hand tool for

timber (4) 70 Dull, heavy sound (4) 71 (Have) hurled (6) 74 An arm and a . . . (3) 76 Ruin (9) 79 Actor’s signal (3) 80 Sprint (3) 81 In the past (3) 82 Velvet-like leather (5) 83 Adhesives (5) 87 Salaries (5) 89 Benefits in kind (5) 91 The Estate, eg (4) 93 Condition (7) 94 Omelette

ingredients (4) 95 Freshwater fish (4) 96 Recorded scenes

(cinema) (5) 97 Enough (5) 98 Smog (4) 99 Fasten (4) 100 Component (7) 102 A certainty (4) 104 Small restaurant (5) 105 Place (in a grave) (5) 107 Smells (5) 109 Fright (5) 111 Transgression (3) 112 . . . in the sky (false

optimism) (3) 114 Message sent by

phone (abbr) (3) 116 Critical distinctions (9) 120 Female deer (3) 122 Apprehensive (6) 124 Large American cat (4) 125 Called (4) 127 Sneaks (6) 129 Bun (4) 130 Priest (5) 131 Stare (4) 132 Inexpensive

restaurant (4) 133 Map book (5) 134 Female horses (5) 135 Where you’ll find the

Trevi fountain (4) 136 Capital of France (5) 138 With reference to

(abbr) (2) 139 Information tech

nology (abbr) (2) 141 Whirls (5) 143 Confess (8) 145 Sleek (11) 147 Piercing (6) 149 Sums of money

owed (5) 150 Fortune teller (5) 152 Grassland (3) 153 Non-drinker (11) 155 Stick-in-the-. . . (dull

person) (3) 156 Be filled with anger (6) 159 Journey by sea (6) 162 Remote area (SA) (5) 163 Memorable (13) 166 Holiday cabin (5) 168 Esteem (6) 169 Develop (6) 170 Orienteering

instrument (7) 174 Develops (5) 175 Match official (7) 176 Emit (7) 177 Outpouring (5) 178 Once and for . . . (3) 179 Eventually (7) 180 Candle (5) 181 Pips (5) 182 Reserve (7)

DOWN

1 Draw out (6) 2 Finale (10) 3 Lab instruments (11) 4 Contend (7) 5 Idea (7) 6 Slightly open (4) 7 Title for an unmarried

female (4) 8 Sorcerer (8) 9 (Have) witnessed (4) 10 Greasy (4) 11 Snob (7) 12 Groups of animals (7) 13 Firm intentions (11) 14 Biased information (10) 15 Barked (6) 20 Tidy (4) 24 Sprinted (6) 25 Information technology

(abbr) (2) 26 Very large number (6) 29 Glacial period (3,3) 30 Horn (6) 33 A pig’s home (3) 35 Marked the skin with

ink (8) 36 Plant with pungent leaves used in salads (10) 38 Mimicked (8) 39 Sicken (8) 41 A . . . in disguise (8) 44 Branch (3) 46 Solid (6) 48 A palm fibre (6) 49 Bind (6) 51 Humanity (SA) (6) 53 Length by width

(rectangle) (4) 54 Banking activity (7) 57 Shocks (7) 59 . . . the light (understand) (3) 62 Keep out (3) 67 Red fruit (11) 68 Succulents, eg (5) 72 Saves (5) 73 Topple over (11) 75 Vastness (9) 77 Happily . . . after (4) 78 Five Roses, eg (3) 79 Hardened (9) 84 Unexpected defeat (5) 85 Sensible (5) 86 Alcoholic drink made

from apples (5) 87 Females (5) 88 Domesticated

animals (5) 90 Take to court (3) 92 Tiptoe (3) 94 A mischievous being (3) 95 Type of fish (3) 99 Orchestra section (5) 101 12:00 (4) 103 Narrow (5) 105 Offends (7) 106 Large flightless bird (3) 108 Absorbent material (7) 110 Formed words

incorrectly (10) 113 On time (8) 115 Abundant (6) 116 Language spoken

in Tokyo (8) 117 Stared angrily (6) 118 Rim (6) 119 Tract (8) 121 Seas (6) 123 Get rid of (3) 124 Most simple (8) 126 At the last . . . (shortly

before death) (4) 128 Make a mistake (3) 136 Demanded (11) 137 Scarlet (3) 138 Despicable fellow (6) 140 Pill (6) 142 In a brazen

manner (11) 144 A group discussion (10) 145 Be present at (6) 146 Ring (6) 148 Radical (10) 151 Not me (3) 154 Found on the end

of a foot (8) 157 With enthusiasm (7) 158 Pernicious (7) 160 Discloses (7) 161 Sickness (7) 162 Canal vessels (6) 164 A woodwind

instrument (4) 165 Arsenic (symbol) (2) 167 Standing frames (6) 170 Cliff (4) 171 Cold cuts, eg (4) 172 Darns (4) 173 Unclothed (4)