Two- speed coffeebreak

Two sets of clues – but the answers are the same.

Cryptic clues ACROSS

1 Transport favourite rug ( 6) 4 Dreaming about 500 sheets ( 4) 7 Melanie has style ( 4) 8 Cricket team’s legs ( 6) 9 Profit from a gin cocktail ( 4) 10 Most employees have to stop ( 4) 12 Expensive- sounding animal ( 4)14 Timely end for cathedral city ( 3) 16 Prunes have to manage ( 3) 17 Finished six deliveries ( 4) 20 Affair of the bag ( 4) 23 VIPs overturned black market character ( 4) 24 Finish lustre off ( 6) 25 Throw sots out ( 4) 26 Afterwards from both ends ( 4) 27 Authority is old and saucy ( 6)

DOWN

1 Rebel ship in tactical pursuit ( 5) 2 Dance film ( 4) 3 Nervous part of speech ( 5) 4 Changed gear in anger ( 4) 5 Terribly mean to the Spanish — that’s hard ( 6) 6 My one lost cash ( 5) 11 It grows in the street ( 4) 13 God of the roses ( 4) 15 Encourage fashionable location, say ( 6) 16 Tries unsuccessfully to take exam again ( 5) 18 Conversed about poetry ( 5) 19 Met to compose song ( 5) 21 A victory on a river ( 4) 22 Attach a safety device ( 4)

Quick clues ACROSS

1 Floor covering ( 6) 4 Amount of paper ( 4) 7 Dash, flair ( 4) 8 Number ( 6) 9 Win ( 4) 10 Stalk ( 4) 12 Ruminant mammal ( 4) 14 Fen city ( 3) 16 Sprint ( 3) 17 Above ( 4) 20 Container ( 4) 23 Dodgy dealer ( 4) 24 Outcome ( 6) 25 Chuck ( 4) 26 At that time ( 4) 27 Specialist ( 6)

DOWN

1 Board game ( 5) 2 Stagger ( 4) 3 Anxious ( 5) 4 Fury ( 4) 5 Tooth covering ( 6) 6 Currency ( 5) 11 Large shrub ( 4) 13 Greek deity ( 4) 15 Provoke ( 6) 16 Take a test again ( 5) 18 Stanza ( 5) 19 Religious song ( 5) 21 English river ( 4) 22 Circuit breaker ( 4)