CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

ACROSS

1. Deplorable - the French in history! (9) 8. Coin with mineral

origins (3) 9. There’s a pop group aboard - let’s get out of here! (7,4) 11. Trooped off wreck

(7) 12. Parking in nude is ridiculous turnabout (5) 13. Sparkles at playing games on beginner (6) 15. Dance movement

said to be plain (6) 17. Language of about a million Asian people (5) 18. Notice, say, stringed instrument for getting fish (3,4) 20. Tchaikovsky suite with bearing may demolish even a hard case (11) 22. Appealing inside to

vegetable (3) 23. Your portion of

garden (9)

DOWN

2. Focus of Schubert

is apparent (3) 3. Without clothes, without gravity - tip the wink (5) 4. Cast scorn on English watchdog (6) 5. Wear out part of

the car (7) 6. Policeman mistakenly leapt on evidence of faultless writing (11) 7. Beadles about right on Sunday - how you may feel after a close shave (9) 10. Dry period in a port at journey’s end? (3,8) 11. Mean with string for the high-wire act? (9) 14. Home Guard put a limit on one’s movement (7) 16. Part of the last rally

of the stars (6) 19. Doff coats for a day

at the races? (5) 21. A single cracked

urn (3)