THE GIANT CROSSWORD
CRYPTIC CLUES
ACROSS 12 Much read, as ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide To Success’ was? (4-7) 13 Not a big wheel, we heard, in oil (6) 14 As usual, I’ll go through the post (6) 16 It may be killed by pesticide — or a bullet (4) 17 With fortune smiling on less often, sad to say (5,4) 18 Reclusive initially, rolling in money (5) 19 Forced the plug in myself (4) 20 Dancing carioca round street in foreign country (5,4) 22 Last fellow in: a rookie (5) 23 How obvious it is the lamp needs a shade? (9) 27 Why I get out of shape and heavy (7) 30 It’s thrown overboard from plane by man (6) 31 Secure with large deposit (4) 32 Pip’s weight? (5) 35 Tantrums back stage (4) 36 A really good head (7) 38 About a hundred enter for the competition (4) 39 They knock to be admitted for treatment (7) 42 Misrepresents facts about small kids (6) 45 The two numbers, to the listener, are thoroughly audible (5) 46 Support from below as it stretches out in the sun (7) 47 Left out the ill-behaved yob (4) 48 Source of needle (that’s a metal object with a point) (4) 50 Cooked in a coloured oven (7) 52 Bank the gold out East (5) 54 A near wreck, within days is mended (6) 56 No less worried when I am admitted with wounds (7) 57 The principal protest hasn’t started (4) 59 Sees as an expression of friendliness (7) 61 In a stand-in, a bad fault (4) 64 A little, at one point, anaemic-looking (5) 66 Animal seen in circus: large one, performing (4) 67 Awfully sad about, she destroys hopes (6) 69 Fears, as time slips by (7) 72 Not wanting to be put in the picture (6-3) 73 Bonds right to deposit in banks (5) 74 Finish phone conversation, only just avoiding trouble (5,4) 79 The fool wife is put inside: bird (4) 81 Tuck, perhaps, provided by said cook (5) 82 Upper class, having more pull than the others (3,6) 83 Not English money (4) 85 Bypasses, like going round a chasm (6) 86 Feeling revulsion for. Having a kind of thing about (6) 87 Is it an awful pain for a journalist? (5,6) DOWN 1 Said he will recover (4) 2 Escape via the stairs? (6) 3 Demonstrator from a bunch of no-goods (6) 4 Camera, wrongly, I smuggled in from abroad (7) 5 Disconnect number the psycho holds (5) 6 Tool that will both lift up and bash down? (10) 7 Small and a big compartment (5) 8 Funny synonym for ‘invaluable’ (9) 9 Are involved in computer programmes, it seems (7) 10 It won’t tell you what goes into chowder! (4) 11 Damn silly, ‘66’ playing musical instrument! (8) 15 Regrets putting black one among red stones (6) 21 On the subject of time, is clear (5) 24 As you’d expect, a turn off to a man (7) 25 A seat or the person put on it? (6) 26 The bags don’t have to be taken on board (6) 28 Yawns when there’s talk about gym (5) 29 An involuntary action when it turns cold (3) 33 Among unusual places, one in particular (7) 34 Complained when I changed the number (6) 37 Inveigled into duel, slashed right through the heart (5) 40 Before importing a French fruit (5) 41 ‘A fortified wine’, I read out to mother (7) 43 Sounding OK, you jot it down (5) 44 March with jauntiness in one’s step (6) 46 To do with sun — also, perhaps, with rain (5) 49 From spite, tearing middle out of love letter (7) 51 In the wrong, we back away from the mob (6) 53 An Australian gardener? (6) 55 It’s a dog’s name? Right again! (5) 58 Was responsible for the litter and panicked (3,7) 60 Understand it’s a note to the auditor (3) 62 A good song name (5) 63 Draw attention to the moon? (9) 65 In which to sunbathe? (4,4) 68 Trouble to extract last bits from jar (6) 70 Sea bird’s enemy? (7) 71 Losing momentum, work hard to capture win (7) 75 Wouldn’t work. Gave it a bang (6) 76 Clean out to let in day light (6) 77 The two tucked right into soup (5) 78 Pulls on the string: teases (5) 80 Seen in travel brochure, page takes one right back (4) 84 It upset me for a while (4)