DAILY MAIL CROSSWORD
DAILY MAIL New Cryptic Crosswords — pit your wits against 100 of the trickiest cryptic puzzles ever to appear in your favourite paper. This book provides the ideal way to warm up your grey matter for a day’s work, or wind down and relax during those rare spare moments. Available from the Daily Mail Book Shop, call 0844 571 0640 or visit www.mailbookshop.co.uk. P&P free on orders over £15.
ACROSS
1 Neutral areas? Silly old men patrol variable one (6,5) 9 Spots almost seamless reforms (7) 10 Pouring bubbly for circle of intimates (2-5) 11 What people do in repast regularly (3) 12 Very good Arab invested in fast cars, light ones (2-5) 13 London building among the higher kind (7) 14 One of many historical periods, each about king (3) 15 At first, most United footballers trained in civvies (5) 17 Go across a river and wait (5) 18 Bunk that’s used by Thames caulker, I hear? (5) 20 Sign up Frenchman returning around 3rd of October (5) 22 Small barrel, say, beside The King’s Head (3) 24 Confirms where lots of cricket fans are (7) 25 Had long look over first of runners and took the lead (7) 26 Old king’s expression of disapproval (3) 27 Those people receive standard back treatment (7) 28 She’s fit and allowed to take part in rearranged heat (7) 29 Could it be dispelled by the first gag? (5,6)
DOWN
1 Illegal traders want to promote drinks outside (5,10) 2 Prop was removed from awful scrum, injured (7) 3 Repays fees in regular instalments and relaxes (5) 4 Mood of the times is variable, i.e. it gets volatile (9) 5 Fail to attend to wounded leg caught in trap (7) 6 It may have to be tightened in the City and Surrey, say (11,4) 7 Someone who flees régime in trouble? (6) 8 Blatantly and exclusively reserves gym (6) 16 What swimmer does in pool loosens bit of it, I hear (9) 18 Former PM in control of large ministry (6) 19 Mother hides a blemish, using this? (7) 21 His plan maybe: go hard erratically around Oval? (4,3) 23 Device tagged incorrectly (6) 25 Commotion involving a part of flight (5)