CROSSWORD CLUES

ACROSS

1 Pay increase (5) 7 Period of heaviest traffic (4,4) 8 Spring bulb (5) 10 Surpassing all others (3-7) 12 Sanction (8) 14 Way off (4) 16 Diesel oil (4) 17 Seven-sided figure (8) 20 Without doubt (10) 23 Bloodsucker (5) 24 Chorister (8) 25 Archer’s missile (5)

DOWN

1 Eye membrane (6) 2 Slide (4) 3 Wind-driven sandhill (4) 4 Seat (5) 5 Reach adult status (4,2,3) 6 Bomb hole (6) 9 Evidence (5) 11 Besides (5,4) 13 Primate (3) 15 Play for time (5) 16 Subtract (6) 18 Male relative (6) 19 Sleep noisily (5) 21 Stole (4) 22 Twelve months (4)