The BIG crossword

ACROSS

9 Concerning the country, exaggerate (9)

10 I’m entering an amazing plus one – just came naturally (2,7)

12 The ex who’s keeping one waiting (4)

13 Caught entering the store, you truss up and take to (6)

14 Put in an order for a cooker, verbally (7)

15 The lag’s record, or who may have access to it (9)

17 He won’t drink from a stein poured in the mixed bar (9) 18 The extract has turned the juice green (7)

19 Shut up – it’s only a hundred! (6) 20 Even pad (4)

23 Entering the conversation in ringing tones? (7,2)

25 Having dished out in advance, kept (9)

26 Specifying which container, we get right to the point (4) 27 Looked at the jagged dart’s point embedded in (6)

29 Bets they’re stand-ins (7) 32 Where the junk dealers go all metric? (5,4)

34 The phoney siren goes off outside – nice diversion (9)

35 He’ll tell you spring is here (7) 36 Squeal on a big noise (6) 37 Getting on after the man, contrived to (4) 38 Prognosticates, when one chooses the players in advance (9)

39 In essence, material possessions or wealth (9)

DOWN

Messes about with the covering – 1 2 paper (8)

Being lax about the tyres that keep skidding? (7,5)

3 Not so awful that it stops you in your tracks? (8)

4 Far be it from me to move in again! (6)

5 Shrink from the act of touching physically, right through (8)

6 As a result, the orchestrator will make no more changes to it (5,5) 7 Tough, stretch across to grab the man (7)

8 At prison was treated badly, but got through it (10)

11 Material of which there are fifty-nine varieties (5)

16 Very melancholy at the time, giving up one’s smoke (6) 19 Don’t allow to catch up (3) 21 Neck and neck in the cribbage game? (5,7)

22 Interest in the homecoming (6) 23 Fed up working in the dairy? (7,3) 24 Manages to convey, when one’s given an award (4,6)

25 Paper required to make the article longer (3)

28 Left, incensed by the organisation (3,5)

29 Tell about, while scattering seed round the bed (8)

30 In a desire to break the record, coming back even faster (8) 31 At home when the chaps came round, prepared food (7)

33 Its mouth may be full of fish (5) 34 Put on the piano some I am about to play (6)