The BIG crossword
ACROSS
9 It’s rolled perfectly – let’s have no arguments! (5,4)
10 Making contact with, for the purpose of getting money from? (8)
12 Make a mark when you pinch (4) 13 In their struggle to capture victory, few do well (6) 14 About local food and foreign (7) 15 “Remaining coherent to the last” is too difficult a clue (9) 17 What’s it for? Heavens to grind, dear, in curries! (9)
18 A gnat buzzing round everybody and showing no fear (7) 20 Regardless, whatever route you take (6)
21 You find being in the stand hard (4)
24 In the descent, he’s ahead of you (8)
26 Intensify the colour of the globe – an unusual blue (8)
28 For the cards, they’re real experts (4)
29 Prepared to be fired for being drunk (6)
31 The stuff the terribly fat fellow ate! Weird! (7)
34 On paper, wouldn’t you agree, is unqualified? (9) 36 Managing, when writing the cheque (6,3)
38 Think it will bounce back (7) 39 The plump fish next to (6)
40 Quit the side (4)
41 Provide an excuse? Of course. Only too happy! (8)
42 Was not the first to have made good (9)
DOWN
1 Hoping to be elected to get kudos (8)
2 To carry a number of passengers, they’re ludicrous (6)
3 Given a start, I had come ninth in it (8)
4 Find mine won’t work (6) 5 Tending to expand for a while – a year (8)
6 Propose that you make it earlier (3,7)
7 Feature a comedian after the talk (7)
8 Open, or not drawn (6)
11 Dish he’s ordering (7)
16 Heavy and large, having a need to exercise (6)
19 Open up to reveal a weapon (5) 20 Look dry (3)
22 Be forced to accept the number will decrease drastically (5) 23 How it will take a breath before diving? (6)
25 Despite the fact that the salesman didn’t act hastily (7,3) 26 Free trip, almost (3)
27 Drifts back, flushed, into “The Flying Swan” (7)
30 No longer engaged to, is indifferent (8)
31 Say you didn’t mean it, when you regain possession (4,4)
32 It informs you how much of a rise you got (8)
33 Near as possible to the left side (7)
35 Talk vaguely about providing food (6)
36 Said the animal is no fool! (6) 37 Drove mad? Love, you exaggerate! (6)
SOLUTIONS FROM LAST WEEK
ACROSS: 9, Overladen 10, Loath-so-me 12, Love 13, Cine-ma 14, Th-R-ones 15, Washed out 17, Chipped in 18, Dresses 19, Do-tage 20, R-ail 23, As-pers-I-on 25, Gen-erally 26, Lord 27, Off-set 29, Grassed 32, Having a go 34, B-urned out 35, Single-t 36, T-rail-S 37, P-L-an 38, Me-me-ntoes 39, Dis-miss-al. DOWN: 1, Followed 2, Heavy sleeper 3, AD-visors 4, In-tent 5, Clear-cut 6, Rattling on 7, The-rap-y 8, Person-ally 11, (d)Owned 16, (be)En-sure 19, Don (rev) 21, All is not lost 22, C-re-ase 23, All the same 24, In-fraction 25, Got 28, Shortish 29, Gormless 30, Doting-L-y 31, Ink-ling 33, V-eno-M 34, Brand-Y.