CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

ACROSS

1 Scattered rain follows family exactly around front of hill to site of lighthouse museum (8,4)

9 Tattered old Vogue? Grabbing a bargain! (4,5)

10 Regularly shown bairn Bat Signal (5)

11 See 4 Down

12/19/24 The UN toy fire engine deployed to work of 16Dn (8,6,4)

13 Stared stupidly and got hitched during interval (6)

14 Pub with nothing left around the middle of nowhere – 9Dn’s lodgings on 4Dn 11Ac (8)

17 Classic, for the record (3,5)

19 See 12

21 Needs to capture atmosphere without meddling principal social workers (4,4)

23 Street myths about solid alcohol (6)

25 Restraint shown by sweetheart, having a whip round (5)

26 Jack up burst tyre, maintaining international decorum (9)

27 Fortress first to admit potential and follow through on pledge (4,1,7)

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTION:

Across: 1 Looking sharp 9 Let’s party 10,22dn Giant panda 11 Grouch 12 Sidelong 13 Thrust 14 Rhetoric 17 Ensemble 19 Utopia 21,23 Reported speech 25 Ennui 26 In outfits 27 Amethyst ring

DOWN

2 Joined war in error, but tough to beat in a fight (4-5)

3 Rare van touring ancient European kingdom (7)

4/11 Use foil jar to recreate where 9Dn wrote 12Ac 19Ac 24Dn (4,2,4)

5 Passes on anger about a part of Requiem Mass (4,4)

6 End of June before a ship’s back from Asia (7)

7 Regularly drains the middle-age poet (5)

8 Allegiance to Jo or Russell or mark (5,7)

9 Essayist drops his leading character into chasm or borehole (6,6)

15 Working Highland capital replaces evacuated village with hospital area (2,7)

16 Limits of decency forbid introductions of indecent acts in awful state (8)

18 Vain, eccentric weed is a literary hero (7)

20 Popular period surrounding independence for the time being (7)

22 Lifeboat supporting magical country in American mountains (5)

24 See 12 Across

Down: 2 Outboards 3 Kopecks 4 Nerd 5 Skylight 6 Augment 7 Piano 8 Stagecoaches 9 Lighthearted 15 Repletion 16 Bluefish 18 Mortise 20 Tipster 24 Sobs