CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

ACROSS

1 Fool’s success hiding bad flaw (7) 5 One goes in to drive away carriage (6) 9 Staff control a scheme that’s designed for traffic (7) 10 A cat managed to break fine English biscuit (7) 11 Second person upended buoy with top missing (3) 12 Perhaps Wensleydale clergy’s thin material (11) 13 Concert includes European introduction (5) 14 Eccentric Belgian guards area very suitable for boats (9) 16 Not as quick going round a French fellow’s plant (9) 17 Frequently one arranged to collect paper (5) 19 One born in February maybe keeps tin stove for collector (11) 22 People used to protect

unit in Romania (3) 23 Head off chaos at a party that’s sort of green (7) 24 Cabbage’s OK cooked

with a chip (3,4) 26 Book three’s in need

of editing (6) 27 Highest-ranking card (Hearts) secures one victory (7)

DOWN

1 Be quick! Hot spicy food’s beginning to go off at university (5,2) 2 Wasted ages out of line with an old peace grouping (6,2,7) 3 It’s amazing, with or

without starters (3) 4 Herb’s note about

short hymn (5) 5 Angry about combination of music styles (9) 6 Old American street directory etc shredded (5) 7 Lily, a leading light at

Christmas once (4-2-9) 8 IT expert breaks

the ice (6) 12 Desert conveyor arrived at end of trail (5) 14 Blair’s term a version of

‘War on Blue’? (3,6) 15 Painful sound from old

old lady outside (5) 16 Main route, for example, covers east and west at first (6) 18 Adjusted hours in

producing feed (7) 20 Cancel game having

lost leader (5) 21 Popular place for

computer data (5) 25 Chap cooked with this

fish, creating 24 (3)

No 16,701 FOR your chance to win, solve the crossword to reveal the word reading down the shaded boxes. HOW TO ENTER: Call 0901 293 6233 and leave today’s answer and your details, or TEXT 65700 with the word CRYPTIC, your answer and your name. Texts and calls cost £1 plus standard network charges. Or enter by post by sending completed crossword to Daily Mail Prize Crossword 16,701, PO Box 28, Colchester, Essex CO2 8GF. Please include your name and address. One weekly winner chosen from all correct daily entries received between 00.01 Monday and 23.59 Friday. Postal entries must be datestamped no later than the following day to qualify. Calls/texts must be received by 23.59; answers change at 00.01. UK residents aged 18+, exc NI. Terms apply, see Page 64.