Cryptic crossword

ACROSS

1. Tightly hold a piece of jewellery (5) 4. Appropriate room used by the tailor (7) 8. Payment for the old boarding-house (7) 9. Bolt together (5) 10. See 14 Across 11. Downgrading of French movement (8) 13. See 14 Across 14, 13Ac & 10Ac. Don’t hurry to accept your sentence (4,4,4) 16 & 4Dn. Shocking rail arrangements found in rural areas (8,6) 17 & 19Dn. Sole distributor will supply you with these (8) 20. Coming from the north, this can be penetrative (5) 21. One trip will upset the dog (7) 22. The first of the priests in unusually secret homage (7) 23. They need to be studied before bids are made (5)

DOWN

1. Splendid correspondence coming from London? (7,6) 2. Heavenly food returned to part of Indo-China (5) 3. Liquid container is washed out, we hear (4) 4. See 16 Across 5. Describing the consumer who has no spirit (8) 6. Practise hero-worship – so I lied dreadfully (7) 7. Lush lands of the psalmist (5,8) 12. Imprisonment eventually comes to a full stop (8) 13. Oppressive individuals taking in our confusion (7) 15. Tawdry metal container (3-3) 18. The Spanish put up the money – that’s admitted (3,2) 19. See 17 Across

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS 21/11/2018

Across: 3 Qualified; 8 User; 9 Martinmas; 10 Strays; 11 Bowls; 14 Miser; 15 Echo; 16 Hence; 18 Item; 20 Leave; 21 Darts; 24 Combat; 25 Scarecrow; 26 Toil; 27 Beanstalk.

Down: 1 Nursemaid; 2 Depressed; 4 Upas; 5 Lotto; 6 Fondle; 7 Edam; 9 Myrrh; 11 Bonds; 12 Scrapbook; 13 Forestall; 17 Elbow; 19 Matron; 22 Tacit; 23 Ache; 24 Coil.