Giant Crossword

Across

8 The dope – the real silly – is an officer (7) 9 Speaking out and admitting (7,2)

13 Gather the mother animal plays a protective

role (5)

14 Take advantage of the ‘9’ to register (5) 15 Entertainer who’s first rate all round,

potentially (7)

16 Was a smuggler, too, but a loser (4-3)

17 Send right back a while after (5)

18 A pail put out to catch the rain in spring (5) 20 Type and prepare to post (5)

22 Having bought, though about a quarter is on

credit (6)

23 Tail the animal had caught in (6)

25 Do, kind of, have a partner (7)

27 From Somerset, he’d taken the daughter in

the car (7)

30 Twig it’s some sort of electrical device (6) 31 Make your way slowly to table at half past (6) 32 Well known for having sporadically done time

in (5)

35 About to enter the facts, is new to it (5) 36 Contacts with the mobs (5)

37 Certain to put the question to, by hook or by

crook (7)

39 Informs one about every setback (7)

41 Give to the new-formed party therein (5) 42 Stand outside quarters in a state of the

jitters (5)

43 It’s in need of a sharpener, silly! (9) 44 Arranged as instructed to (7)

Down

1 Awards the lads harassed me over (6) 2 Happens to mention, when rentals

decrease (4,4)

3 Understand and rescue the shipwreck

victim? (4,2,5)

4 Meant to assemble some in the home (9)

5 Also mount up slowly (7)

6 Single and not stuck on anybody? (10) 7 Returning the cakes would be an insult (4) 10 Bother to tell you which tweed it is (6) 11 Looking smart, are almost all in (7)

12 The chap dropped round at the beginning of

the week (6)

19 Notice, when the train moves out, looking very

happy (7)

21 Poison one is about to mix into (7) 24 What an argument winner will

have, being smart (3,4,4) 26 Having time to give to the

old (6-4)

28 Relax when on the witness box?

No problem! (5,4)

29 Beefy one posted to patrol

around (7)

30 Sees what the guidebooks said to

see (6)

32 Just as glossy as before, but

that’s all right (2,6)

33 Occurred to the shaky new father

holding it (6)

34 At ‘hair of the dog,’ become

angry (7)

38 Given to, had clutched the wrong

end (6)

40 A cat scrap (4) *