WEEKEND CROSSWORD

ACROSS

1 From French newspaper worker there’s a drug (10) 7 Old boy about to go round in dressing-gown (4) 9 Some of the slowest fail to settle (3) 10 Trainee astronaut accepted as broadcast (5,5) 11 Party at ancient city was gloomy (4) 12 Swelling bouncer pater developed (12) 15 Brave man with enormous bird I included (6) 17 Sid and Celia after a fashion became non-clerical (8) 18 Intended to teach daughter I had cultivating cacti (8) 20 Property in Virginia perhaps (6) 21 TV more ready with autocue (12) 24 Inexperienced skipper? (4) 26 Loyalty for example in union (10) 27 Eastern copper coin (3) 28 Senior churchman tried first outlet (4) 29 Shoemaker’s eventual destination? (4,6)

DOWN

2 Perceive with sixth sense by end of day (4) 3 Give in return removing career topic (11) 4 Dry unaccompanied music (5) 5 and 6 How stoker will make difficult situation worse (3,4,2,3,4) 7 Shade left of centre (3) 8 Troy in Bucharest preparing antipasto (10) 13 By cover Valerie’s placed with prescribed spaces between (2,9) 14 Consider it to be intentional (10) 16 Shriek redirected at a curlew (9) 19 Cloud with us about mid-july (7) 22 Cat, shark, snake, wolf or lily (5) 23 Cliff left by accident (4) 25 Greek character loses a wager (3)