CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

ACROSS

1 Happening soon and when included gaining in status (2-3-6)

9 Lover of Paris (5)

10 One doubting Frenchman is right to accept credit (11)

11 Lists rubbish as follows (5)

12 Royal insect? (5,3)

14 A skit was arranged about ancient symbol (8)

15 About 100 employed declared themselves unable to participate due to conflict of interest (7)

17 Jonathan who in France is left with bloomer (7)

20 Non-u utterance about interlude in play (8) 21 Sense what one can do with it to go about visiting places of interest (8) 24 In corridor I could notice style (5) 25 Against expressing reluctance about said river, a bloomer (11) 26 Cunning occupation (5)

27 No longer young in next valley (4,3,4)

DOWN

2 In Aleppo I lunched with French soldier (5) 3 Illustrious aristocrat (5)

4 One with a single-minded approach to life (8)

5 Life jacket, same wet design (3,4) 6 Discordant roarings coming from fort (8) 7 Gives lady marks of respect (11)

8 Clear there’s rope on end of stone (11) 12 Diamonds on board? (11)

13 Rule exotica out, it’s to do with those employed by testator (11) 16 Two cats so confused with musical instruction (8)

18 One in a small body of rulers coming from Gairloch (8)

19 More piquant, more like thin outer layer of citrus fruit (7)

22 Shirt long way up part of leg! (5) 23 Evenlybalanced,just(5)