CROSSWORD

Peter Chamberlain No. 690

ACROSS

1 Footballer takes part, ‘e will speak evil in the absence of another (8)

5 Small isolated area (6)

8 Deal with first on mainline

perhaps (4-5)

9 Money provided by welldressed person at zero hour (4-3)

12 Some dinner dropped by

clumsy person (4)

13 Cause one to lose one’s bearings and see tradition waver (12)

14 In the north a way to defrost (4)

17 No matter who coming from a

New York band (7)

18 Little being put together for

each one (4)

20 Pass speaker going round workroom, he’s a colleague (12)

22 Nothing to be very fond of (4)

23 Unavailing plea to employ

fewer (7)

25 Arming Pat removing grouse

(9) 26 Anticipate a happy event (6)

27 Having an authoritative squint?

(4-4)

DOWN

1 Everyone included in awful song

(6) 2 Edward, he admitted (9)

3 Robin knocks end off new pen

(4) 4 Pet squabble (4)

5 Gambling game on a rough sea

(5-3-4) 6 Caught, say, one in a headdress (7)

7 Remove to a lower level, a peg

perhaps (4,4)

10 Not a crossword clue? (8,4)

11 Beast coming from barn at

eight initially (7)

15 They do not believe in passion,

Harry (9)

16 Order a sweet (5-3) 19 Accomplice freely accepted it

was not on the rocks (3-4)

21 She had, after rugby, stepped

on it (6)

23 Free after some string-pulling

(4) 24 Love-god found it painful

getting up (4)