CROSSWORD PUZZLE

ACROSS 9 Hit back (9) 10 A copious supply (9) 12 Neck part (4) 13 Take for granted (6) 14 Young cats (7) 15 Fruit type (9) 17 Nudist (9) 18 Breathes out (7) 19 Colour (6) 20 Fencing sword (4) 23 Spring about on this (4,5) 25 Sure of oneself (9) 26 Cummerbund (4) 27 Nearly (6) 29 Medical practitioner (7) 32 Grows, expands (9) 34 Squeeze-box (9) 35 Not either (7) 36 Aromatic spice (6) 37 Rescue (4) 38 Abides (9) 39 Perforated pans (9)

DOWN 1 Brown-haired woman (8) 2 Accelerate (2,3,4,3) 3 Destroyers, say (8) 4 Term of office (6) 5 Motherly (8) 6 Rain very hard (6,4) 7 Newspaper bosses (7) 8 Incessantly repeated (10) 11 Requires (5) 16 Join up (6) 19 Tibetan ox (3) 21 Planned beforehand (12) 22 Looking glass (6) 23 Ardent (10) 24 Explain with picture (10) 25 Popular pet (3) 28 Trade, profession (8) 29 On the q.t. (8) 30 Flimflam (8) 31 Tide up (7) 33 Moderate Coldness (5) 34 Set upon (6)

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS ACROSS: 3, Edict 8, Farce 10, Legit 11, Par 12, Sleep 13, Defunct 15, Vicar 18, Per 19, Reduce 21, Cleaver 22, Ache 23, Bell 24, Scraped 26, Thatch 29, Tar 31, Sitar 32, Melanin 34, Paced 35, Tin 36, Strew 37, Rebel 38, Slant.

DOWN: 1, Paper 2, Scruple 4, Dolt 5, Clever 6, Tepid 7, Lilac 9, RAF 12, Scratch 14, Nee 16, Cured 17, Reply 19, Related 20, Wants 21, Cheat 23 ,Berated 24, Scrawl 25, Pal 27, Hints 28, Tapes 30, Sinew 32, Mean 33, Nib.