The Colossus

ACROSS

1. Highly likely 6. Backpack

11. Typo

16. Horticulturist

21. Reed instrument 22. Tibetan monks 23. Boss

24. Entrance-way handle

25. Fade away (5,3) 26. Da Vinci’s famous portrait (4,4) 27. Strategic

28. Tartan skirt

29. War hero’s gong 31. Rain heavily

32. Gives in

36. Street waifs 37. Antiquated

38. Pickles

41. Boost (3,2) 44. Unsuitable 45. Favourite hang-out 48. Police building 49. Breed of hound 52. Less complicated 56. Modernises 57. Small-screen celebrity (1,1,4) 58. Gullible

61. Petrol rating

62. Worry

63. Wrong

64. Shopping mall 65. Cooked in vapour 66. Anguish (over) 67. Person on trial 71. Fetch

73. Desert plants 75. Nourishing substances

80. Healthy,

... & hearty

82. Most honourable 83. Ceases

85. Tiredest

86. Sewing tool 88. Ferocious

90. Remove jockey’s seat

91. Islam centre

93. Soup legumes 94. Blast-offs

95. Fragile china, ... porcelain

96. Libyan capital 97. Those folk 99. In contact with 100. Be worthy of 104. House step

105. Foolish

106. On no occasion 107. Melodious

111. Modify 113. Fuss

114. Chapter in history 115. Have being 117. Consecrate as priest 118. Leaf of paper 121. Queen’s dog

122. Persists

125. Charted

126. Twofold

127. Imminent

129. Loch ... Monster 131. Weight unit 132. Humanitarian, Mother ...

135. Among

136. Straighten again 139. Kerfuffle (2-2)

140. Tossed greens

144. Sad poem

145. Laundry slide 146. Chocolate-flavoured coffee

147. Amazon weapon 148. Internally 149. Unadventurous 150. Weaving frames 152. Release grip (3,2) 154. Weirdest

157. Valley

158. Tummy

162. Tehran is there 163. Destabilises

166. Carry

167. ... & void

169. Repair

171. Sicilian volcano

172. Veer

173. Dollars & ...

175. Make sense (3,2) 176. Blaze remnants 179. Kidnap demand 180. Diameter halves 182. Attila the ...

183. Hawaiian garland 184. Peeled

186. Best (friend)

189. Jigsaw fragment 190. Freight

191. Depart

192. Ordinarily (2,1,4) 196. Trades college

197. Partly open

198. Water loss

199. Drew forth

201. Car condensation remover

202. Subtle differences 203. Challenged

204. Past masters (3,5) 205. Appear

208. Sea north of Crete 210. Inscription carver 211. Beware the ... of March

212. Chiefs 213. Audible breath 215. Gentlest

219. Apart (from)

221. Muscle twitch 223. Congregated 227. Cartilage

228. In excess (of) 230. River-mouth triangle 231. Not a soul (2-3) 232. Nervy

233. Government 234. Careless disregard 238. Scanty

239. Animate

240. Readjusts

243. Gauge (difficulty) 246. Nestle

247. Does’ mates 250. Fragrant timber 251. Consumers

253. Shrub fences 256. Canadian province 257. Financed upfront 258. First-born

262. Camel’s mound 263. Outmoded

266. Hard of hearing 268. Witty

269. Copious

270. Point of view

271. VIPs (3,5)

272. Dole (out)

273. Rock

274. Tumble

275. Stupid

276. Enchants

277. Side on

278. Authorises

DOWN

1. Rice field 2. Atmosphere layer 3. Quizzed

4. Gaze

5. Receding

6. Stayed abreast (4,2) 7. Thing

8. Pushing forward 9. More awkward 10. Prince William’s wife 11. ... & papa 12. Quarantines

13. Cavorts

14. Mimic

15. Roofing grass

16. Fancy cake

17. ... & Eve

18. As above

19. Pilfers

20. Annoys

30. Unhurried Texan twang

33. Passionate

34. Trellis

35. Fitted (in) 38. Keeper of the Pearly Gates (2,5)

39. Oblivious

40. Carbon or hydrogen 42. Jealousy

43. Falsehood

46. Achieves

47. Religious sisters 49. Blackberry bush 50. Corroborative story 51. Pasta dish

53. Facets

54. Scientist, ... Newton 55. Wandering 59. Problems

60. Proof

67. Loitered

68. Shows off

69. Louder

70. Lent a hand

72. Retrain (2-7) 74. Fortune-telling dregs (3,6) 76. Youngsters (4,4) 77. From Pisa or Venice 78. Falls asleep (4,3) 79. Unique 81. Psychotherapists 84. Regrets

87. Gash

89. Artillery depots 91. So-so

92. Saying yes

98. Keg

101. Ghostly

102. Avoid

103. Property wrecker 108. Supreme

109. Dismiss (from school)

110. Invert

112. Combined 116. Red-coated canine (5,6)

119. Belittle

120. Bequest

123. Minor planets

124. Huge ocean breaker (5,4)

128. The A of ETA

130. Coil around

132. Musical pace 133. Dashed

134. Wax stamps

137. Rectify

138. Turn of phrase 141. Greek fable writer 142. Conscious

143. Fizzy drinks

151. Aquatic mammals 153. Protectors

155. Wooden pin

156. Lords

159. Grew pale 160. Commands 161. Gave job to 164. Spanish Mr

165. Norse goblin 168. Escorting

170. Manicure board

173. Put into code 174. Poverty

177. Callous

178. Harpooning 181. Conference-goer 185. Profits

186. Shout (4,3) 187. Incessantly (2,3,2) 188. Proceed (from) 193. Letter jumble

194. Rude

195. Guaranteed 200. Injuring

201. Liqueur, creme ... (2,6)

206. Ramble

207. Graceful

208. Concurs 209. Purposeless 211. Prickling

214. Plane sheds

216. Stretch of land 217. Sketching 218. Recompense

220. Capri & Wight 222. Residence

224. Cost

225. Spanned

226. Inhales & ... 229. Dispatched

232. Soviet region (1,1,1,1) 235. Dreamer

236. Ore seams

237. Laid floor covering 241. Involve (in dispute) 242. Lobe jewellery 244. Germ-free 245. Shoulder blade 248. Causes laughter 249. Drained (energy) 251. Cows’ milk sacs 252. Facilitate

253. Boring (2-3)

254. Fiend

255. Enlist

259. Lariat

260. Undermine (confidence)

261. Exams

262. Drones

264. Performs

265. Rational

267. Movie Solution in next month’s issue