CRYP TIC CROSSWORD

ACROSS 1 Antoine, developing student at college (7) 5 Takes long steps in street, then trips (7) 9 Rough seas in cup competition with jumps (9) 10 Wife returned, about to fly off the handle (5) 11 An introduction to Chaucer in capital tale (7) 12 Discussion involving singular herb (7) 13 Anagram in bottom row (9) 16 Having a spherical shape bored out (5) 17 Drink needed after Foreign Office meeting (5) 18 Pure blue appropriate (9) 21 Fancy better cereal (7) 22 I suffer, having backed lad’s affair (7) 25 Therefore cover is reliable (5) 26 Queen in ruin or holding tax over (4,5) 27 A loser staggering, out of energy, an unplaced competitor (4-3) 28 Wonder about Lake poet (7) DOWN 1 Perhaps Nero’s representative during Rome uprising (7) 2 Widespread disgust shown by platform firing leader (5) 3 Playwright’s single book:

Every Way But West (5) 4 Granny eager to find

buff-coloured cloth (7) 5 Sheer, the Parisian tower (7) 6 Ice, mostly, round edges of inner lake (9) 7 Idly draw wire

in bomb (9) 8 Dog someday must be trained (7) 14 A tower erected to store produce in citadel (9) 15 Cue employing a rest (9) 17 Female I found wearing such a plastic flower (7) 18 Lecturer bringing in about a million? You wish! (5,2) 19 Animals (two of them) making heavy metal (7) 20 Climber to catch up on correct procedure detailed (7) 23 One’s job is delivering someone else’s work (5) 24 Plant’s small advantage (5)