CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

ACROSS 1 European pest could be worrying (3,3)

5 Animal quietly burrowing into ground (8)

9 First animal to be identified in Oxford? (8)

10 Object to work attitude (6) 11 History and memory anticipating the writer’s beef dish (8)

12 Flinch from east wind on run (6) 13 Person losing faith with a job brewing tea (8)

15 Cast the female lead in drama (4)

17 Woman oddly going missing in air raids (4) 19 Roman army unit must welcome a tense mission (8) 20 A cut in cover of Jeremy’s old banger (6)

21 Two for eight, perhaps

— it’s a factor (4,4)

22 Ride, in American terminology (6) 23 Oblivious of danger developing in a fraud (8) 24 Harsh pace, not without love (8) 25 Avoids cunning wheezes (6)

DOWN

2 A mother with diatribe on husband is a bloomer (8) 3 Model debates origin of designer frame (8)

4 Dip in the morning — wearing new cagoule (9) 5 Consider fool should be on time meeting old relation (4,4,7) 6 Full theatre — allow encore at the end (7)

7 One may require a second for puzzle (8) 8 Bristles and beards ultimately must be unnecessary (8)

14 Dog food that’s dropped off back of a lorry (9) 15 Issues for people ruled by a monarch (8) 16 Product designed to define viewers (8)

17 Such photography has popular female artist looking embarrassed (8) 18 Independent person elected to lie badly, being insolent (8) 19 Look for understanding in conversation (3-4)