CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

ACROSS

1 Dotty ate big franks, having a

meal (12)

10 Most important rule stated (9) 11 Spot large place to stay off the

road (5)

12 Private investigator splits mob

wide open (6)

13 In reversal, Bart’s mom allowed

message (8)

15 Implements taking spots for

some fungi (10)

17 Graduates at the front have

commencement wear (4) 19 Falstaff’s fortified

wine bag (4)

20 Crackpot seeks cure with bit of

raw material (10)

23 Band that strolls while playing

Sondheim song “Chicago” (8) 24 Spies while capturing

lady’s mate (6)

27 Bad is the crime (5)

28 Gun missing the mark in

German article (9)

29 Painter gets down

with big hit (7,5)

DOWN

2 Hot feature: French author’s “Start of Sex” (8)

3 A member of Parliament’s hearing aids? (4)

4 Farm adopts a large seal (nothing to worry about after all) (5,5)

5 One doing a math problem when it’s hot (6)

6 Winter clock, after the faces fit together (9)

7 Debut of Gary Oldman: “Red Emma” (7)

8 Moved pigs to source of water (6)

9 Fifty-one military police march unevenly (4)

14 Give a sort of hint her food was cooked (10)

16 A C string, one on musical instrument (9)

18 Set of papers about a General Motors morass (8) 19 Whom Eos transformed in an unknown way (7)

21 Give a new arrangement to spa or lodge (6)

22 Colour over Spanish article (6) 25 Near evening, almost (4) 26 Ben Affleck film back in program (4)