CRYP TIC CROSSWORD

ACROSS

1 Locks cleaner in

the bathroom? (7)

5 Criticised a couple of males in

sleigh (7)

9 Animal – one encapsulated by

extraordinary horn (5)

10 Large, overpriced piano swapped for clarinet, ultimately (9)

11 Individual friend in my book (10) 12 Stop heads of state trivialising

every meeting (4)

14 Running over before Saigon

train’s off (12)

18 Ended nice novel, welcoming

writer’s lack of bias (12)

21 The first man advanced and

cuckoo retreated (4) 22 Supported aunt and agreed

changes (10)

25 Specialist from Switzerland mostly pleasant in greenishblue (9)

26 Little child with a large sum (5) 27 Reply from Greeks oddly

ignored small body of water (7) 28 Departments send a subsidy

back showing regret (7)

DOWN

1 Peels off outfits (6)

2 One entering a party removing top in titillation – it creates a lot of buzz (6)

3 Very softly hugging feverish old gran – almost hard to take a picture (10)

4 Greek character’s great with

nothing on (5)

5 A report is in place for space

station, perhaps (9)

6 Relative to jeer at?

Not at first (4)

7 Chief with volunteers

in support (8) 8 Fantasising in day about a

Chinese dynasty (8) 13 Female a distance away is

enthralled (10)

15 Northern big cat died after

article’s published (9) 16 I’d pulled up small flower –

catastrophe! (8) 17 Promotes loans (8) 19 Quiet Yorkshire town (6) 20 Mature people from America strangely lust after diamonds (6) 23 Sounds like expensive

car parts (5)

24 Up-to-date Foreign Office

details (4)