CRYP TIC CROSSWORD

ACROSS

1 Days of old power studied for

big corporation (6-3,6)

9 Rip up root for replanting,

leaving petals in a bowl? (9) 10 Poem about place

of fantasy … (5)

11 … it is featured in retro street

musical (5)

12 Venomous African country midge bites unknown number (9)

13 Rough National Trust walk

ahead (8)

14 Threaten prankster

with death (6)

16 Sack’s covering penny or

something in river (6)

18 Take in case of broken limb

being blue (8)

22 About fifty, one is plain absentminded (9)

23 Catch up with rest of fiction

(popular) (3,2)

24 Personal accident cover, with

strings attached (5)

25 Last act of Jesus – Son, in case

uncertain? (9) 26 Male detective with hound

following Joe Bloggs? (3,4,3,5)

DOWN

1 Idiots upset MP in reshuffle (7) 2 More bananas showing a higher

number of speckles (7) 3 Famous Italian represented

cardinal on video (8,2,5)

4 Lilac rim on yam’s inside reveals

bitterness (8)

5 In a bad way in Spain, very

unwell, variable (6)

6 Irish pool staff, small and large, getting into party drink and food (10,5) 7 Eastern Fleet being shelled will

swallow tax boost (7)

8 Stood for flipping parade –

tone-deaf taking part (7)

15 Kind of French clubs with dodgy

casino Romeo inhabits (8) 16 There’s always a lapse before

it’s read (4,3)

17 One has faith one will go far (7) 19 Retail confused lies about English artist’s place in Paris? (7)

20 House-keeping? It could be a

flat occupation (7)

21 Second bird, one from America

originally (6)