GUARDIAN CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

ACROSS

1 Takes short trips, full of energy

and aspirations (5) 4 Stop cricket side going

on holiday (5,3) 8 Like groups on vacation, getting

money by selling things off (5-9) 10 Fast no doubt broken by

backsliding church (8) 11 Dance, or eastern ball of sorts,

going west (6) 12 Revived fur trade’s criminal (9) 15 Revolutionary children’s writer

having no time for dramatist (5) 17 Cast leading pair in third series (5) 18 Nutmeg’s in tiddly state

in a small cafe (9) 19 Small vessel raised after master

abandons her (6) 21 Consider introducing collars round poisonous plant (8) 24 Romanian garden yielding

fruit (8,6) 25 Look out for GI avoiding

complex debriefing (8) 26 Put paid to journalists

concealing name (5)

DOWN

1 Leaders not quite what the Queen of Hearts ordered, say? (5,2,5) 2 Drive first person boarding cleaner, low-level transport (9) 3 Lecher lines up at end

of day (5) 4 Smallest member in Oxford, possibly? (6,3) 5 International alliance putting a boundary up (4) 6 Instrument you fake for listeners? I’m not sure (9) 7 Dodgy handler, one of many at Aintree? (5) 9 Routine problem for emerging divers lacking second potty (5,3,4) 13 Provincial county short of land for deportees at one time? (4,5) 14 Redundant staff are often kept on, Republican admitted (9) 16 Brown junior soundly beaten? (9) 20 Gnome’s promotion coming with maturity (5) 22 What those waiting do to start play? (5) 23 Available payment about right (4)