THE CROSSWORDS

PUZZLE 15940

CRYPTIC CLUES

ACROSS

1 Determined to show our steel (8)

5 Third man sounds competent enough (4) 9 Sound as a bell (5)

10 Used to have animals outside - dogs? (7) 11 Helpful to the orchestra, for example? (12) 13 Continue to stand (6)

14 Holy water in which an egg’s cooked (6) 17 Pushing slowly forward, a kind of grunting slog (10,2)

20 Some point in a piece of harness for one type of horse (7)

21 I’m getting a numberless blue dye (5) 22 Simple? Yes, with a new form (4) 23 Vertigo comes as a great shock (8)

DOWN

1 Competition for a group of people (4) 2 Marked dates in wrongly (7)

3 Its members showed bravery when put in charge (5,7)

4 An even chance the matador will try to avoid (4-2)

6 Increase in shouts of disapproval at the end of the act (5)

7 Uninterested, having no inclination either way (8)

8 An early form of home decorating? (4,8) 12 Reasonably practical? (8)

15 One is going to say it (7)

16 Victoria’s husband on watch (6)

18 They fly or take a train (5)

19 Their quarters are combed for food (4)

QUICK CLUES ACROSS

1 Sphere of interest (8) 5 Suspend (4)

9 Hanker after (5) 10 Combination (7)

11 Live within one’s means (4,4,4) 13 Way of approach (6)

14 Stay behind (6) 17 Something hard to assess (12) 20 Encroach (7)

21 State of northwest US (5) 22 Have trust (4)

23 Only a little (8)

DOWN

1 Covenant (4)

2 Make unnecessary (7) 3 Not without a chance (2,3,7) 4 Approaching (6) 6 Entertain (5) 7 Salutation (8) 8 Intensely annoying (12) 12 Impertinently informal (8) 15 If nothing else (2,5) 16 Disclose (6)

18 Part of the eye (5)

19 To pass (2,2)