THE CROSSWORDS
CRYPTIC CLUES
ACROSS
1 Composer whose works Bach and Elgar took to heart (6)
4 Cut off with wrongly set compass (8)
9 It can make one act straightaway (2,4)
10 Means to call potentially happy individual (8) 12 The boundary of laughter (2-2)
13 Lay very softly in the hay, perfectly content (5) 14 Friend about to return to show appreciation (4) 17 Metal fasteners held together by a thread (4,3,5) 20 Listed building visited by tourists in Italy (7,5) 23 Does wrong lines of Keats, for instance (4)
24 A hit number (5)
25 Mineral in crystal-clear form (4)
28 Preliminary race which is neither quick nor decisive (4,4)
29 It’s worn by a woman for a dance (6)
30 Tender arrangement for Ted and Alice (8)
31 Just one of them is perfect (6)
DOWN
1 They don’t believe he requires foreign capital (8) 2 They open out for the novice (8)
3 Terrible ache in a head (4)
5 They should be carefully rounded inside and out (5,7)
6 Broken part carried away (4)
7 Fool put back on the dole, perhaps (6)
8 Not liable to grant immunity (6)
11 Bringing down a plane used for putting troops into action (7,5)
15 Stand in the drawing room (5)
16 Declare it in bad taste (5)
18 Those who feel the heat for those who feel the cold (8)
19 Possibly price a ring - to us it’s valuable (8) 21 Being wealthy gets charged (6)
22 Some particular soldiers perhaps (6)
26 In which I combine style and elegance (4)
27 Care for nothing (4)
QUICK CLUES
ACROSS
1 Happen to (6)
4 Crush by force (5,3) 9 Culmination (6)
10 A blue gem (8)
12 Instance (4)
13 Point of view (5) 14 Helpful tip (4)
17 Loving (12) 20 Confidentially (3,3,6) 23 Greek Trojan War hero (4) 24 Fish of ray family (5) 25 Give up (4)
28 Abusive criticism (8)
29 A fabricated report (6) 30 Corresponding (8) 31 Sanctuary (6)
DOWN
1 Impudent replies (8) 2 Infallibly problem-free (4-4) 3 To incline (4)
5 Virtually (2,3,7)
6 Be depressed and apathetic (4) 7 Source (6) 8 International agreement (6) 11 Absolutely clear (12)
15 To jeer (5) 16 Precipitous (5)
18 Fit together neatly (8) 19 Appendix to book (8) 21 Short of money (4-2) 22 Oriental market (6) 26 Spoken (4)
27 Be accepted (4)