{ THE CROSSWORDS }

CRYPTIC CLUES ACROSS

1 Pole and Russian fought together (7)

5 A capital position to be in (5)

8 Person transported by Dad’s cooked greens (9) 9 She’s a bit of a harridan (3)

10 Very popular winter sports range (4)

12 More safe somehow, but still terrifying (8) 14 Country song about a sailor (6)

15 Service charge (6)

17 How, initially, ownership may be established (8)

18 Golfing association (4)

21 I follow the Spanish priest (3)

22 Hawaiian garland no doubt put together without haste ? (9)

24 Very distant until now (2,3)

25 One in charge is possibly a German (7)

DOWN

1 Hybrid ape is brown (5)

2 A ship that carries goods overland (3)

3 A knotty problem for the ship’s navigator? (4) 4 Its victim gets the point (6)

5 They are empowered to go over our heads (8) 6 Ideal trio to arrange daily work (9) 7 Sharpshooter employed in the rigging (4-3) 11 Simple enough difference of opinion, but he goes to court (9)

13 Unusual individual (8)

14 No object in bothering Melissa (7)

16 Elementary meal prepared to give inside information (6)

19 A customer or one of the staff (5)

20 Rising old city in complete collapse (4)

23 Thing laid on the table for breakfast, maybe (3)

QUICK CLUES ACROSS

1 Conspicuous (7)

5 Bracing (5)

8 Delighting the eye (9)

9 Hole in the ground (3) 10 Be short of (4)

12 Brass wind instrument (8) 14 Call to appear (6) 15 Production (6)

17 Interim (8)

18 Centre of target (4)

21 Boy (3)

22 Indifferent (9)

24 Hazardous (5)

25 Oppressive use of power (7)

DOWN

1 Inventor of dynamite (5) 2 A beverage (3)

3 The two (4)

4 Strain (6)

5 Discoverer of the New World (8) 6 On the spur of the moment (9) 7 Tolerant (7)

11 Amphibious raiding troops (9) 13 Exact opposite (8)

14 Alike (7)

16 Collision (6)

19 Fortunate (5)

20 Burn partially (4)

23 A can (3)