CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

No 16,371

ACROSS

1 Introduce new peers at theatre (7) 5 Quietly increase tribute (6) 9 US city set to cut lines to a great extent (7) 10 Summarise short trip across Luxembourg then Spain (7) 11 Output from Krakatoa shocks (3) 12 Smart aleck Rod breaks cricket club records (6,5) 13 Number article in ‘Queen’ (5) 14 Abuse long title unfairly acquired (3-6) 16 Exceed in volume, not in tune (9) 17 Requires poles to cross river on way back (5) 19 African country — a combination of earlier ones (6,5) 22 Start to organise newspaper on many occasions (3) 23 German with gun outside getting struck (7) 24 Clean German knight’s horse (7) 26 Pay no attention to region abroad (6) 27 Filled theatre rented by European (7)

DOWN

1 Sinister attendant carries loot (7) 2 Heart-breaking, like a pneumatic drill? (5-10) 3 Look both ways (3) 4 Ingredient of healthy meal? (5) 5 Driver’s right to admit English students (9) 6 One pursued by undisciplined Cortez removing gold (5) 7 English poet out dancing with female makes accidental error (4,2,3,6) 8 The Spanish very much in the news? He beat them! (6) 12 A bit of music or fun somewhere in the Ionian Sea (5) 14 Spread out main cable to reveal lack of proportion (9) 15 Big cat that doesn’t weigh much (5) 16 Consume section of Ulysses book that’s sent up (6) 18 Release scenery at no cost (3,4) 20 Correspondence is part of cooperation (5) 21 Embedded in gold, carbon and copper are found (5) 25 Start to assess record that’s usually within range (3)