CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

No 16,829

ACROSS

1 Rank girl with one fellow within city limits (8) 5 Excellent clue to

start of puzzle (6) 9 Greek character’s hiring Irish out for dodgy net practice (8) 10 Steal the

Spanish coin (6) 12 Contest doesn’t

finish level (4) 13 One dresses team working with two sons (10) 15 Crudely copy ad with licence that’s fully comprehensive (13) 19 I study bird caught in U.S. gardens making passes? (8,5) 23 What may produce ‘qwerty’ tripe, without question? (10) 25 Shells, or first half of

a very old shell (4) 28 Regretted enlisting one new bankrupt (6) 29 A foreign student’s terrible, breaking rules (8) 30 Records some plants university’s thrown out (6) 31 Evaluate a 2p

increase (8)

DOWN

1 Police officer’s mettle,

by the sound of it (6) 2 Partly organised plant

used in cooking (5) 3 Note old

London area (4) 4 Cool old Greek picked

up nut (7) 6 Dialect is described in old manuscripts originally (5) 7 Cleverly site a desk to indicate one’s preferred group (4,5) 8 Jumper, large one, with blemish on the outside (4,4) 11 Data needs reinforcing

to some extent (4) 14 Perhaps Aberdonian

drunkard tours clubs (4) 15 Former English politician, one in fashion, obtains immunity (9) 16 Secular song (3) 17 Hair arrangement caught up in extractor fan (4) 18 Area of Oz station (8) 20 Follow story on radio (4) 21 Win a lot that’s spare

in contest (5,2) 22 Miner briefly becomes

shepherd’s helper (6) 24 Push with back

of foot (5) 26 Greek character fit to

work in civvies (5) 27 Just one impressed by

fliers turned up (4)