CRYPTIC/QUICK CROSSWORD
NO.439
Here’s your chance to win a Collins Concise English Dictionary. Complete the crossword using either the cryptic or the quick clues and send it to us with your name and address. Send your solution to: Cryptic/Quick Crossword No. 439, The Irish Mail on Sunday, PO Box 5332, Cardiff Lane, Dublin 2. Entries must be received by Thursday. The winner will be drawn from a hat. The winner of Cryptic/Quick Crossword No. 438 is Mary Cody, Douglas, Cork.
ACROSS
1 Edit out bits of a football match to make things move faster (3,7) 6 Endlessly litigate against politician in the region of oil (4) 9 Defence when times are very strong to one’s confusion (10) 10 Nit’s combed out and no longer exists (4) 12 Intellectual quality is soundest strangely when involving American (12) 15 Cutting off a new college in forbidding surroundings (9) 17 Expire surrounded by gold – goodbye (5) 18 Person overseas to take on old operating system included (5) 19 Increase space within a vase? It is causing frustration (9) 20 Madly rings us about circular regarding the environment (12) 24 Creature seen in belfry abutting hospital in this city (4) 25 Not moving is apt in gusty conditions (7,3) 26 Editor’s embraced new goals (4) 27 Teenager may have a whiff of unemployment (10)
DOWn
1 Dice and play snooker shot around black (4) 2 Gent has time away from work (4) 3 Turning Blairite on to complete destruction (12) 4 Runyon’s written about this wanderer (5) 5 Sprint towards fancied tennis player who’s not done this (3,2,4) 7 Puccini’s composition with E& F is not detailed (10) 8 Former Prime Minister’s rejected hospital food in this city (10) 11 Get at Senate’s misdoing – they may direct one to the house (6,6) 13 Nothing rational about thoughts at first, that’s apparent (10) 14 Make one’s way back to speak before daughter’s gone (10) 16 Wrote about main development being put forward (9) 21 Doodling idly on line of a poem (5) 22 Some PE exercises involved a pointed implement (4) 23 Restore half of cowboy hats (4)
QUICK CLUES
ACROSS
1 Make compromises (3,7) 6 Oil reservoir (4) 9 Perplexity (10) 10 Does not exist (4) 12 Bookish quality (12) 15 Redundancy payment (9) 17 Farewell (5) 18 Person resident abroad (5) 19 Vexatious (9) 20 Milieu (12) 24 Tub (4) 25 Remaining stationary (7,3) 26 Purposes (4) 27 Teenager (10)
DOWn
1 Solid square (4) 2 Posh man (4) 3 Annihilation (12) 4 Unsettled person (5) 5 Become shabby (3,2,4) 7 Vague (10) 8 City in Pennsylvania (10) 11 Sellers of properties (6,6) 13 Outwardly apparent (10) 14 Changed to vapour (10) 16 Proposed for election (9) 21 Short pictorial poem (5) 22 Sharp-pointed sword (4) 23 Let it stand (4)