CRYPTIC/QUICK CROSSWORD

NO.540

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. 540, 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. 539 is Des Havelin, Drumcondra, Dublin 9.

CRYPTIC CLUES Across

1 Understood to be in Latin (5) 4 Red, getting bash first (9) 9 Birth father finds payment on time (9) 10 Commiserated with skinflint (5) 11 Old organ has his name on it (6) 12 Tease the strange admirer of beauty (8) 14 Donated or lost a cosmetic (9) 15 Right time to rewrite and send (5) 17 German beer wasted on bird (5) 19 Friend accepts arctic conditions are not theoretical (9) 22 Oversensitive to ill grace, unfortunately (8) 24 Demanding, when ruler (6) 26 Stand is small yet lofty (5) 27 Enthusiast to merit working with new food (9) 28 Amazed to have stumbled (9) 29 Fish provides no form of fibre (5)

Down

1 Pity about getting laugh at key complaint (7) 2 Hormone produced terribly nice torso (9) 3 Dance round the Spanish fruit (7) 4 Second horse could be a problem (4) 5 Entitlement to perform candle rite (10) 6 A couple of Frenchmen have new tree to gauge (7) 7 Edition for children (5) 8 Wrong to put soldiers in anguish (7) 13 Champion carried out pagan crime (10) 16 Some devices may enrich change (9) 17 Girl begins to get other girls visual aids (7) 18 Listener to advertise a muffler (7) 20 Sailor takes different site to be more palatable (7) 21 Ease thin leg’s treatment (7) 23 Animal all over graduate (5) 25 Academic promises to leave horse (4)