The Colossus

ACROSS

1. Clumps, … of grass

5. Sail supports

9. Quoted, … as an example

13. Very different, … opposites

16. Keen, sharp

17. Supposedly laughing scavenger

18. Beatles drummer, … Starr

19. Stocking fabric

20. Cider fruit

21. Short-legged dog breed

22. Abdominal crunch (3-2)

23. Pub “arrows” game

24. Midday meal

25. Portion, part

26. Polka dots

27. Capital of India, New …

28. Song, Rainy Night in …

29. In the past, long …

30. Go-between, … officer

32. At the back of a ship

34. Decompose

37. Attach, … on a brooch

39. Female undergarment

41. In front, … of you

42. Indolent, bone …

44. Dot-dash code

47. Slight advantage

49. Tobruk’s country

50. Bread grain

52. Movie industry award

54. Short and snappy

57. Canister top

59. Spray cans

60. Expected, scheduled

61. Remove to a marginal position, … your rivals

62. Citrus grapefruit-tangerine cross

63. Small metal spike

64. Hushes, … the crowd

66. Tending, … the sick

67. Disturbed, excited

69. Green hairy fruit

70. Aphrodite’s son

71. Set of connected things

75. False reticence

80. To a high degree of intensity, … missed

83. Rewards for excellence, eg

85. Old-style keyboard writer

86. Pluck your eyebrows

87. Odd occurrences, strange …

88. Lessen, … the price

89. Hypothesis, the … of Relativity, eg

91. Large rich cake

93. Twins zodiac sign

96. Unpleasant, nasty

100. Lose temporarily

103. Author of The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret …

104. Merchant, dealer

105. Large prawns

108. Riddles, puzzles

112. Flower’s sweet liquid

115. Members of Anglican clergy, eg

117. Calibrate in advance, … controls

118. Asylum, sanctuary

119. Korean martial art

120. Attraction

121. Oslo is there

123. Delicate soft colour

125. Position taken up

127. First course dish

131. Per se, of …

134. Illicitly help

135. Anne Hathaway movie, … Enchanted

136. Area of water off Istanbul (5,3)

139. Joins the army

140. Fascinates

143. Old Russian emperor

144. Former tennis star, … Lendl

145. Consciously acquiring knowledge

147. By way of

148. Good-looking, … man

150. Consume

151. Flee to marry

154. Restorative medicine

157. Make a dash for it

158. Large fragrant evergreen tree

160. Recessed part of a church

162. Equipped with weapons

164. Bottle’s narrow part

166. Olympic award

167. Tommy rock opera band

168. Reserve player

170. Domestic fuel

171. Plastic golf peg

173. Pupils wagging school

174. Primary, number … target

175. Rules of language

176. Enquired

180. Gave up, … power

181. Added small photo

182. Penned

183. Close to centre, … circle

184. Devout in religion

185. Pacific or Atlantic

186. Once more

187. From the biggest continent

188. Off-white colour

189. Workers’ organisation

190. Illegal scalpers, ticket …

191. Dry biscuits for babies

192. Remove clothes, … off

193. Authority to decide, on her … (3-2)

194. Sharp price increases

DOWN

1. Country bordering Algeria

2. Obey regulations (6,3,5)

3. Rubs to make smooth, … the timber

4. Musical foursome

5. Calculated

6. Blue gemstones

7. Snail’s home

8. Adolescent

9. Hidden hoard

10. Shelled reptiles

11. Leaking slowly

12. Wrap up, cover

13. Sat for a photograph

14. Gradually (6,2,6)

15. Copy, model

28. Immortal being, deity

31. Zero score

33. Bonnie and Clyde star, … Dunaway

34. Dried grape

35. US actress, ... Thurman

36. Author of To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper …

38. Most pleasant

40. Heavy drizzle

43. Well-established (4-4)

45. Hospital attendant

46. Uncontaminated

48. Laughable, a … offer

50. Increases, … the stakes

51. Delight

53. Private hospital

55. Shooting areas

56. Feathered flying limb

58. Lethal

65. Eagerness to win

68. Orchestral player

72. Australian “bigfoot”

73. Famous fountain in Rome

74. Musical performance (4,7)

76. Unhealthily overweight

77. Niches

78. Rob, … from

79. Business tangibles (5,6)

81. Travels on horseback

82. Caribbean island, Saint …

84. Foreign agent

85. Small label, price …

90. Plane-tracking device

92. Michaelmas daisy

94. The Purple Rose of Cairo star, … Farrow

95. Brief sleep

96. Flutter flirtatiously, … your eyelashes

97. Alternatively named (1,1,1)

98. Part of the foot

99. Word of agreement

101. Anger, wrath

102. Item in an auction

106. Fail to play by the rules

107. Grieve

109. Remove forcibly, … from premises

110. Drainage channel for waste

111. Wash in clean water

113. Young horses

114. Anzac Day, … 25

116. Pig enclosure

117. Champagne cork sound

122. Attacks from hiding

124. Consortium

125. Delicate, understated

126. Extremely quickly (2,1,4,2,5)

127. Hi-fi unit

128. Done and dusted (3,4)

129. Having made a will

130. Quit your job

132. Sweet tinned dairy product (10,4)

133. Do up, … the buttons

137. Dorothy’s home State in The Wizard of Oz

138. Barry Humphries’ Dame

141. Biblical boat builder

142. Shrub fences

146. Per item

149. Animal said to be obstinate

152. Listened sympathetically (4,2,3)

153. Settle the bill, … up

155. Type of poem

156. Fine detail

159. Furrow made by wheels

161. Ghosts, spectres

163. Louis de Bernières novel, Captain Corelli’s …

165. Inherit unexpectedly (4,4)

166. Spoil, … the occasion

167. Covering, lolly …

169. Groomed

170. Profitable, … employment

172. Conclusions

177. CDs, compact …

178. Admit responsibility for misdoings (3,2)

179. Denim pants

180. Financial collapse

Solution in next month’s issue.