DOUBLE CROSSWORD

ACROSS

CRYPTIC

1 Lineage may quietly die off with unending avarice (8)

5 Absolute leader frowning towards the rear (6)

10 Takes another look at weak king, as a fool (6,5)

11 Overwhelming some poor diseased tree (3)

12 Turn one’s back on gore in operation (6)

13 Single female in group was cast out (8)

15 Roasted outside kiln (4)

17 Cooks season bay with a source of protein (4,5)

20 Eel proved difficult to improve in colour (9)

21 Leis distributed in part of the Hawaiian chain (4)

24 Keep up most important train when head of railways is dismissed (8)

25 Spanish-speaking district except for Portuguesespeaking centre (6)

28 Everything is a fifty-fifty proposition (3)

29 Sexton is a grim-faced Australian (5,6)

30 Tiresome to be hearing the case (6)

31 Worse if old lot was well illuminated (8)

DOWN

1 Split hairs over gift poet wasted (8)

2 Condescend to sound out European (5)

3 Got ark rebuilt as another form of transport (2-4) 4 Chop up original mark in test (4)

6 Watch posted on assembly line (8)

7 The panel’s reconstruction of huge beasts (9)

8 Cuckoo amongst offspring raised by birds of passage (6)

9 Islands’ party linked phosphorous with agriculture overseas (9)

14 Author’s aim to outline Verdi’s composition (4,5)

16 Cites play-acting as line of work (9)

18 Period spent agonising about the US military (8)

19 American politician or militia leader held by redcoat detachments (8)

22 Pass on skill to support single member (6)

23 Where to bet when a coin’s tossed (6)

26 Unusually large or imperial in stature (5)

27 Plank in agreement (4)