DOUBLE CROSSWORD

CRYPTIC

ACROSS

1 In high spirits, editor

about fantastic tale (6)

4 Company’s ready to be

too kind (6)

9 Mayday call from the

virtuoso soloist (inits) (3) 10 New or ancient

repository (9)

11 Permission for time off (5) 12 Truth, nothing I had but

item of information (7)

14 Duties involving boiling

oats (11)

17 Stops around a long time

for compensation (7)

18 Not appropriate to sleep

in it (5)

20 The gin ran out,

almost a disaster (4,5)

22 His kit contains

snow-shoe (3)

23 Retain complicated part

of the eye (6)

24 Smear touch of rosemary

into piece of meat (6)

DOWN

1 Fabricate lie, say, without

difficulty (6)

2 Bewildered in the

main (2,3)

3 Former partner giving in, we hear – that’s going too far (9)

5 Finished, we hear,

with eggs (3)

6 Dusk makes relative, by the sound of it, depressed (7)

7 Worn out at end of

contest, one blushing (5) 8 Very panicky mixing final

paints (2,1,4,4)

13 Making a mint! (7,2)

15 Crow about doctor with

empty talk (7)

16 Threatened to enquire about shortened journey (2,4)

17 And not after

party giver (5)

19 Man, say, after

a walkway (5)

21 Egg turned up in can (3)

QUICK ACROSS

1 Half a diameter (6)

4 Slightly coloured (6)

9 Cadge (3)

10 Over-tanned? (9)

11 Colour of army uniforms (5) 12 To the centre (7)

14 Expertise (11)

17 Maker of riding equipment (7)

18 Bestow (5)

20 Assessed too highly (9) 22 Hairstyling product (3)

23 Wayward (6)

24 Hangs loosely (6)

DOWN

1 Reprimand (6)

2 Set principle (5)

3 Incompetent (9)

5 Debt reminder (inits) (3) 6 Non-specific (7)

7 Extinct birds (5)

8 Two-facedness (11)

13 Saturday and Sunday

visitor (9)

15 Large animal of the

Highlands (3,4)

16 Surges (6)

17 Stockpile (5)

19 Unearth (3,2)

21 Score in cricket (3)