DOUBLE CROSSWORD

CRYPTIC

ACROSS

1 Wood-turned ladle was nipped in the bud (11)

9 A parrot made in proportion (3,4)

10 Divine under a fruit tree? (7)

11 In confusion after the dissolution of monasteries? (10)

12 Back up for one stake (4) 14 Therefore come first and last in spring planting (6) 16 Nomads die on bus crash (8)

18 Fairness involved in a set of letters (3,5)

19 Suddenly moved forward after being given a breather? (6)

22 Ten goes into one sort of stock (4)

23 Benchmarks for garden’s parasites (10)

26 Invalid to extract amusement before court?

(7)

27 Party dishing out terrible hidings (7)

28 Unordained minister left to help pray with every queen (3,8)

DOWN

1 Fool’s cap on failure to clean one’s teeth (5)

2 Back drew up and put back into place (10)

3 Small, bare and twisted (6) 4 Met requirements of as new condition and colour (8) 5 Throw egghead on his ear (4)

6 Playing basketball with girl revolved around jewellery (9)

7 Digger’s suit (6)

8 Loveless dump has become empty of most intense feelings (6)

13 Caught making quiet shot at the flirtatious (10) 15 Marvellous stirring underflow (9)

17 Star side suffered some misfortune (8)

18 Given shoes and decry extremely poor quality (6) 20 As god ordered on the head of Egyptian tablets (6) 21 Poems, as sent up in a Black Sea port (6)

24 Drink cold with dire results (5)

25 Think yellow band was quite dark (4)

QUICK

ACROSS

1 Hugely successful book or film (11)

9 Female member of the pride (7)

10 Ore of aluminium (7) 11 Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario (5,5)

12 The largest continent (4) 14 Hypothesis (6)

16 Final; paramount (8) 18 Nation to the north of South Africa (8)

19 Astute (6)

22 Bereft of speech (4) 23 Crowning ceremony (10) 26 Gangster (7)

27 Violent storm (7) 28 Man-made ridges that carry roads or railways (11)

DOWN

1 Out of money (slang) (5) 2 Toppled (10)

3 Old quarter of a North African town (6)

4 Parasol (8)

5 Tightly stretched (4)

6 Put back into position (9) 7 Treat with disrespect (6) 8 Slander (6)

13 Thief who once robbed travellers on public roads (10)

15 Impromptu (9)

17 Rare (8)

18 Founder of an Asian religion (6)

20 Give to a good cause (6) 21 Fundament (6) 24 Notions (5) 25 Smooth-tongued (4)