BRAINBUSTER

ACROSS

1 In excess of expectations

(5,3,6) 8 Drinks (4) 11 Demands (as a price) (7) 15 While (2) 16 Large river in Africa (5) 17 Idea (7) 19 Complicated procedure

(9) 22 Car (7) 23 Exaggerate (6) 24 Punctual (2,4) 25 More gloomy (6) 29 Retain (printing term) (4) 31 Hint (4) 33 Specifies the hour (6) 36 Requested (5) 38 Warned (7) 39 Commander (Arabic) (4) 41 Fragmentary (7) 44 Harmonious (7) 46 Mid-leg joints (5) 48 Armed force (5) 49 Countrywide (8) 52 Pieces of paper thrown

at a married couple (8) 55 Ambitious (6) 57 Questions (6) 60 Active (2,3,4) 61 Loafer (5) 62 Genuine (9) 63 Embrace (3) 64 Pinch (3) 65 Confidentially (2,6) 67 Filament of a fungus (5) 70 Wild (8) 73 Inform in advance (4) 75 Destiny (4) 76 Decorative case (4) 77 Skin condition (4) 79 Exploded (7) 81 Piece of bread (5) 82 Squeeze (7) 84 Note (4) 85 Prison rooms (5) 88 Intermediate theorem

(5) 90 Floating object (4) 91 Clumsy (6) 93 Female sheep (3) 94 Glaze (a cake) (3) 95 Respite (6) 97 Giving (4) 98 Vote in (2-3) 99 Appears (5) 100 Call (4) 101 Ocean (3) 102 Put in place (3) 103 Scoffs (4) 105 Regular (5) 109 Bordered (5) 112 Not attractive (4) 113 Jogger (6) 114 Enterprise (abbr) (3) 115 Male offspring (3) 116 Approximately (6) 117 Breed of horse (4) 118 Yawned (5) 121 Agave plant (5) 124 Covers (4) 126 Drinking glass (7) 127 Fours, . . . and sixes (5) 129 Tapers (7) 130 Happily . . . after (4) 131 Go . . .-shaped (fails) (4) 132 Price paid (4) 133 Store (4) 134 Every other year (8) 137 Fight (inf ) (3-2) 138 Not dangerous (8) 142 Pick (3) 143 Born (3) 145 Oil, eg (9) 146 Exclusive (5) 149 Draw (chess) (9) 150 Dark-coloured (6) 151 Mistakes (6) 152 Living (8) 154 Evaluation (8) 156 Rested on the knees (5) 158 Bender (5) 160 Blueprints (7) 165 Declines (7) 168 China is part of this

continent (4) 169 Broke (like a twig) (7) 173 Cast an evil spell (5) 174 Pie, eg (6) 177 Sow (4) 178 Heroic (4) 180 Cut one’s . . . (stop

investing in something) (6) 184 Lilac (6) 185 Task (6) 187 Dawn (7) 188 Unhurt (9) 189 Littering (7) 191 Push (5) 192 With reference to

(abbr) (2) 193 Questionable (7) 194 Religious custom (4) 195 Disillusionment (14)

DOWN

1 Starred (in) (5) 2 A distinctive smell (5) 3 A bird of prey (5) 4 Fire residue (3) 5 Casually comes and

goes (7) 6 The whole nine . . . (5) 7 Relegate (6) 8 Stern (6) 9 Setting for a play (5) 10 Not blended (7) 11 Sheltered bay (4) 12 For a particular purpose

(Latin) (2,3) 13 Small lizard (5) 14 Tiptoe (5) 18 Towards (2) 20 Scintilla (4) 21 Forte (music) (4) 26 Joan of . . . (3) 27 Yellowish-brown (5) 28 Music genre (3) 30 In addition (4) 32 Ogle (4) 33 Mineral rock (3) 34 Baggy (5) 35 22nd Greek letter (3) 37 Maple tree with winged

fruits (8) 40 Everlasting (8) 41 Fail or succeed by one’s

own efforts (4,2,4) 42 Intuitive (10) 43 Mock award for the

worst achiever (5,5) 45 Fortuitously (14) 47 Transmit (4) 48 Rising and falling of the

sea (4) 50 Desmond . . . (former

archbishop) (4) 51 Huge expanse of water (5) 53 Nourishes (5) 54 Carry (4) 55 Demean (7) 56 Octets (6) 58 Decorated (6) 59 Mocking tone (7) 65 Hostile attack (6) 66 Putrid (6) 68 Screamed (6) 69 Frantic (6) 71 Peers (6) 72 . . . cow (idea that’s

above criticism) (6) 74 Protest (11) 78 Vessel for keeping food

warm (7,4) 80 Reflection of sound (4) 83 Have regard (4) 86 Blurt out (3,4) 87 Doped (7) 88 Periods of instruction (7) 89 Postgraduate degree (7) 92 Drench with liquid (5) 96 Smouldering piece of

wood (5) 97 Remain calm and

sensible (4,1,5,4) 104 Neighbourhood (6) 105 Incapable (6) 106 Plead (4) 107 Dress in elegant

clothes (6) 108 Feature (6) 110 Festive occasion (4) 111 Scribble (6) 112 Except if (6) 119 Painters, eg (7) 120 Work (10) 122 Rich (2,3,5) 123 Connie Ferguson, eg (7) 125 Subdues (10) 127 With more speed (6) 128 Rather . . . than later (6) 135 Fool (5) 136 Tidiness (8) 139 Scholars (8) 140 Outer layer of an egg

(5) 141 Shelter (4) 144 Cookware (4) 147 Not right (4) 148 Amounts of more than

nine (4) 153 Keep your . . . on (stay

calm) (5) 155 Not mine (5) 157 Channel (4) 159 Look secretly (4) 161 Period of time (3) 162 No (archaic) (3) 163 Fighter (7) 164 Maniac (7) 166 Conger (3) 167 Observe (3) 169 Children should be . . .

and not heard (4) 170 Counsel (6) 171 Skinned (6) 172 What she eats (4) 174 Mails (5) 175 Pieces of music for

a choir (5) 176 Lift (5) 177 More cunning (5) 179 Pancake (5) 181 Start (5) 182 Malice (5) 183 A . . . for sore eyes (5) 184 Nuisance (4) 186 Decimetre (abbr) (2) 190 Sea eagle (3)