CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

ACROSS

1 King and his valet enter service, showing artistry (11) 9 Exotic begonias I left in container at Nag’s Head (7) 10 Riverside fields relaid occasionally in crops (7) 11 Take advantage of trees, by the sound of it (3) 12 Increased university in place Liberal recalled (5,2) 13 Engineers‚ code for ‚ deep regret (7) 14 European goods, creation by Faberge (3) 15 Incentive, say, worth its weight in gold? (5) 17 Nosy student following rocket launchers (5) 18 Elaborate trap I installed for forest animal (5) 20 Big horse guards a rare tree (5) 22 Popular name for bar (3) 24 It secures locks in slowest part of circuit (7) 25 Acting without a female in unit (2,5) 26 Firm, quiet officer (3) 27 Chap going round in shabby suit gives big wave (7) 28 Inspect back-firing chopper belonging to setter (7) 29 One traipsed all over the place in distressed state (11)

DOWN

1 Wife dishing up quail, boiled? This’ll be needed after meal (7-2,6) 2 Stiff old boy in trio played intro to Chopin (7) 3 Study hard stick, cryptically? (3,2) 4 Group of miners muse on right part of fraction (9) 5 Tribal chief, ambassador and publicist (7) 6 The Thief of Time in a strip cartoon version (15) 7 Allow former England football manager to drop wings . . . (6) 8 . . . to boot a trendily dressed chap (2,4) 16 Square circle, one out of kilter (9) 18 Pacific island that I twice represented (6) 19 Repeats broadcasts about prince (7) 21 Rice? Sampan regularly brought in a bit illegally (7) 23 Scene devised to maintain international relations (6) 25 Ring secretary to welcome first lady for work, 25 (5)

Yesterday’s solution (15,327)

ACROSS: 1 Dandruff. 5 Abased. 9 February. 10 Decamp. 12 Cube. 13 Embonpoint. 15 Greenhouse gas. 19 Jiggery-pokery. 23 Bottom line. 25 Fret. 28 Unison. 29 Joystick. 30 Ingest. 31 Glorious.

DOWN: 1 Defect. 2 Nabob. 3 Rout. 4 Fireman. 6 Bleep. 7 Sparingly. 8 Deputise. 11 Dodo. 14 Gene. 15 Gogetting. 16 Hop. 17 Sled. 18 Djibouti. 20 Yale. 21 Own goal. 22 Stakes. 24 Oboes. 26 Rhino. 27 Tsar.