CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

ACROSS

9 Shrink from making a commitment (8) 10 Towards the right, there’s high ground (3) 11 Vaguely interested to start with, on the whole (6) 12 Gets muddled up when one speaks angrily to (6) 13 The characters whose premises you’re occupying (7) 14 Besides, a pound’s nothing! (4) 15 Silly, though having a really good mind (5-5) 17 Denoted I would be by myself until then (8) 18 Did start cold, then warmed up (7) 19 Stop giving support (4) 21 Harp on the fact that sins will be absolved in it (6) 24 Accepting a totally demeaning tip? (9,2,6) 27 Producing a dessert got us into some difficulties (6) 29 Girl you’re buying the flowers for — or fruit (4) 30 Drive round, first, and that’s not right (7) 33 Decolonise and disturb the even tenor of existence (8) 35 The time and speed are poor (6-4) 36 Let out, in a while returned (4) 37 She went raving mad when I ran into her! (7) 38 An alternative to slacks? (6) 40 Faithless and lying (6) 41 United came out on top, we’re told (3) 42 A lack of cordiality? The cheek! (8)

DOWN

1 Does it monopolise all the wares? (6,4) 2 Light up? Balderdash! (4) 3 Not so good as to have an unassailable lead? (8) 4 Catch at the one turning — the foreigner (7) 5 A very short time to put you in the picture? (5,6) 6 Prevailing upon to show one’s religious belief (10) 7 That sounds fair for the passage (6) 8 Single page summaries, one supposes (8) 10 In colour, it is colossal (5) 16 The risks are many she can run (7) 20 Hard to unscrew, though well oiled (5) 22 “Mum,” you say, “what makes the room so dark?” (7) 23 “Tut, this isn’t the bitter I ordered”? (4,7) 25 What keeps you from having the odd tantrum? (4,6) 26 Scold just as you start liking the job (4,2,4) 28 A bauble with an inscribed name, badly torn (8) 31 Having demolished the gin and It, I get on with the firing (8) 32 From the very beginning, are irritating (7) 34 Take from or put into the amended text (6) 35 Because the north is covered in snow and ice (5) 39 Had left after midnight — an hour after (4)