CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

ACROSS

1 A double blow for the French? (6)

7 Possibly relaying by runner (8)

8 In confusion, I met father (4)

10 Phony American private eye? (6)

11 Rod accepts it as formally courteous (6)

14 A supporter of privilege (3)

16 Made a heap, like the piper round the corner (5)

17 Decided to keep the police out of the paper (4)

19 If wrong, Edward gets punished (5)

21 Nerve broken? Certainly not! (5)

22 Intimidated by a cowboy? (5)

23 Mental state at the crack of doom? (4)

26 He flies with an awfully good bunch of chaps (5)

28 Can you play it with your eyes closed? (3)

29 Not accustomed to us appearing in the nude, perhaps (6)

30 Hamper the perfidious Goth, that is (6)

31 Admits there are various ways to love (4)

32 Prepare to fire a further flier (8)

33 Small man going to the city at an opportune moment (6)

DOWN

1 Stopped being cold and relaxed (6)

2 When ready, Mike snooped around (6)

3 They can look to give noted encouragement (4)

4 He’ll swear the porter’s upset about nothing! (7)

5 Nice bit of cider for a villager having no beer (5)

6 Looked to have taken the lead by an own goal (5)

8 Late change in a story (4)

9 A fool, but at least he can hold his drink (3)

12 Sliding cover? (3)

13 How quickly to play the tango, compose a poem (5)

15 Plunges into low haunts? (5)

18 Being impish can bring a bit of fun to life, maybe (5)

19 Not many can be heard to express relief! (3)

20 He goes northeast a lot (3)

21 On which there can be no cryptically taped message (7)

22 See an outsize lettuce (3)

23 Mother’s about to nag drunkenly - it’s all that champagne! (6)

24 Chooses the wrong spot (4)

25 It’s dismally dull, back in the

outskirts of Derby (6)

26 Make a hole in a sock? (5)

27 Middling meal? (5)

28 No point at present (3)

30 Getting angry about nothing is a funny thing (4)