CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

NO 12856

ACROSS

1 Books on engineers in flying

— short version (12) 8 Chomping cigars takes time affecting stomach (7) 9 It’s an absurdity, bullock replacing rear of march (7) 11 It may be needed in bad Yankee smog, variable for English (6,4) 12 Wish West harm (4) 14 Hurried into a huge gathering for angry speech (8) 16 Maintenance of more expensive tower (6) 17 It shows entrances to motorways, airports, parks (3) 19 Service needs time in principal power supply (6) 21 RAF do not fly there and back (2,3,3) 24 Wind I found in mountain pass (4) 25 Preserve and select a fleur-delis, say (10) 27 Lies casually beside river enjoying it? (7) 28 Smooth golfer ready to play shot? (4,3) 29 Men with appliances can make bridge safe spanning one river (4,8)

DOWN

1 He checks metals, wasting a

year going round ship (7) 2 Fast-growing garden pest

turns up: nine go rotten (10) 3 Once, when upset, I interrupted mother’s eulogy (8) 4 Tax current majority

conserving power (6) 5 I miss raising fruit in small

piece of ground (4) 6 Sort of dancing I’m told is wasted on English (3-4) 7 Contentious cargo Michael sprayed on 5? (12) 10 Players hammering out Holst’s ‘Pyx No. 1’ (12) 13 Carrying 50, 100, nips up bad road a bundle of nerves (6,4) 15 Consume bits of egg and toast (3) 18 Simmering gamekeepers look out for it (8) 20 Georgian city is built sadly without uni, I conclude (7) 22 They fly to catch game by Newcastle team (7) 23 One-dimensional and in real trouble (6) 26 U.S. form of address to useless European (4)