CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

ACROSS

3. Flustered ambassador

missing half the dance (5) 8. Ruin three successive

notes by champion (6) 9. Fellow opener is an ass (6) 10. Artist nets one grand in

capital (4) 11. In survey it misrepresented Oxford perhaps (10) 12. Come back and go round

again? (6) 13. It helps one understand foreign film and is not too obvious about it (8) 16. Leading prefect’s

surprisingly modest (4-11) 18. One’s arresting onset of

heart disease (8) 21. Bound to spoil drink (6) 23. Nobody pays a scrap

(4-3-3) 25. Ship carrying silver sinks (4) 26. Note connection with a

Russian composer (6) 27. Spain and Portugal depose leader of African country (6) 28. Monster is a somewhat

toothy dragon (5)

DOWN

1. Abuse clergyman on

French island (6) 2. Urchin finds newspaper

with a cake (10) 3. Order from queen’s upset

church (8) 4. Dreadful rail delays seem perverse at first, but I’m saying nothing (2,4,3,6) 5. Braved riots admirably,

for example (6) 6. Goals in final stages of

game won world series (4) 7. Learnt about lease (6) 12. River snakes found in

grates (5) 14. Cost of loan gets

journalist engrossed (10) 15. Thanks to him, the Greeks

lost their marbles (5) 17. Desert animal has trouble

over shrub (8) 19. Mostly difficult getting on

with this chap (6) 20. Idiot turned up with a hot

sponge (6) 22. Woman’s instruction as to

where to put this answer (6) 24. Sea bird found by sailors

in centre of reef (4)