Bridge and Crossword

A prize of £15 in book tokens will be awarded for the first correct solution opened. Solutions must reach Crossword No 4510, Country Life, Pinehurst II, Pinehurst Road, Farnborough Business Park, Farnborough, Hampshire GU14 7BF, by Tuesday, January 9. UK

ACROSS

7 Female poet’s vending machine

(9) 8 Make runs, perhaps—twenty (5) 10 Small mammal making mark

on long-necked bird (8) 11 A way a chap gets off course (6) 12 Stop son backing London

police? (4) 13 Steal a painting by Kandinsky,

perhaps? (8) 15 We get on without initially

locating social services (7) 17 Unfavourable publicity connected with poetry (7) 20 Street leveller’s buggy in America? (8) 22 Socially unacceptable Greek

character working inside (3-1) 25 A holiday-maker is more

affected (6) 26 Returning thanks, right-winger

welcomes Tyneside lawyer (8) 27 In Verdun it endeavoured to come together (5) 28 Not read to at sea? It causes an explosion! (9)

DOWN

1 Member of cattle tribe thus dipping into rubbish container (5) 2 Drunk goes round Tamworth,

perhaps, to get peg (6) 3 Sneak attending class with

hesitation (8) 4 Long-serving animal doctor

managed to tour East (7) 5 Glaswegian, possibly, delivered

unpunished (4-4) 6 Transmission requiring extensive company of actors (9) 9 Spanish soldier’s first girl (4) 14 Exercise with others outside,

showing self-control (9) 16 Settle on way to reach pavement (8) 18 Gift from party and country (8) 19 Wave, seeing old car scrappage

expert (7) 21 Fat youth eating third of burgers (4) 23 Country absolutely not without king! (6) 24 Fruit concealed by some Londoners (5)