PITCHERWITS TM

1a. Action of relief, maybe? (5,1,4)

11a. Gleam in the eye for sharp learner? (6,5)

1d. Composer’s note groups, for bikers? (10)

6d. Audible earpieces from French poet (10)

9a. Ad., declaring falsely, the first to play (7,4)

16a. Any garbled message, on the whole (2,3,5)

4d. Pops tag in package - temporary fix (4-3)

10d. Minute-hand Ted lost, being cold-blooded (7) PIT your wits against Pitcherwits — the exciting puzzle where some of the answers are in pictures! The solutions to the visual clues fit into the shaded spaces on the grid. Solution tomorrow.

ACROSS

1 Picture Clue 7 Brownie cellophane wrapper for relative answer (5) 8 Put a rope round musical drama (5) 9 Picture Clue 11 Picture Clue 14 An even lamer excuse for a Kingdom! (5) 15 A libido, starting out as an excuse (5) 16 Picture Clue

DOWN

1 Picture Clue 2 Earn a place in the stadium (5) 3 Before the real pieces (3) 4 Picture Clue 5 Grate, raked out, is Garbo’s first (5) 6 Picture Clue 10 Picture Clue 12 Laity, easily confused in Europe (5) 13 Don’t sue superior — he’s the abbot’s sidekick! (5) 15 Ballad not bad, it is revealed (3)

Friday’s solution:

ACROSS: 1 Sea elephant. 5 USA. 7 Elk. 8 Blacken. 10 Offcuts. 11 Bonanza. 14 PPS. 15 Tag. 16 Net interest. DOWN: 1 Stumble upon. 2 Lava. 3 Park. 4 Take a flight. 6 Absorbs. 7 End seat. 9 Cocoa. 12 Naan. 13 Nape.