CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

No 16,289 WIN £500

FOR your chance to win, solve the crossword to reveal the word reading down the shaded boxes. HOW TO ENTER: Call 0901 293 6233 and leave today’s answer and your details, or TEXT 65700 with the word CRYPTIC, your answer and your name. Texts and calls cost £1 plus standard network charges. Or enter by post by sending completed crossword to Daily Mail Prize Crossword 16,289, PO Box 28, Colchester, Essex CO2 8GF. Please include your name and address. One weekly winner chosen from all correct daily entries received between 00.01 Monday and 23.59 Friday. Postal entries must be date-stamped no later than the following day to qualify. Calls/texts must be received by 23.59; answers change at 00.01. UK residents aged 18+, exc NI. Terms apply, see Page 62.

ACROSS

1 Manoeuvre drone during your mournful song (8) 5 George is having to entertain hostess in Tokyo (6) 9 Insect devours a tailless rodent very well (8) 10 A feature of tank races around heartland of Surrey (6) 12 Wrong mark given in each male test (4) 13 Stout English BNP motion crushed (10) 15 We employed nursing students with good equipment (4-9) 19 Jungle gym’s increasing popularity inspires resistance (8,5) 23 Distribute an edition about Wales across the board (10) 25 Old garment from unnamed Pacific nation (4) 28 Introduce trendy line during month as a rule (6) 29 Banker is frantically getting headgear for guard (8) 30 Design box, including key (6) 31 Ride about a mile, reaching northern plant (8)

DOWN

1 Peg swallows rotten sweet (6) 2 Game business graduate’s Caribbean music (5) 3 Students gather round, showing common sense (4) 4 Cover up girl’s puzzle (7) 6 Supply joke online? (5) 7 Struggle with Times held in dry napkin (9) 8 A quiet bird you’d picked up shows talent (8) 11 Po-faced politician’s pageantry? (4) 14 Block small place for experiments (4) 15 I tucked into last fizzy drink bottles, expanding this? (9) 16 Sow peas in garden primarily (3) 17 Newspaper controlled country (4) 18 Thrifty European comedian keeps performing (8) 20 Swimmer went swimming (4) 21 Restless fellow? Get into DIY for a change (7) 22 Red wine ingredient almost going brown (6) 24 Couple about to nurse the French nestling (5) 26 Rubbish picked up in East End? Boatmen use it (5) 27 Soldiers sustained by a large sort of 12 (4)