CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

No 16,389

ACROSS

1 Employees controlling new function create impasse (8) 5 Concealed identity in hotel study (6) 9 New sitcom’s about one displaying fortitude (8) 10 Imprecise amount in

Chinese dish (3,3) 12 Some imaginary Christmas visitors once (4) 13 Angry look about gull flying around bow of yacht (5,5) 15 Wild Beatles fans corner me, causing personal humiliation (4-9) 19 Agenda that suggests

a hefty do (5,2,3,3) 23 Rowdy clan’s basic accommodation on board (5,5) 25 Press campaign

covering fraud (4) 28 Permit a licence to include face conveying emphasis (6) 29 Payment to keep taps running is cut for resident in bank (5,3) 30 Device wrongly

tagged (6) 31 Peaceful state, yet

siren goes off! (8)

DOWN

1 Oil plant ceases American imports (6) 2 A car keeps going, surrounded by ... (5) 3 ... birds to avoid (4) 4 Fault is in need of repair in passage (7) 6 Spotting, not missing, decoration (5) 7 Find record complete at end of February (9) 8 Put forward Tom and Annie for a change (8) 11 Fine green jumper (4) 14 Obscure rock

group (4) 15 Directors go after

team’s dresser (9) 16 Scrap what 11 did? (3) 17 Books of Icelandic myths almost summed up (4) 18 Moving about (8) 20 People start to feel

fine around lake (4) 21 Home Office to

produce prisoner (7) 22 Forge common surname, last of many (6) 24 Sound made by northern French river (5) 26 Dog climbs

among big rocks (5) 27 Surrender grain, by the sound of it (4)