CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

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 the completed crossword to Daily Mail Prize Crossword 17,019, 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+, excl NI. Terms apply, see Page 56.

ACROSS

1 Illness is purely requiring

reassessment (8)

5 Introduction to someone I’d put off? That’s foolish (6)

9 Follow scholar given a lot of credit for being opinionated (8)

10 Win back rupees close to temple, a masterstroke (6)

12 One rising early for

piece of mischief (4)

13 Behaviour of essentially arty chaps in storehouse (10)

15 Items that make

one crash? (8,5)

19 One spreading rumours has to scrutinise old German rogue (13)

23 Simple copper, say,

on a railway (10)

25 One providing slices of meat, it’s said, and sparkling drink (4)

28 Consideration

restricted however (6) 29 Goal to renovate main bit around front of office (8)

30 British expat’s first to enter formal aristocrat’s domain (6) 31 Lazy Neil not excited about origin of discovery (8)

DOWN

1 Theologian is gripped

by colourless blade (6)

2 English composer

in novel garb (5)

3 Dark horse runs out

over a green finally (4)

4 Sixteen in Paris before the

court become stuck (5,2)

6 Discuss amusement (5)

7 Those at rear of local industrial site get into fitting mechanical device (9)

8 Stand in for European

I’d upset by mistake previously (8)

11 Bloke pocketing nothing

makes complaint (4)

14 Unwelcome growth in outer parts of Wantage explained (4)

15 Park’s owed possibly

for preparations (9)

16 Theory in sum

regularly ignored (3)

17 Margaret and Bob get things

for hanging washing (4)

18 A dessert out of place,

it’s forcefully claimed (8)

20 Money reportedly for old

stringed instrument (4)

21 Nervous Samoan occupied

by river as a rower (7)

22 Large seabird beginning to grab a new part of angler’s equipment (6)

24 Enthusiastic leader of

enterprise, a German (5)

26 I mean to alter a

style of cartoon (5)

27 Drunkard is now inoffensive?

Not altogether (4)