CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

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/calls cost £1 plus standard network charges. Or enter by post by sending the completed crossword to Daily Mail Prize Crossword 17,325, 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 and 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 Elegant official in Spain

and Germany (7)

5 Flowers possibly split

around centre of study (6) 9 Accept as valid stink about university body’s end in time (3,4)

10 Lab OK I suspect beginning to regulate unit of pressure (7)

11 Fool in lounge

dropping pound (3)

12 First person, it’s said, linked to part of cricket that’s attractive (3-8)

13 Get stuck into group

at work (3,2)

14 Learn duet for

playing as is? (9)

16 All others start to wander

in select airport (9)

17 Two dots for organ

in the body (5)

19 Engineer treads outer

paths for business? (5,6)

22 Moment, reportedly,

for convulsion (3)

23 Personal weapon improperly raised by Frenchman (7)

24 Get rid of ill-mannered sort

lacking right solicitor (4,3) 26 Runner David has energy after minute in woman’s yard (6)

27 Steer it awkwardly

in Italian city (7)

DOWN

1 Decorative strips from Rhode Island, very black, on front of shipment (7)

2 Travel cancelled over article? Manage to get very angry (3,3,3,6)

3 Section of main anthem

for Indian side (3)

4 Stop to collect odd parts for old electrical component (5)

5 Accept a sponsor

in shock? (4,5)

6 Name in turn around island

for flowering plant (5)

7 Republican toils going wrong

in cultivation of image? (6,9) 8 Woman making proposal

about equipment (6)

12 Artist Max in east of France touring river close to Dijon (5)

14 Victor’s predecessor has coat for lady in a consistent way (9)

15 Folds smart jacket in

the U.S. we hear (5)

16 Urn remains for stuff

put in fertiliser (6)

18 Sick teen sadly discarding

second item of clothing (7) 20 Delight shown by

European once here? (5)

21 Source of tension, assuredly,

in Asian region (5)

25 Part of job importing

Japanese sash (3)