WEE THINKER

Across

7 French article about a conflict leaving us ignorant (7) 9 Ability that can get a runner fifty quid (5) 10 Total state (5) 11 Being absent-minded is not handy (7) 12 Such stories have a plot, on occasion (7) 14 Drop into basin (4) 17 Dine out with woman (4) 18 Difficulty for the first currency (7) 20 Archer’s lengthy milking of applause? (7) 22 Scheme includes one flyer (5) 23 Left primate with second mistake (5) 24 Go in for unoriginality? (7)

Down

1 Ringleader in bus – bus breaking down in outskirts (7) 2 Mother has to assume it’s old and elephantine (8) 3 Musical coat (4) 4 Points to reporters round a coffee (8) 5 Compete with West, see! (4) 6 Performs songs on the piano (5) 8 Two feel fire break out somewhere in Paris (6,5) 13 End debit arrangement, owing (8) 15 Working class? No, but having much ability (8)

Across 3

Respectable, unadventurous (5) 9 Writer (6) 10 Store wine here (6) 11 Short letters (5) 12 Genuine (4) 15 Period of ten years (6) 17 As soon as seen (2,5) 19 Racket (3) 20 Young person (5) 22 Student (5) 24 Croons (5) 25 Wooden peg (5) 27 Affirmative (3) 29 Word for word (7) 32 Of the stars (6) 16 By the sound of it, destroy Conservative minister’s house (7) 19 Silly, perhaps, but in a foxy

way (5) 21 New primate has some

neck (4) 22 Afterthought, that is,

included food (4) 34 Japanese wrestling (4) 35 Spanish snacks (5) 37 Equine mammals (6) 38 Disorderly crowd (6) 39 Process of learning (5)

Down 1 Capital of Egypt (5) 2 Book of maps (5) 3 Male offspring (3) 4 Sports cup (6) 5 Covered with frozen water (4) 6 Abandons (7) 7 Appeal humbly (5) 8 Snooker ball colour (5) 13 Guarantees (7) 14 Furious (5) 16 Drawing (7) 18 Drying cloth (5) 21 Conceals (5) 23 Finds (7) 26 Gecko, for example (6) 27 Sailing vessel (5) 28 Tempest (5) 30 Cuban dance (5) 31 To let down (5) 33 Only remaining (4) 36 Speak (3)