DOUBLE CROSSWORD

CRYPTIC CLUES Across

1 Below fifty per cent? Very much so! (3,4) 5 Confuse with funny walk when wife’s gone (5) 8 Sacred song about totem (5) 9 Catching knotted rope (7) 10 Lengthy name in register (4)

11 Yes, eight pieces can be viewed with this (8)

13 Bet it’s an electric cell (11) 17 Celebrity’s trendy rocket (8)

19 Some priceless grains (4) 21 Unfriendly presenter on French island (7) 22 Goodbye to something that may be cast in gold (5) 23 Stagger out of a labyrinth (5)

24 Wee bit to fly into tin (7)

Down

1 Supply line blocked by one against local development (6) 2 Massive film (7) 3 Sort of neat stake (4) 4 Suspicious goings-on in work of clowns? (5,8) 5 Well, it’s near a new position (8) 6 Performing dingo, perhaps? (5) 7 Head off significant number (6) 12 Fair-weather friend’s term of address? (8) 14 Giving your views on love and longing (7) 15 Complaint due to a maths problem (6)

16 In turn each having drink container (3,3) 18 Bewildered on the water (2,3) 20 Wise Men replaced most of image (4)

QUICK CLUES Across

1 Ammunition store (7) 5 The Magnificent ___, western (5)

8 Push back (5)

9 Two rhyming lines of verse (7) 10 Persian monarch (4) 11 Scandal (8) 13 Welcoming guests (11) 17 Lack of feeling (8) 19 Rafter (4) 21 Commensurate (3,4) 22 Sports stadium (5) 23 Write in block capitals (5) 24 Diplomatic building (7)

Down

1 From the beginning (6) 2 High singing voice (7) 3 Void, non-existent (4) 4 Forcefully improve (4,4,5) 5 Wavy (8)

6 Holiday house (5) 7 Brown powdered spice (6) 12 Method of surface mining (4-4)

14 Bare on the upper part of the body (7)

15 Grab and take advantage of (4,2) 16 Ethereal, vague (6) 18 Native of New Zealand (5) 20 Meat from a young sheep (4)