THE GIANT CROSSWORD
CRYPTIC CLUES
ACROSS
12 Fine sort of friends they are! (4-7) 13 A section each (6) 14 Puzzled by the pronunciation of ‘sovereignty’ (6) 16 Drink about a litre — a mistake (4) 17 As grenade explodes, grabbing at dog (5,4) 18 Fruit that’s pale, squashy and soft in the middle (5) 19 How gold prospectors remove gravel and earth with glass (4) 20 With spring again, mite slack, having Leisure (5,4) 22 Blonde easy to pick up (5) 23 Every one in the list is pupil material (9) 27 Ruin opening (7) 30 Fellow got broken leg from machine at laundry (6) 31 Memorised fluently the hard way (4) 32 A novice in the team picture (5) 35 Are able to accommodate large family (4) 36 In this novel, everything is rather Implausible (7) 38 Wrap up to take back and go (4) 39 Risks the daughter takes, infuriates (7) 42 Add a couple of pages to the last section (6) 45 Dog turned round again and attacked (5) 46 Give further medication to, in asylum (7) 47 Have appeal, as dinner starter, au naturel (4) 48 Did she let slip the catch she’d hoped to marry (4) 50 Going too far with some of the next remedies (7) 52 The girl from Italy, dear, has left (5) 54 Turn back to scold, grabbing (6) 56 Wrecked, drag river to salvage, shame (7) 57 Table you’re given in restaurant (4) 59 In need of a wash as it rambled back home (7) 61 Charge for the firm’s time (4) 64 Keeping a number in food was a problem for Noah (5) 66 Very much want to capture new record (4) 67 Hiding a hot gun, lose no time (6) 69 From a noon day sun, sheltering inside, et cetera (3,2,2) 72 To find who’s moving in takes very little time (3,6) 73 How future looks for worm large bird’s beak has caught? (5) 74 Soften when money is increased by a quarter (9) 79 Animal cry coming from tree outside (4) 81 Turned right off by fish (5) 82 Good and sozzled, flop drunkenly into (3-6) 83 Eavesdrops on speakers in back row (4) 85 Withdraw ‘unprecedented cover up’ (6) 86 When renovated on the inside, is quite modern (6) 87 Revolutionary form of transport (11)
DOWN
1 Complain and act up when I am put through (4) 2 Shopkeeper padre converted right at the end (6) 3 Altitude is hard to put a figure to (6) 4 Filling the streets again with morning crowds (7) 5 Is the time out, then, by a fraction? (5) 6 Forced to use sign language for ‘astounded’? (10) 7 A hold-up when lady fumbled inserting key (5) 8 What magician said he went to Ypres to find (3,6) 9 Do exercises standing right up and puffing chest out (7) 10 Note tear on bag (4) 11 Did turn the sleigh round (8) 15 Except for French wine, engulfed in slump (6) 21 Showing ‘19’, new driver, where instruments are in car (5) 24 Claimed deal was crooked, receiving support (7) 25 With sword play, parried nearly all (6) 26 To grow, puts cutting outside or raises Inside (6) 28 Cat — one of sixteen in the pound (5) 29 Make the number up (3) 33 By daybreak getting into England and home (7) 34 Previous or next cleric (6) 37 Barrier that is hard to move (5) 40 When brought in, go off to cook (5) 41 Refuse after a month to take the job (7) 43 Use leverage to obtain a very little money increase (5) 44 Resettling adds housing again to one’s worries (6) 46 Is really good — puts the baby to sleep (5) 49 Sues or runs one in. Dangerous (7) 51 Come to light when the English join forces with (6) 53 Was nomadic, in a way, myself (6) 55 Sounds and signs of approval (5) 58 Hard work it was for Jack and Jill to fetch water? (6,4) 60 Assume it’s a man’s name (3) 62 Arrests the chief on board (5) 63 ‘Previous foreign travel’, leave in (9) 65 Bad patch in which the vessel ran aground (3,5) 68 Quick look round. Have snooze (6) 70 More hot-tempered, has row with (7) 71 Be a good boy with the dogs! (7) 75 Get a move on, do (it’s decrepitude)! (6) 76 Inform on. I tucked into restricted food allowance (6) 77 Worries when west is forced to take on south (5) 78 Unlikely to cut it, to be frank (5) 80 Retain, when standing up to look (4) 84 Bet it’s a joke and I missed it (4)