CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

ACROSS

1 Identical supernatural creature gets into a mess somehow (8) 5 Gallery in gaol designed to house soldier (6) 9 Bill’s seen flounders, losing line in sound (8) 10 Flower’s wild, lacking nitrogen (6) 12 Isle’s residents give crew a kiss (4) 13 Roguish head of college impresses business minister (10) 15 Engineer rescued hero at home in row (8,5) 19 New cocktail of rum and sherry — yes, they induce sleep (7,6) 23 Prance about with gun, beginning to engender contempt (10) 25 Tease topless relative (4) 28 Country’s banks abandoned former PM (6) 29 Fancy European fraud taking in Italian city briefly (8) 30 Hot spring damaged eyes in Greece (6) 31 Coin’s copper core? (8)

DOWN

1 Open this in spell in plant producing oil (6) 2 Fabric’s brand name (5) 3 Lose one’s balance, knocking over lager (4) 4 Woman swallows a laxative initially for fever (7) 6 Cutting from lonicera held in reserve (2,3) 7 Irons perhaps, and where they’re used (4,5) 8 One at meeting at place to use one of 7, about to finish (8) 11 Oxford, say, excelled without coxswain finally (4) 14 Loyal characters regularly avoiding torture (4) 15 Desperately try twice with OAP to find right group (4,5) 16 Former police brought up dog (3) 17 Greek poet’s last to leave residence (4) 18 A French ornament missing a 14 (8) 20 Long endless period (4) 21 Journalist noticed tool (7) 22 Scattered items around rear of city block (6) 24 Look into, for example, raising birds (5) 26 Labour group first to avoid digital problem (5) 27 Swimmers complain (4)

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