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 and calls cost £1 plus standard network charges. Or enter by post by sending completed crossword to Daily Mail Prize Crossword 16,931, 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/texts must be received by 23.59; answers change at 00.01. UK residents aged 18+, excl NI. Terms apply, see Page 66.

ACROSS

1 Nasty smell surrounds Oscar, drunken old gangster (7) 5 Examine creepy-crawly

without using pressure (6) 9 Stroll and wander with your setter instead of wife (7) 10 Oppressive bald husband

thrown out (7) 11 These regularly provide support for drivers on course (3) 12 Sky feature transforms

vet earnings (7,4) 13 Swimmer’s method

lacking application (5) 14 Country abandons last posh Conservative — and it’s legal! (9) 16 Painting small plough with

lithium and iron (5,4) 17 Detectives dealing with

revolting drink (5) 19 A neat warder

fixed damage (4,3,4) 22 Perform current tango (3) 23 I ran off with oriental sash

in African capital (7) 24 Energise judge dealing with extremists in south (7) 26 Disconnect a foreign

listener, saving power (6) 27 The sand ruined

part of phone (7)

DOWN

1 Rodent in Thames, disoriented, heading for Reading (7) 2 Test job for dentist (4,11) 3 Youth left, given

notice (3) 4 Join forces, initially getting into REME surprisingly (5) 5 Prisoner taken round a part of UK that’s lacking vitality (9) 6 Small branch not initially taken out of season (5) 7 Artists’ busts or where they store them? (6,2,7) 8 Hotel leaves smoking requisite in the wrong place (6) 12 Get help to protect

woman (5) 14 Activity of shark, small,

turning around lake (9) 15 Amend rule about

cold sore (5) 16 Society, say, claims victory for needlework (6) 18 Toothed wheel

jogs the cart (7) 20 Bikini for one’s

a duty perhaps (5) 21 Our home ground (5) 25 Cool admirer (3)