THE SUNDAY CRUSADER The Squire’s clues

ACROSS

1 Initiate now bearing

right (5)

4 Marvellous old girl in

court (9)

9 The first of April, perhaps

(5-4,6)

10 Cadet’s ale trouble went

from bad to worse (9) 11 Early signs of strife with

base (5)

12 Cinders is forced to

cancel (7)

13 Something like a flower

different to trees (7) 15 Compound healing third

Parisian’s bad leg (7) 18 A copper instrument some lead makes weaker (7)

20 It’s accommodated

either way (3,2) 22 Fallacies and lies sound

warped (9)

24 Cad can prolong it

surprisingly well (9,2,4) 25 Firm dates somehow

linked to hunger (9)

26 A plant past your home’s

missing half (5)

DOWN

1 An informant heard

dressing (5)

2 Beasts sadly getting

top-up (7)

3 Exciting affair ending poorly

during night out (9) 4 Stick-up a 1950s youth

carried out (7)

5 Cheese and crackers initially unsettled red had (7)

6 City left empty evacuee

describes hollowly (5)

7 A candidate went topless,

leading to angry words (7) 8 Shattered resident’s need

for sleep (9)

12 After harvest, fruit comes

back (9)

14 Pals about to cry spare no

expense (6,3)

16 Paintings line added to

diamonds story (7) 17 Manufactured air

conditioning for island (7) 18 Drained divorcée easy to

please (7)

19 A cart a monster easily

unloaded (7)

21 Cut father, blushing (5) 23 Being that evil crew

eventually faces (5)

Cryptic clues from our knight, and quick clues from his squire,

lead to the same answers in the Crusader’s Sunday joust

ACROSS

1 Begin (5)

4 Super (9)

9 Block capital (5-4,6) 10 Stepped up (9)

11 Endure (5)

12 Revoke (7)

13 Ribbon etc. shaped like a

rose (7)

15 Mercury alloy (7)

18 Waters down (7)

20 Raise (3,2)

22 False beliefs (9) 24 Smoothly (9,2,4) 25 Unwavering (9)

26 Herb of the mint family (5)

DOWN

1 Relish (5)

2 Animals related to the

llama (7)

3 Electrifying (9)

4 Made law (7)

5 Gorge in Somerset (7) 6 West Yorkshire city (5) 7 Competitor (7)

8 Fatigue (9)

12 Emerges again (9) 14 Spend extravagantly (6,3) 16 Object (7)

17 ___ cake (7)

18 Great pleasure (7) 19 Small wheeled table (7) 21 Trimmed (5)

23 From that time (5)