THE SUNDAY CRUSADER

The Crusader’s clues

ACROSS

1 Purchase English beef (5) 4 Storyteller at corn

exchange over regret (9) 9 Is it Ramadan

soon? (4,11)

10 Duplicate contract expert

received (9)

11 Terror filling Latin man (5) 12 Judge circles round

support beam (7) 13 Known actors rejected

one (7)

15 Composer chaste around

Conservative ladies (7) 18 Judged good, suede’s

used (7)

20 Legendary Roman river

birds (5)

22 First couple of articles about smart apprehension (9)

24 Level advanced or

easy (15)

25 Democratic equals rush

clear (9)

26 Dirty job without a

point (5)

DOWN

1 Choose to turn pro (2,3) 2 Bland cool drink drained

instead (7)

3 Ornate beer mug both

lifted and put away (9) 4 Fitting in leads to really uneasy recruit experiencing joy (7) 5 Wardrobe opening

near... (5,2)

6 ...alcove kind hothead put

in (5)

7 Country flag raised a little

more, alas (7)

8 King ecstatic about getting unruly leaders under control (9)

12 Peer’s hard work, in other

words (9)

14 Valued town, say, certainly

besieged (9)

16 First mate mid-stern, king

on ship’s prow says (7) 17 Foam-covered European

material (7)

18 Animal Saudi gambler

backs in error (7)

19 Tsar content with novel’s ending in tears about twists (7)

21 Model has married hard

worker (5)

23 Pious girl oddly

heartless (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 Grumble (5)

4 Anecdotist (9)

9 Imminent (4,11) 10 Duplicate (9)

11 ___ Flynn, actor (5) 12 Glow with (7)

13 Persona non grata (7) 15 Henry ___, English

composer (7) 18 Estimated (7)

20 Brother of Romulus (5) 22 Taking into custody (9) 24 Uncomplicated (15) 25 Pay (a debt) (9)

26 ___ Springfield, singer (5)

DOWN

1 Like (2,3)

2 Lacking flavour (7) 3 Expound (9)

4 Transport (7)

5 In the vicinity of (5,2) 6 Recess (5)

7 Country of NE Africa (7) 8 Controlled, directed (9) 12 Said differently (9) 14 Prized (9)

16 Comments (7)

17 Tanned animal skin (7) 18 Tallest living mammal (7) 19 Corkscrews (7)

21 Dame Maggie, e.g. (5) 23 Religious (5)