£50 PRIZE CROSSWORD

ACROSS

1 A few kittens? No,

I’ll return with some big cats (5)

4 Swindle company? Verify the truth (7)

8 Wild West bandits – the in-laws no one talks to? (7)

9 The guy in charge of the meeting has a bit of a basic haircut (5)

10 The top gangster mainly robbed big industry guys initially (2,3)

11 Goes round the world looking for a different bistro (6) 14 Keep your eye on a time device (5)

16 A bedtime drink made by two firms with a bit of acumen (5) 18 Fall down like an acrobat? Yes, but Mel got injured (6) 21 Wrangle and row with some of the regular guests (5) 24 Intended to get involved in academia, making a comeback (5) 25 Able? I am developing a friendly disposition (7)

26 The downward movement of French perfume (7)

27 Totally worn out? Yes, that’s him leaving the shipment (5)

DOWN

1 Take up a little toolbox to search for the stolen goods (4) 2 Name of a great lake in North America – and Iran, too, bizarrely (7) 3 The cake Sis baked made us queasy on the cruise (7)

4 A weapon was seen in Francesco’s hand (4) 5 It’s lovelier in Nice at end of November (5)

6 A Baghdad guy starts to imbibe real ale, quite innocently (5) 7 Someone skilled at hitting his targets – an M&S guy (8) 12 Foibles will crop up in a short account of a person’s life (3) 13 Clans took Dot dancing in the country of jigs and reels (8)

15 A taxi in Cuba continually goes the wrong way (3)

16 Hot meals are available on another cruiser (7)

17 Some economic rum blended into the crisp topping of a fruit dessert (7)

19 Endlessly smug MPs get a childhood complaint (5)

20 Boy gets the French onion soup server (5)

22 Exotic teas towards the rising of the sun (4)

23 Taking part in the concert will be a sure winner (4)