The Herald crosswords
ACROSS
1 Unstable molecule – chip it
as a, b or c (8-6)
9 Roman garments to drop
around (5)
10 Maybe bronze cat as jewellery
item (9)
11 Makes someone take notice? (7) 12 Local form of speech, from
new citadel (7)
13 Stop eating quickly (4)
14 Players show gold box
to artist (9)
18 Gloomy advice to overenthusiastic audience? (9)
20 Clever-sounding biblical
character (4)
22 A concept however ahead
of time (7)
25 Liar not disposed to be in
the dock (2,5)
26 Formerly one to charge, but
free from blame (9)
27 The Spanish took food to raise
spirits (5)
28 City to grow vegetable (8,6)
DOWN
1 Seasoned rum and tea drunk (6) 2 Member is not in time to
make laws (9)
3 Visible perception (7)
4 It’s me, slipping into solitary
rock (9)
5 Surrendered like a good tennis
player, we hear (5)
6 Holidaying subject to
permission (2,5)
7 Country nippy, it’s said (5)
8 Stein removed plug as an
alternative (7)
15 Clients curse most terribly (9)
16 Kid at home composing
operetta (3,6)
17 Scare off abstainer inside,
and disperse (7)
19 Right way out is to go back (7) 20 New part out of place in
Belgian port (7)
21 Most senior colonel destined
to hide (6)
23 Do be taken in by our
fragrance (5)
24 Some extra dealing, buying
and selling (5)
ACROSS
1 US state nicknamed ‘Aloha State’ (6) 5 Church officer (6) 8 Shout singer (4) 9 Short bar with weights attached used for exercise (4-4) 10 Littered about (6) 11 Eye membrane (6) 12 Corset support (4) 14 Mischievous sprite (3) 15 Printed work (4) 16 Remove a blockage from (6) 18 Give confidence to (6) 20 Ride behind a motorboat (5-3) 22 Act disconsolately (4) 23 Means, way (6) 24 Kindly (6) 2 Mature person (5) 3 Piercingly (7) 4 Cutting, notching (9) 5 Dark, badly lit (3) 6 Monastic head (5) 7 ___ Bloom, English actor (7) 11 Cancelling (9) 13 Freight-carrying capacity (7) 15 Groom’s attendant (4,3) 17 Parasite once used in medicine (5) 19 Pet welfare organisation (inits) (5) 21 ___ James, Carry On star (3)