CRYPTIC CLUES

ACROSS

7 Tyrant posted letters wrongly (6) 8 Cornered and grabbed broken leg (6) 9 Number held in small ornament (8) 10 Fish all alone (4) 11 Tend towards being thin (4) 12 Hoisting-machine will make girl breathless (8) 14 Nothing in God is going to produce benevolence (8) 16 French drink blocked wide end of inner tube (4) 18 Contributes to noisy commercials (4) 20 Thoroughly hard sort of reality (8) 22 One man upset an Irishman (6) 23 Thing entering Kent, it yawns (6)

DOWN

1 Contrivance used to loosen firm grip? (6) 2 Snub journalist following rally (8) 3 Small case kept in perpetuity (4) 4 Fatherly, possibly parental (8) 5 Young servants lose their heads for a long time (4) 6 Locked room with very large instruments (6) 12 Scribbling about Henry leads to squirming (8) 13 Get a rise with no support (8) 15 Deerstalker no longer in fashion? (3,3) 17 Silent sort of fjords (6) 19 Sluggish-sounding fruit (4) 21 A cross next to the Spanish skating move (4)

QUICK CLUES ACROSS

7 Dinner jacket (6) 8 Hurried (6) 9 Fruity buns often served toasted (3-5) 10 Horse-guiding strap (4) 11 White foam of waves (4) 12 Largest of the Orkneys (8) 14 Showy wealth (8) 16 Gush (4) 18 Pool of money (4) 20 Birds with forked tails (8) 22 Place of worship (6) 23 Convince or guarantee (6)

DOWN

1 Desk or office (6) 2 Showing compassion (8) 3 Drench (4) 4 Standing, status (8) 5 Consumer or operator (4) 6 District, area (6) 12 Member of the clergy (8) 13 Shiny make-up item (3-5) 15 Looked sullen (6) 17 To a higher place (6) 19 Con, fool (4) 21 Absent (4)