CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

ACROSS

1 Playing field is finished and will get

better (7) 5 Get into a fight, singled out, suffered

abrasions (7) 9 Cope with an assembly of cattle raiders

(7) 10 Leading actress with theatre initially

wears out clothes (7) 11 Opens code for operating piece of

medical equipment (9) 12 Grooming implement I put in boiler (5) 13 Violin originally suitable for jazz music

(5) 15 Last one in may be poorly in sensitive

surroundings (4-5) THURSDAY’S SOLUTION 16 Isle Grace treated with lack of respect

(9) 18 Start being ready to make film (5) 21 Make a sudden comeback in motor

competition (5) 22 Where the ashes fall, you might say,

when put together (9) 24 Put out a call for Dec’s partner in

costume procession (7) 26 Herb seen by Shakespeare’s daughter

when wearing glasses (7) 27 Inhabitant finds it’s fine in the German

environment (7) 28 Did this literary family have a good

position on horse? (7)

DOWN

1 Missiles wobble when set up badly (7) 2 Red coot found dissected in French

department (4,3) 3 Examples of 1 down carrying first batch

of Russian infective agent (5) 4 The fitter lot run freely – this one’s a

weakling (4,2,3,6) 5 Plan used by coach, perhaps, indicating

when to go off and come on etc (5,10) 6 Go up hill? Nonsense! (3) 7 With DIY, Mary constructed vast

monument (7) 8 Does Sir need to go over this set of

papers? (7) 12 Many have another go at forming

statement of belief (5) 14 Char paper (5) 16 Losing initial prudishness, took clothes

off _ and was barred (7) 17 Clog one stream in city on the Rhine

(7) 19 Stock Exchange taking notice of

marine fertiliser (7) 20 Centre foiled intruder with notespecially-lucky clover (7) 23 Supposed to have heard about visitor

(5) 25 One hundred per cent defeat suffered

when losing leader (3)