GIANT CROSSWORD

Test your brain power with our New Year puzzle

ACROSS

1. Consume a bird, not one for summer (7) 15. He delivers cards and not maps, possibly (7) 19. Not moving topless diner to the head of the table (5)

20. Nuts the old man’s ordered! (7) 21. Dismay a quiet friend (5) 23. Flavour, may be festive (6)

24. One in 162 Ac, for example, about Croat? (5)

25. Complete measure of drink given to a man (5) 26. A place for a tree-lined street (6)

28. Cry Lely made? (4) 29. Performing dingo, perhaps? (5)

30. One breaking with tradition at the 157 Dn table? (7)

31. Relay run in good time? (5)

32. Den could be a liar (4) 33. Food for a larva? (4) 34. Ant leaving animal to run away to wed (5) 35. Completely exhausted with wrestling? (3,2) 36. One politician’s little devils (4) 37. Conceal the skin (4) 38. Correct people in commercial (5) 41. Distress signal when there’s a hole in the ship (3)

43. Possibly taint a giant (5) 46. It may be wet and dry (4) 47. Golf club keeping a door open? (5)

53. The white house? (5) 55. Look both ways? (4) 58. 178 Ac like Susan? (4) 59. Large newsagents providing example of 95 Dn? (5,6)

60. Animals running after Holly and Ivy (4) 61. Food for the poacher? (4)

63. Pudding ingredient to start race, I hear (4) 64. Misfortunes of bill-stickers (4)

65. Alter what the shopkeeper gives you (6)

66. Disastrous ride, perhaps? (4) 67. Savoury jelly seen in Degas pictures (5) 68. Frequently decimal? (5) 69. Rang up a relative (4) 70. Joints in which to find the Spanish violin players (6) 71. Cart put right in 24 hours (4)

76. Present of a horse, perhaps (4)

78. Some searching for a curved structure (4) 80. Mice meant to provide the ingredient for pies (9) 83. The others take it easy (4)

86. Consumed at public school, say? (5) 87. Some sharks listen to the herald angels (4) 88. Point to a member who’s not too hot (4)

89. Girl popular at 102 Dn (5)

91. Like Jacob Marley in a popular film? (5) 93. Mistake of returning a pound beneath (7)

97. Wise man who was always seen on TV at 102 Dn (5) 98. Friendly drink? (7) 99. Possible cure for the colour of linen (4) 101.Formerly in Royal David’s

city? (4) 103.Here for the gift (7) 104.Meal not taking an eon!

(5)

108.A part for Thora Hird? (5) 110.Do they clear a way for

Saint Nick? (6) 112.A penny only to fix a

steel tower (5) 113.Possible baster for part

of the turkey (6) 115.Counsel Davies

somehow (6) 118.Food items taken with

ale (5) 120.Attends old 89 Ac

singers (5) 121.Man in grey wanting to

eat everything (6) 123.Saint Nick upsets Satan

(5)

124.Ape I consumed without

a tiny chap returning (7) 125.Strange eastern lake (5) 126.Charming character in

pincer movement? (6) 128.Physical education is

able to produce a nut (5) 129.Dissuade 60 Ac going

round the junction (5) 130.Bleats, possibly, from where Jesus was born? (6)

132.Food mentioned by people in photographs (6) 134.Blemish of reformed

saint (5) 135.Disappear like a vehicle?

(6)

138.60 Ac providing dessert,

say? (5) 142.Possibly silent sort of

thing? (5) 145.Oriental is nearest

somehow (7) 146.Small piece of gauze for

a worthless fellow (4) 147.Ornamental band on a

small tree? (4) 149.A wreath for Judy? (7) 150.Jockey on a contract (5) 151.Demands that sins are

resolved outside first (7) 153.Santa’s helpers in tinsel

vests? (5) 154.Birds a-swimming on the

seventh day? (5) 155.Number of gold rings my

true love sent (4) 156.Kill with 23 Dn, say? (4) 158.Let down a cow? (5) 159.Difficult to get out of

orchards (4) 162.Top name I’m arranging

for 102 Dn show (9) 166.Drama enjoyed by

children (4) 168.Evens? Just the

opposite! (4) 170.They may turn out to be

yobs (4) 172.Muslim ruler not having enough for a dried grape (6) 173.Sounding frail for seven

days (4) 174.Note hair watched by

shepherds (5) 175.Saying from a

commercial era (5) 176.Fruit found growing near

a partridge (4) 177.Example of 95 Dn to

listen out for (6) 178.Lied about being lazy as

Jack (4)

180.Not at home in a

manger? (4) 181.Margaret’s pins? (4) 183.Way out team in a film

(4)

184.Boss is put on to play in

162 Ac (4,2,5) 185.A roaring success at the

zoo? (4) 186.Paper ones, possibly,

from 30 Ac (4) 189.Ken upset the lieutenant and got down on his 179 Dn (5) 191.Mead’s served up for

162 Ac characters (5) 193.Some film of a dance?

(4)

194.Some of them sound

silly! (5) 199.Wes about to use needle

and thread (3) 203.A gem of a girl (5) 205.Some seafaring characters a long way off (4) 206.123 Ac wears one to

make a hit (4) 208.Perfect when I give out

cards (5) 209.Lazy person left in dire

trouble (5) 210.Simple tunes put on? (4) 212.Porridge ingredients,

wild possibly (4) 214.Up to the time that unit

was rebuilt on the left (5) 215.One tail is wagged to

show great joy (7) 216.Appended in a

calculating way (5) 217.Swimmer taking nothing

but a sherry (4) 218.Crossword compiler’s

dog (6) 219.Poetry to sever somehow

(5) 220.Leading guidebook to a

gemstone (5) 221.One reindeer is a hoofer

(6) 222.Information that is

produced by 192 Dn (5) 223.Quiet boy taking the

French thorn (7) 224.Man gets question one

on Saddam Hussein (5) 225.Firm as two can be! (7) 226.One resolves to

celebrate it! (3,4)

DOWN

2. First letters to the Spanish murder victim (4)

3. One doesn’t win different roles (5)

4. Voluble person waving big wand? (7) 5. Become weary again and go to bed (6)

6. Put on in a theatrical manner (6) 7. Fastener of which there’s only a hundred (6) 8. Race LP possibly delivered by 15 Ac (6) 9. Smudges slanderous attacks (6)

10. Not for those climbing ladders of success! (6) 11. Off course in the dog pound? (6)

12. Like the town of Bethlehem (6)

13. Gift of beer in explosive surroundings (6) 14. Drink not welcomed by 188 Dn (6) 15. Having fun when not on the bench (7)

16. They blindly follow the girl with a record (5) 17. Roughly handle alum, perhaps? (4)

18. It’s not a real store, but children enjoy it (7) 22. Gobblers gobbled? (7) 23. Toboggan on small shelf (6)

27. Activity of consuming interest (6)

39. Using my dole to get a tune (6)

40. Then Zara discovered Jesus’s place (8) 42. Some touched by a cry of pain (4)

44. Rice came out of the dessert (3,5)

45. First class jewellery item in a sort of cupboard? (6)

48. Possibly a seed put in a more comfortable position (5)

49. What kidnappers demand to release Romans? (6) 50. Genial man mixing gin (6)

51. Speak vaguely of a sort of pancake (6) 52. Create a fashionable opening (6) 54. Beginning to rewrite notes (5) 56. Anaesthetic found in there? (5)

57. Drink with Judy? (5) 61. What’s left of the fire at the end of the month (5) 62. Head girl possesses dresses (5)

72. Goes back for many happy ones (7) 73. Number of wise men in 56 Dn? (5)

74. Intend to be like 188 Dn (4)

75. Sounds like a bit of freedom from conflict (5) 77. Possibly offer it as a game (7) 78. Heavenly messenger with a new angle (5) 79. A measure of drink to have with a circus performer (5) 81. Inspire some slim Buenos Aires characters (5)

82. A right argument concerning what was shot from the bow (5) 84. Boredom making some children nuisances (5) 85. Step on a tyre? (5) 86. Writes deeply and caustically? (6) 90. Permissive character? (6)

92. Material Alec is in? (4) 94. Relatively unsightly panto characters (4,7) 95. Sort of art allowances to brighten the house for 102 Dn? (11)

96. Pine for 102 Dn (4) 100.Irish city’s company producing bottle opener (9) 102.Possibly miss chart for

December 25th? (9) 105.Experience as a limbo

dancer? (7) 106.Having run away, a man

paces around inside (7) 107.Watch the old boy start a

game of tennis (7) 109.He’s always red-nosed

at 157 Dn (7) 111.Rub out a seer,

perhaps? (5)

114.I bail out with defence of

being elsewhere (5) 116.Panto star Mr Botham in

the role of the giant? (3) 117.Animal sounding like you

(3)

119.A little kissing could be a

moral transgression (3) 120.Married on the day (3) 121.Talk of what may be

used to cook 22 Dn (3) 122.Are up for an age (3) 127.Shows approval for

comforts (6) 131.Offer to be gentle (6) 132.Car dust, possibly, on

the pudding? (7) 133.Nobleman playing Lear?

(4) 136.Orderly and undiluted (4) 137.Senior teacher with a method of making progress (7) 138.An early present? (5) 139.Command a religious

group (5) 140.One business on a

Spanish island (5) 141.Like a man in India (5) 143.Hammer donated to

student (5) 144.Irritable youth leader after

an examination (5) 146.Lucky number of 154

Ac? (5)

148.Girl seen with Ivy (5) 152.Press club? (4) 155.Loud one has to live where 123 Ac may appear (8) 157.Say you’ll diet, perhaps, after the Christmas season (8) 160.Entertain an inspiring

goddess (5) 161.Establishes the age of

fruit eaten at 102 Dn (5) 162.Stop to rebuke (4,2) 163.Most pleasant sort of

insect (6)

164.Not outside the

entrance? (6) 165.Height established on day maids-a-milking are sent (6) 166.Steal a little salt? (5) 167.Representative of a man

(5)

168.Bulb making one blub?

(5)

169.Just desserts? (6) 170.Nan’s drink (6) 171.Name a fashion (5) 179.Possibly keen to provide

a joint (4) 181.Churchmen with a nose

found on 22 Dn (7) 182.Possibly gets us people

receiving hospitality (6) 187.Matter of raffia-weaving?

(6)

188.He enjoyed a humbug?

(7) 190.Possibly guilty about right forms of church services (7)

192.A boy making a noise in

panto role (7) 195.Hidden sort of 13 Dn (6) 196.Precious metal for a character in Treasure Island (6) 197.Scarcity of thread,

perhaps? (6) 198.Somnolent one of the

seven dwarfs (6) 199.Not moving the cast, it

turns out (6) 200.Why ski when you can

have a drink? (6) 201.West End rent altered for

the season (6) 202.Mistake over pupils (4-2) 203.Country of nuts (6) 204.Colourful vehicle seen on

the racecourse (6) 207.Run in the next race? (5) 211.Take up again with

concerning novel (5) 213.Not the same ridge of

coal (4) 217.Bazaar revealing destiny,

say (4)