CRYPTIC

ACROSS

8 Be in debt, so woman brought in to intimidate (7) 9 Goodbye to something cast in gold (5) 10 Fancy gathering stock round river (5) 11 Bugs belonging to groups (7) 12 Current holder required (9) 14 Secure link (3) 16 Reportedly pull part of foot (3) 17 Where to hear rumours of plant in winery (9) 19 Tailless monkey swallows headless pug – stuff of nightmares! (7) 21 Some capitol etchings available for hire (2,3) 22 Aviator – one involved in conspiracy (5) 23 Quiet, having been overpowered (7)

DOWN

1 Battle study read quickly, we hear (8) 2 Doctor about to accept nothing that’s second-rate (8) 3 Front removed from little arcade (4) 4 Wrongly pierce notes on cookery (6) 5 Opening of council estate’s new tape (8) 6 Find half a token (4) 7 Bother from loud American sailors initially (4) 13 Amount of computer memory – huge chunk taken, by the sound of it (8) 14 Court case to organise as practice (5,3) 15 Occasion I had enjoyed initially at close of day (8) 18 Nothing ina crafty trick to provoke (6) 19 Upset, sob about Penny in dances (4) 20 Small amount of drink but start getting poorly (4) 21 Instrument neighbour brought up (4)