SUPER CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

ACROSS

8 Support for newspaper

feature (6)

9 Brown skin fading when

dancing (8)

10 Hero-worshipper I

swindle afterwards (8) 11 Everyone in December

turned and shouted (6) 12 Handle turned and

guarded (9)

13 Swiftly father is taken in

by one (5)

16 It cuts a boat (7)

18 Footwear suitable for

ice-skating? (7)

20 Fancy gathering for the

opening stream (5)

21 Rapidly beat friend – mine was a consumer (9)

24 Weak awful films at end

of May (6)

26 Followed and watched closely, had scattered seed outside (8)

27 Service odds on –

good (8)

28 Friend to lap up by

enclosure (3,3)

DOWN

1 Megaphone is more audible without bad weather (10)

2 Rudely curt about the

French knife-maker (6) 3 Silent lad skilfully put in

place (9)

4 Looks around five and

goes without food (7)

5 Bag containing new fast

food (5)

6 Lounge around with one soft drink that’s sweet (8)

7 Keen to reset joint (4) 14 Gossip at length? Jack Sprat’s wife would! (4,3,3)

15 To strike a dwarf is

irresponsible (4-5)

17 I lampoon about

horse (8)

19 Service on time for the

rub? (7)

22 Awkward to get god

from Big Apple (6)

23 Heresy? No dissent blocks religious assembly (5)

25 Intense emotion is

nothing (4)