CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

ACROSS

1 Pick up a story (5) 6 Go round for the meat (5) 9 Don’t you believe it! (7) 10 A number remaining divided (5) 11 Certain to jump (5) 12 We set out to be nice (5) 13 Girls of nine, perhaps, in a bus (7) 15 Was he wasted? (3) 17 In drought conditions, it’s only right to help out (4) 18 Garment some blokes have a use for (6) 19 Is such farming fine when there’s no rain about? (5) 20 Handy American fuel product (6) 22 Stirling letter from Moses (4) 24 Associate of the Port of London Authority? (3) 25 Split sort of suit (7) 26 Rubbed out vice around Los Angeles (5) 27 New coats of operatic character (5) 28 A hat to start queuing for? (5) 29 Divine female who chewed Tim’s ear (7) 30 He owns a fair bit in the outskirts of Loch Lomond (5) 31 A name to look out for around the West End (5)

DOWN

2 Maybe cool for half an hour in the shade (6) 3 Transgress for a bad purpose (6) 4 The hole an orchestra may be in (3) 5 Packs the drunken sots out of the way! (5) 6 Seriously and sorely upset about a bad start (7) 7 Not a sound union? (4) 8 Wanders around showing no love of oranges (6) 12 A bit of botany for the boys (5) 13 Where a cab turns up, near Manchester (5) 14 Chap from Elgin (5) 15 Trout, swimming around, can be instructive (5) 16 Thick scattering of seed around the end of the garden (5) 18 One thinks of a line in chaff! (5) 19 Foolish proof that not all adults get fat (7) 21 The Indian food of a prophet in South Africa (6) 22 The ill-tempered officer was promoted (6) 23 The talk of Liverpool (6) 25 Sir Bedivere’s bird (5) 26 Sign of having stopped bleeding (4) 28 If you want my advice, look up “4 Down” (3)