Puzzle time

LINKWORDS Fit 10 words into the grid so that each links with the end of the word on its left and the beginning of the one on the right. Then unscramble the letters in the shaded squares to make a word. Clue: London station

SECONDARY CLAW BEST CITY SEVILLE CHARTER WANTED SMOKED STEM PEARL LANGUAGES HOME LEMON OUT PEEL PATH PAINT PINK SNAP SUIT

Wordwise

T A E C I B L X E You have 15 minutes to find as many words as possible using the letters in the grid. Each word must contain four or more letters, one of which must be the central square. No proper nouns, plurals or foreign words are allowed. There is one nine‑letter word in the grid, for which the clue is: Highly strung Average = 18 More than 28 = well done

Crossword Try the easy or cryptic clues and then rearrange the letters in the shaded squares for the answer. Clue: River lair in part of London

Easy clues ACROSS 1 French castle (7) 5 Doubter (7) 10 School near Windsor (4) 11 For sampling with an option to buy (2,8) 12 Elevate (8) 13 Observer (6) 14 Abridge (a text) (4) 15 Chip in (10) 17 Act of letting in (10) 19 Gusto (4) 20 Page fastener (6) 22 Approximate judgement of number (8) 24 Canvas shoe with a rope sole (10) 25 Immature herring of northern European seas (4) 26 Earth mound over an insect nest (7) 27 Being watchful (7)

DOWN 2 Impetuous (3‑6) 3 This evening (7) 4 Heavenward (5) 6 African island state, capital Praia (4,5) 7 Adage (7) 8 Picture (5) 9 Sewing implement (7,6) 15 Chief church of a diocese (9) 16 Extreme contest (9) 18 Accuse (7) 19 Baffled (7) 21 Mike _, former boxer (5) 23 Rome’s famous fountain (5)

Cryptic clues ACROSS 1 Cat by water in French castle (7) 5 One doubts Conservative in rotten situation (7)

10 College film showing (4) 11 No obligation to buy having less than one commendation (2,8) 12 On drugs, say, number to increase (8) 13 One watching six sheep by river (6) 14 Alter some printed items (4) 15 Study the testimony and make a donation (10) 17 Entry made intact somehow (10) 19 Vigour of life involves resistance (4) 20 Paper fastener made from twisted petals (6) 22 I am going into property evaluation (8) 24 Rope‑soled shoe to sell paired perhaps? (10)

25 Young herring is killed every now and again (4) 26 Could be all thin insects in here (7) 27 Looking after daughter at home, surrounded by porcelain (7)

DOWN 2 Fiery chief journalist is rash (3‑6) 3 Drunk holding on this evening (7) 4 In the rear of ship, look up above (5) 6 Country’s upper limit always needs some French (4,5)

7 Saying prayer initially for dog, black (7) 8 One new game shown on the TV (5) 9 Ended learning about sewer’s device (7,6) 15 Little girl read out first of lessons in big church (9) 16 Sporting threesome? (9) 18 Bring charge against little devil, and individually (7) 19 Puzzled to find Australian birds in bed! (7) 21 Boxer stony broke (5) 23 Diverting back round fountain (5)

Puzzles

Just for fun! Jumbo PUZZLE Read down the letters in the shaded squares to spell out an area of London.

ACROSS 1 Forbidden (6) 5 Dress in, clothe yourself in (3,2) 8 Officially, ceremoniously (8) 14 Unit of weight used for gems and gold (5) 15 Person who borrows from others (9) 16 Piece of written journalism (7) 17 Leave out (4) 18 Knitted garment (6) 19 Add together, calculate (3,2) 20 Cheeky or racy (5) 22 Avoidable (8) 23 Dazzles (6) 25 Curved, bent (6) 28 Hired killer (8) 30 Shameless, bold (6) 31 Variety of sugar (6) 35 Organised assembly (7) 37 Location or position (5) 39 Hooting birds (4) 40 One of a pair of identical children (4) 41 Compass point opposite west (4) 42 Large town (4) 43 Tailed heavenly body (5) 45 Dickensian miser (7) 48 Equipment for quick tanning (6) 49 Ought to (6) 51 Keep information in the mind (8) 55 Middle Eastern kingdom bordering Syria and Israel (6) 57 Marked correct (6) 58 Untidiness (8) 62 Nearly vertical (cliff face) (5)

63 Model Campbell (5) 64 Chide (6) 65 Edge of a pavement (4) 67 Stumped, unable to proceed (2,1,4) 68 Tinned or frozen yellow vegetable (9) 69 Crowd’s cry of approval (5) 70 Short lengths of material (8) 71 Guide (a vehicle) (5) 72 Share out equally (6)

DOWN 2 Minutes spent talking on a mobile phone (7) 3 Minim or quaver, eg (4) 4 Supplies (medicine) (9) 5 Part of a sentence (6) 6 Genuinely, really (5) 7 Melodious bird (11) 8 Example of what’s to come (9) 9 Come back into view (8)

10 Avoiding the company of others (10) 11 Instructional talk (7) 12 Descriptive report (7) 13 Blue‑green gem (5) 21 Acid’s opposite (6) 24 Zodiacal sign represented by the Scales (5) 26 Pretty quick (6) 27 Shrank back in embarrassment (7) 29 Wife’s child by a previous marriage (7) 32 Cable for pulling a vehicle (3‑4) 33 Dunk (7) 34 Addition sign (4) 36 Material scattered on icy roads (4) 38 Dove’s soft cry (3)

39 Loud protest (6) 43 Crispness when eaten (11) 44 Gnat‑like fly (5) 46 Light‑hearted love film (6) 47 Cut of beef (10) 50 Conservatories (9) 52 Made damp (9) 53 All together (2,6) 54 Paying of money in exchange for corrupt favours (7) 56 Control the functioning of (a machine) (7) 59 Pool section for strong swimmers (4,3) 60 Customary (5) 61 Body protection against weapons (6) 64 Go for a swim (5) 66 Security camera system (inits) (4)

✢ The answers to all this week’s puzzles will appear in two issues’ time.