Exercise your brain cells with our crossword

Exercise your brain cells

CLUES ACROSS

7 Self-inflicted lie one begins to believe (8) 8 What one takes when good advice is proffered (4) 9 Could well be a specially daft chop (5) 10 Acidly act upon a vulnerable metal (7) 11 Drink one in preference to a pint (5) 13 Through which you might spy to see what’s going on (7) 16 Any lien turned to good account though due in a silly way (7) 17 Flop and abandon good deportment (5) 18 Opaque pigments ground in water, thickened with gum and honey (7) 20 That which comes when what goes before is past (5) 23 Taken by nuns though never swallowed (4) 24 Principal route through town (4, 4)

CLUES DOWN

1 There are hems around this net (4) 2 Quick practise movement with the baby’s comforter (5, 3) 3 It’s this or lose completely even if you don’t compete (3) 4 Where coloured balls go into the nets in order (7) 5 Tea time for the cleaning lady (4) 6 Marks time with a swinging movement (8) 12 Give across with manual dexterity (4, 4) 14 Wait till the moment is exactly right (4, 4) 15 Said to turn base metal into gold (7) 19 Form a partnership of co-operation (4) 21 Taken to ascertain proficiency by a short interrogation (4) 22 The most awful, loud noise imaginable (3)

LAST ISSUE’S SOLUTIONS

ACROSS: 1) Paper, 4) Stand up, 8) Illegal, 9) Ulcer, 10) Earl, 11) Overhaul, 13) Ramp, 14) Tube, 16) Improper, 17) Memo, 20) Treat, 21) Collier, 22) Resolve, 23) Gleam DOWN: 1) Prime Minister, 2) Polar, 3) Rage, 4) Saliva, 5) Aquarium, 6) Declare, 7) Parallelogram, 12) Immortal, 13) Repress, 15) Rescue, 18) Exile, 19) Flag