CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

How many words of four letters or more can you make? Each letter must be used only once and all words must contain the centre letter.

There is at least one nine-letter word.

No words starting with a capital are allowed, no plurals ending in s unless the word is also a verb, e.g. he fires the gun.

Good 8 Very good 12 Excellent 17 (or more)

Yesterday: anus insular insure inure lieu lunar lune lure lures neural nurse rues ruin ruins rule rules rune runs ruse slur suave suer sure ulnar UNIVERSAL unravel unravels unreal unseal unveil unveils urea urinal urine ursine user uvea uveal value valuer values virus visual

Across

1. Gather together for a short prayer (7)

4. Sort of bend one harp in making it (7)

8. Chaps in a London hospital (4)

9. Need garden redesigned if put at risk (10)

11. Rod man-made in a haphazard way (6)

12. Most confusingly, a lady’s following stifles one (8)

14. Numbers of hand-outs made by leading Socialist (9)

15. American boot may be in one’s luggage (5)

17. Show exaggerated feelings to me, going back east (5)

18. Finished with 20? Then it was set aside (9)

19. Showing in guns, hire can be arranged (8)

21. Lastly you, Colin, will turn and unwind (6)

23. Opinions as to tennis stem from it (10)

24. At end of week I’ve made a chicken dish (4)

25. Herbal infusions manufactured by Staines (7)

26. Claims it adds men to it (7)

Down

1. Get at Eric perhaps for a fag (9)

2. Spiritual healing involving the provision of a ship’s crew? (6-2,2,5)

3. Cistern, top of which is a turret? (4)

4. Principal made hearts suffer (10)

5. Bar of moulded gold used in preparing others (5)

6. In theory it should never stop working (9,6)

7. Posed, unclothed, showing up such paintings (5)

10. Make us some preparation for styling the hair (6)

13. Comes across from centre on us (10)

15. It is up to telephone one growing weary (6)

16. Things like mittens with which gentle handling is achieved? (3,6)

19. Unexpected outcome of spill (5)

20. Time on the throne will be, in future, ignored (5)

22. It holds the collar of a breeding stallion (4)

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTION

Across: 1. Doing 4. Blossom 8. Window-shopper 10. Steer 11. Gale 12. Stag 16. Event 17. Exceptionally 19. Talents 20. Sheer

Down: 1. Downing Street 2. Inn 3. Grouse 4. Basked 5. Odours 6. Separates 7. Morning prayer 9. Political 13. Deepen 14. Remiss 15. Stones 18. Lee