January 2023 Cryptic Crossword

Across

1 King had a go with ripper violently (5,7) 8 Dicky heads for hell (5) 9 Short neat characters reassembled in corner (9) 11 Fancy one periodical in English (7) 12 Not so easy to accept egg from collector (7) 13 Joint included by the heartless family (5) 14 Misplaced scruple he found in tomb! (9) 17 Table Hal, Garth and I removed (4,5) 19 Do better than Rhode Island. Another island (5) 20 Smiling or laughing about now (7) 23 See Argyll and The Isles, say (7) 24 Greek historian hosted our extravaganza (9) 25 Find he missed the race (5) 26 Enrage man first with sweet-smelling resin (12)

Down

1 Combining with water while drying hat out! (9) 2 Others at quarter past four are uneasy (7) 3 Main meal prepared and served on this? (6,3) 4 Middle distance (5) 5 Has Emil been converted by Old Testament character? (7) 6 Minimum cash deposited for tartan (5) 7 Near Bournemouth there’s a cathedral in a university city (12) 10 Eremites when moved became sagacious triumvirate (5,4,3) 15 Said 19 across could be heavenly (9) 16 Dashed way to join or separate? (9) 18 A wicked fellow’s destination? (7) 19 A piece of soup? (7) 21 Some of procedure readily accepted by German painter (5) 22 Bantu gives mild exclamations of rebuke, I concluded (5)

Prize Draw

A £20 book token will be awarded the first correct cryptic crossword solution randomly selected from all correct entries received by the submission deadline. Entries should be addressed to: Life and Work (Crossword) 121 George Street, Edinburgh EH2 4YN and should be received by January 11. The solution will be published in the February issue and the prize winner in the March issue.

Solution to December 2022 Crossword

ACROSS: 1 Jehovah; 5 Baptism; 9 How great Thou art; 10 Scheme; 11 Siege; 14 Sermon; 15 Semi-opal; 18 Rakishly; 19 Cousin; 21 Nones; 23 Rhythm; 26 Every corner sing; 27 Tassels; 28 Lee side.

DOWN: 1 John; 2 Hawk; 3 Voracious; 4 Heaven; 5 Battered; 6 Pious; 7 In ages past; 8 Motherland; 12 Astringent; 13 Brokenness; 16 Iron horse; 17 Glorious; 20 Hymnal; 22 Style; 24 Wi-Fi; 25 Ogle.

Solution to December 2022 Cryptic Crossword

ACROSS: 1 Hosea; 4 Canvass; 9 Number-crunching; 10 Non-skid; 11 Hidalgo; 12 Ire; 13 Samaria; 15 Dimmest; 16 Obliges; 19 Sistine; 21 Ova; 22 Recital; 23 Tempter; 25 Ten Commandments; 26 Press on; 27 Cycle.

DOWN: 1 Homonym; 2 Speak; 3 Arcadia; 4 Coughed; 5 Nicodemus; 6 Axillae; 7 Sign in the Cross; 8 On one’s doorstep; 14 Righteous; 17 Licence; 18 Solomon; 19 Satanic; 20 Intense; 24 Mimic.

Bible Quiz

1 Where did God tell Jonah to go?

2 What time of day did Christ call, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

3 In Revelation, how long was Satan bound for?

4 If the Ark of the Covenant is ‘two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and half a cubit high’, how long was it?

5 How many priests carried rams horns when Jericho fell?

Answers 1 The city of Nineveh | 2 Three pm. | 3 A thousand years. | 4 3.75 feet/ 114.3 cms | 5 Seven