Compact Crossword

ACROSS

7 New to a job (13)

9 Applause (7)

10 Spring flower (5)

11 Irritate (4)

12 Pry (5)

16 Quarrel (5)

17 Withered (4)

21 Large Asian country (5)

22 Cover completely (7)

23 An annoying person (4,2,3,4)

DOWN

1 Grotesque (7)

2 Writing instruments (7)

3 Horrify (5)

4 Demolish (7)

5 Rebuke (5)

6 Skilled (5)

8 Evocative (of) (11)

13 East European country (7)

14 Answers (7)

15 Made to order (7)

18 Latitude (5)

19 Inflexible (5)

20 Climbing evergreen shrubs (5)

Friday's solution

Across: 1 Frost, 4 Skate, 10 Tempo, 11 Sand-eel, 12 Champion, 13 Otic, 15 Lagoon, 17 Kipper, 19 Blow, 20 Specific, 23 Capelin, 24 Angle, 25 Bream, 26 Adder.

Down: 2 Rumba, 3 Scorpion, 5 King, 6 Treetop, 7 Stickleback, 8 Ascot, 9 Electric eel, 14 Pilchard, 16 Grouper, 18 Spine, 21 Fugue, 22 Alga.