Cryptic crossword - The Scotsman 17/01/2012

ACROSS

1 Finish message you’re said to be writing with tight construction (5,7)

9 Mounted fighter to choose item from builder’s catalogue, allegedly (7)

10 Ease and go over in one’s mind ecstasy within (7)

11 Seabird that upturns puffins (4)

12 In the middle of chocolate bar and Tango (5)

13 Embraced, we hear, Scotsman’s chest (4)

16 Not as good as the standard six balls parallel (4,3)

17 Casts off in steam ship, crossing stretch of water in Ireland (7)

18 Searches for gold in southern river area (7)

21 To be frank — a disagreeable disease (7)

23 Objections raised to truncated article (4)

24 Douglas had Ford Prefect, among others (5)

25 The French water displacement is blue (4)

28 Two rest — quite different from one doing lots of homework (7)

29 Take another course about transport (7)

30 Vastly superior satnav will tell you about them (7,5)

DOWN

2 Talk about rule, etc (7)

3 Drink that’s very daft by half (4)

4 Percy was a broadcaster (7)

5 Possibly see, or put two crosses in copies (7)

6 Ill-favoured, mixed-up guy gets left inside (4)

7 Ironing out differences at nightfall? (7)

8 Longs to end at arranged last ditch defence (3,2,5,2)

9 Over the hill, the small hours are to be preferred (4,4,4)

14 Exhausted writer found in street (5)

15 Leaving one wearing medal (5)

19 Scout groups sort pal out (7)

20 Approve contents of ‘Green Dorset’ (7)

21 Artists appeared before film crews (7)

22 There’s an embargo in furniture store on flower arranging (7)

26 Outstanding child rewarded with one of these? (4)

27 Draw with acid and the rest gets hot (4)

Monday’s solution

Across: 1 Parade ground, 8 Immense, 9 Artemis, 11 Tint, 12 Petitioned, 14 Enough, 15 Installs, 17 Poltroon, 19 Bridge, 22 Registered, 23 Rasp, 25 Aunties, 26 Edition, 27 Ostentatious.

Down: 1 Pimento, 2 Rank, 3 Deepen, 4 Gradient, 5 Outfitters, 6 Nominal, 7 Little Sparta, 10 Sidestepping, 13 Aggressive, 16 Somerset, 18 Legends, 20 Diaries, 21 Defect, 24 Ciao.