Can you solve our Christmas crossword?

Cryptic crosswords look tricky, but there are conventions that can help newcomers. Most clues comprise a cryptic part and a straight definition (often a synonym of the answer). Consider the following:

We write the leader on crime involving head of Enron and Tory spin doctor (3,9)

To solve it, take the leading letter of ‘the’ (T) and put it on another word for a ‘crime’ (HEIST). Insert the letter at the head of ‘Enron’ (E), a short word for ‘Tory’ (CON) and spin round an abbreviation for ‘doctor’ or medical officer, (MO). The straight definition is ‘we’, which usually refers to the publication in which the crossword appears.

Many of the answers are related to this year’s news. Our crossword also has several features to help neocruciverbalists. You can highlight all of the definitions at once using the ‘Show definitions’ button, or individually by hovering over or tapping each clue and selecting the ‘Define’ button. There’s also an explanation of how each clue is constructed, and if you’re still stuck, you can see the solution too. Tap a solution to insert it into the grid, or double-tap a cell to start typing the answer. The grid will be automatically saved.