Clues

1-across – Club that is metal-headed : BRASSIE

5-across – In which VIP may be put to sleep with top British journalist : BESTBED

9-across – Total put in circulation : UTTER

10-across – Sailor – one who wrote letters about train crash : TARPAULIN

11-across – It may reveal grounds for drinks on the coach : COFFEESTRAINER

13-across – Be idle when reciting short narrative poems : LAYS

14-across – Beaten by accident: fate indeed! : DEFEATED

17-across – One who sees to it that island, for example, backs king : ARRANGER

18-across – Fixed stake over volcano : ETNA

21-across – Pirate couple allowed expensive bangle : SILVERBRACELET

23-across – Utterly detest sailor – No. 1 mate, perhaps : ABOMINATE

24-across – Remove evidence of part of camera session : ERASE

25-across – Numbers of teams : ELEVENS

26-across – Conducted negotiations and supplied free drinks : TREATED

1-down – Boxing match – about nothing, however : BOUT

2-down – Writer of a book strumpet found in honeypot : ANTHONYTROLLOPE

3-down – Way fire ruined Galsworthy play : STRIFE

4-down – Musical prelude to dish served during dinner : ENTREE

5-down – Soft fabric transforming a bare hat : BARATHEA

6-down – Sailor, for example, said to observe traveller : SEAFARER

7-down – Pot the noble stag to be a dinosaur : BELONGTOTHEPAST

8-down – Academic bard out to follow island cricketer : DONBRADMAN

12-down – Fresh start when charlady works overtime? : CLEANSLATE

15-down – Generally stupid, but frightfully sane about Ireland : ANSERINE

16-down – Bears sin in a way for proud Balkan people? : SERBIANS

19-down – Capital entry revealing special gift : TALENT

20-down – Withdraw and give up once more : RECEDE

22-down – Mind that may move in a certain direction : TEND

9-across – Where the seas are high, generally : INTHEMAIN

10-across – Flower head of hydrangea comes from Ireland : IRISH

11-across – Many on guard in hollow : CONCAVE

12-across – Clamp down in French Legion : ENFORCE

13-across – They may hold one in affection : ARMS

14-across – Prudish when drunk spiked the drink : TIGHTLACED

16-across – It brings a guy down to earth : TENTPEG

17-across – English poem with bright start and unusually woeful end : BEOWULF

19-across – One may be lost in it : ADMIRATION

22-across – Descriptive of hung meat? : HIGH

24-across – Turn to riots to get food : RISOTTO

25-across – He lures one into the new centre : ENTICER

26-across – One may slip and fall into it : ERROR

27-across – Part of Spain and America inter alia : ANDALUSIA

1-down – Vessel for plain sailing, we hear : AIRCRAFTCARRIER

2-down – One who falls for a star actor : STUNTMAN

3-down – It has branches in Lebanon : CEDAR

4-down – Frisky South African clique? : CAPERING

5-down – She and men get involved and become engaged : ENMESH

6-down – Willingly permit to remain inactive : LIEFALLOW

7-down – Sour sort of critic : CITRIC

8-down – As far as it goes in a way : THEENDOFTHEROAD

15-down – Overeaters may have one; Alexander didn’t! : SPARETYRE

17-down – Literary props : BOOKENDS

18-down – Counts it as price for one article : UNITCOST

20-down – Anguish descriptive of Scrooge losing a pound : MISERY

21-down – Beyond redemption? What rotten luck! : TOOBAD

23-down – Remaining calm : STILL

7-across – Central American costa eats too much cheese : RICOTTA

8-across – Epitome of voracity, the sheep element : WOLFRAM

10-across – Architectural style acquired spasms, not trophies : GOTHIC

11-across – Complete opposite of left in, reversed : OUTRIGHT

12-across – Single item of 4, say? Hop it! : SHOO

13-across – A meaty cut for Olympian team finishing second? : SILVERSIDE

14-across – Toxic substance applied, perhaps, to oxygen and hydrogen compounds : PHOSPHORATE

19-across – This mixed test 99 entered is well chronicled : HISTORICAL

22-across – Don’t hit a girl : MISS

23-across – Bird keeps maiden name with reference to novel : JANEEYRE

24-across – A couple of pints put on the last stone : QUARTZ

25-across – Complaint brings fat back around belt … : TETANUS

26-across – …or hair on chin : LOCKJAW

1-down – Skip overturned on your old grass : TIMOTHY

2-down – Turn up one’s nose at bridge game for children with 3, repeatedly : POOHPOOH

3-down – See 9 : STICKS

4-down – When tailored, are two of these items required? : FOOTWEAR

5-down – See 20 : OFPIGS

6-down – Do teach about part of an electrolytic cell : CATHODE

9-down – Soldier on board game given credit on board – spiffing! : JOLLYHOCKEY

15-down – One offers fine shots, providing hope for glamorous leader in tabloid : SPRAYGUN

16-down – Oscar winner with very brief acceptance speech grabbing award : TOMHANKS

17-down – Acropolis in deltaic form : CITADEL

18-down – Smoker’s aid should be missing round hospital : ASHTRAY

20-down – Boy fights ape, beaten at 1961 invasion site : THEBAY

21-down – Talk of one passing tongue over alcohol : LIQUOR

7-across – Proudly furnished with a snakebite, or something similar : BOASTING

9-across – Next in line to adopt iron cow : HEIFER

10-across – A band from the capital to boot : ALSO

11-across – Court resolution on gang leader given time or bird : WOODPIGEON

12-across – Sturdy black roustabout : ROBUST

14-across – Compiler’s largely unintelligent and less than absolutely fabulous : MYTHICAL

15-across – Initiate a set, having the support beforehand : TEETHE

17-across – Heart of pilot dying to do for his ruler? : MIKADO

20-across – Active teacher returned to hospital feeling off-colour : LIVERISH

22-across – Dwarf employing cunning to conceal backslash? : SLEEPY

23-across – Practise agriculture in religious community and produce flower : FRITILLARY

24-across – Kid’s carriage representing Pythagoras’s first memory : PRAM

25-across – Volte-face about parking is a change for the better : UPTURN

26-across – Careless mistakes by the carrier : SLIPSHOD

1-down – End letters in support of bar : GOALPOST

2-down – Work-to-rule neither starting nor finishing in the capital : OSLO

3-down – One slow to grasp less than sparkling humour : DIMWIT

4-down – Tea and fresh pitta bread : CHAPATTI

5-down – Prig left out what shouldn’t be worshipped on religious visit : PILGRIMAGE

6-down – Game played with ale pot : PELOTA

8-down – Told to give Shed a pasting for being miserable? : GLOOMY

13-down – Not much happening in patchy Berlin airlift? : UNEVENTFUL

16-down – It recedes with a crack of sorts : HAIRLINE

18-down – Member rings round first for object of introvert’s attention : OMPHALOS

19-down – Breaks the gardener’s tool : SHEARS

21-down – Burst in and sound pleased getting back into it : IRRUPT

22-down – Time to enter the country part of Austria : STYRIA

24-down – Press for dismissal : PUSH

1-across – Blood sport producing young animals : CUBBING

5-across – Vivacity normal in retreating deer : SPARKLE

9-across – Aloof bearing of a group of soldiers : AIROFDETACHMENT

10-across – Step – one taken by celebrity : STAIR

11-across – Leave witness box and give up : STANDDOWN

12-across – Receptacle : CONTAINER

14-across – Calls at specified places : CITES

15-across – Respond by doing the turn again : REACT

16-across – Where valuables may be kept secure in ice cream : WALLSAFES

18-across – Past example to go in front of book : PRECEDENT

21-across – Perhaps to that lady it is different : OTHER

22-across – Form of transport incurring overhead charges? : ELECTRICRAILWAY

23-across – It’s a tea to give full satisfaction : SATIATE

24-across – Cross-stitch – any done? : ANNOYED

1-down – Standard work from Form 1C : CLASSIC

2-down – Level some shoppers sink to in the interests of economy? : BARGAINBASEMENT

3-down – Apprise worker of source of intelligence : INFORMANT

4-down – Speculation that intrigues shareholders to some degree : GUESS

5-down – They are mainly on the watch for a real post : SEAPATROL

6-down – Was in pain during each edition : ACHED

7-down – Seek seclusion in stronghold off the beaten track : KEEPOUTOFTHEWAY

8-down – Holds out to give former model send-off : EXTENDS

13-down – Three points emigre put over to incoming government : NEWREGIME

14-down – He takes care to get a discount, perhaps : CUSTODIAN

15-down – Soldier has journalists put down : REPRESS

17-down – King remained outside and wandered off : STRAYED

19-down – Run in next race : EXTRA

20-down – Some softer, rarer earth : TERRA