by Jane Fitzpatrick AE
ACROSS
1. Reported to be second class and heavily criticised (7)
5. Decapitate lamb that is on territory around here (7)
9. I had clean, fresh, stuffed tortilla (9)
10. Monet fond of retrospective shows, many a time (5)
11. When unclad, kicks wildly, delivering punch in the mouth (7,8)
12. Get cops out of politics, gaining opening to take court action (8)
14. Dishonest type bagged at sea (3,3)
17. Sign of twins’ treasure in Italy (6)
19. He draws a modified set of explosives (8)
22. Sickening, when perverted hate renewed hurt (5,3,7)
24. New listing is lacking shine (5)
25. Extremely dangerous place to carelessly tread path (9)
26. Red cars crashed, with permanent damage (7)
27. Sprinkled top of sponge and begged for success (7)
DOWN
1. Bake large stew to wish company well (5,1,3)
2. Bat made loud noise, by the sound of it (7)
3. What bridge player hopes to win, fool (5)
4. Local languages can be laid back and not even excite scrutiny, initially (8)
5. Area and radius doubled at this town (6)
6. Family dip into carnage (9)
7. Embrace a drink made by a Tolkien creature? (7)
8. Fish beginning to go off — foul odour! (5)
13. Information given on time to right power maker (9)
15. Snail got stomach illness from seed case (9)
16. Lawn rash disfigured tusked mammals (8)
18. Wine produced by Gershwin (7)
20. Astray to put hearts in waste pan (7)
21. Dimmed sound made to quieten wandering dead (6)
22. Humour Gestapo while hiding strong desires (5)
23. Every second rabbi shook with resistance and scorn (5)
ANSWERS
ACROSS
1 berated | 5 ambient | 9 enchilada | 10 often | 11 knuckle sandwich | 12 litigate | 14 bad egg | 17 gemini | 19 warheads | 22 under the weather | 24 glint | 25 deathtrap | 26 scarred | 27 sprayed.
DOWN
1 break a leg | 2 racquet | 3 trick | 4 dialects | 5 Ararat | 6 bloodbath | 7 entwine | 8 tench | 13 generator | 15 gastropod | 16 narwhals | 18 madeira | 20 ashtray | 21 shaded | 22 urges | 23 abhor.