GUARDIAN CRYPTIC CROSSWORD NO. 27,538

ACROSS

8 Bring up blood containing tiny bit of gallstone after not finishing food (8) 9 England’s fifth king stopping imposter’s retreat (6) 10 Wally’s relative? (4) 11 Saint prepared to

fulfil task in shop (10) 12 Awkward lad capturing unfulfilled ladies’ hearts (6) 14 Vehicle carrying crop

is badly drawn (8) 15 Sack attendant

nursing ailment (7) 17 Margin containing recipe associated with English root vegetable (7) 20 Dish out pies cooked by daughter new to the Home Counties (8) 22 Angelica root included in runny centre of spicy sesame paste (6) 23 Research by American leaving sign for social worker in place to eat (10) 24 End of barrel? (4) 25 Fish served with starters of egg mayonnaise for doctor (6) 26 A saint leaving tipsy priest provided with drink (8)

DOWN

1 Cook given a so-called award for pasta (8) 2 Articles about walls of Gulliver’s city (4) 3 Tense little boy is difficult to handle (6) 4 One leaving latticework erected in sink (7) 5 Twilight of the Gods depicted in cloth over holy book (8) 6 Tea (and most of its value) produced for ducal mansion (10) 7 Note found by lake in a supernatural place (6) 13 Limitless poteen found in apostles’ pants and overalls (10) 16 Drinks to setter’s game (3,5) 18 One GermanAmerican author was a genius (8) 19 Leader of Georgian separatists means to escape (3,4) 21 Nice mansion, home to

comic superhero (6) 22 Rope carried by private

therapist (6) 24 Unforeseen hitch involving lid of brown sauce (4)