CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

ACROSS

1 Most of poodle was crimped — the part next to the bark (7) 5 Gulp popular hospital drink (6) 9 Catch this paper first – there should be plenty of letters in it (7) 10 European ally defends Irish in Gulf state (7) 11 Star’s heading off for cells (3) 12 Passage in our play dissected wealth (3,2,6) 13 Cut off completely, by the sound of it (5) 14 Oily CEO abuses cast (9) 16 Each year, gunmen film reported drop from above (9) 17 Colonists entertain posh relations (5) 19 Longing to pursue a piano expert? Pretty much (11) 22 Even parts of attire match (3) 23 Troops get back into church for procession (7) 24 Lemon and primrose, say, solely spread with dividing (7) 26 Extremists in Surrey block structure (6) 27 Trouble over one lad’s cooperation (7)

DOWN

1 Order tally on WWI battle site (7) 2 Personal assets such as uniform and boots? (7,8) 3 Gold bracelet, originally part of regalia (3) 4 Find party investing one grand (3,2) 5 Fine sprawling story is breathtaking (9) 6 Such a verse has always intrigued Kyoto union leaders (5) 7 A felonious agent bewildered UN’s predecessors (6,2,7) 8 At first, bathers enjoy Welsh resort without hard small stones (6) 12 Contents of sumptuously rich theatre (5) 14 Coarse rum can make a baking ingredient (4,5) 15 Like noise of a Boeing wasting energy? (5) 16 Soft fine material comforting one swimmer (6) 18 Relative put up typical sign in B&B around south? (7) 20 Old videotape about monarch in the Open (5) 21 Pastoral poem idly composed beside lake (5) 25 Some people adore green (3)