CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

ACROSS

1. Dish, and use of it perhaps (6)

4. He watches the old boy, the one starting tennis match (8)

9. In short, nobody contradicts con-men like this (3,3)

10. No simple fracture will make it worse (8)

12. To spout hydrogen and ancient froth mixture (4,5)

13. Scolds one for local taxation (5)

14. Vanishing with a grand: pipe is to show how (12)

18. Detaining one in talk, but not returning half-holidays? No good! (12)

21. Indeed it’s wrong, North concluded (5)

22. Sort of oil to soften to a mixture (9)

24. Flower I do wrong for a heavenly body (8)

25. It follows the players like an enemy plane (6)

26. Andirons follow in conflagrations (4-4)

27. Not having taken it all made her sad (6)

DOWN

1. Parasol? Sh! It’s in 1 Across by mistake (8)

2. Has no calling but might mean not so much (8)

3. Withdrawn by a fool given his come-uppance (5)

5. He’s related through marriage, brawlin’ to her drunkenly (7-2-3)

6. International tongue seen to rap it out (9)

7. Boasts of the United Nations being in vast upheaval (6)

8. Red and hot, I’d turned up in an outbreak of spots (6)

11. Not attached to anything else, don’t have to pay but no seats (4-8)

15. Looted? Plead a loss under enclosure (9)

16. No neatness did err so in sorting it out (8)

17. Upset an American soldier at being held by Edward (8)

19. Be fifty per cent on one’s account (6)

20. Press head tried to change nothing internally (6)

23. Break the sort of hit that’s a runaway success (5)