cryptic crossword

ACROSS

1 Upset as dog eats pet snails

(10)

6 Run exclusive Sun originally

missed (4)

9 Scratch some flawless

cufflinks (5)

10 Dull article, one penned by

prisoner (9)

12 Wild West action with old

actor (5,8)

14 Second one climbing quickly?

(6-2)

15 Gangster twin heard working?

It might add colour (6)

17 Start of showers and terrible

April wind (6)

19 Invest nothing in redevelopment of premium store (8)

21 In scale for amount of food

consumed (13)

24 Delight bear (9)

25 Cross powerless buccaneer

(5)

26 That man had announced

caution (4)

27 Western bandleader seen in

Commonwealth city (10)

DOWN

1 Oddly glum and quiet

outpouring (4)

2 A little liquid refreshment

before study (7)

3 Cool places for rare tigers to

play (13)

4 Engineer put in rot, causing

laser emission? (8)

5 Drink before a play (5)

7 Speechifying (not loud) in

favour of a Conservative (7)

8 What writers sometimes

assume? (10)

11 Go on, irritate criminal with

new questioning (13)

13 Religious symbol on bed could make someone grumpy (10)

16 The setter’s deadly and

forever going on (8)

18 Separate admission of tardiness with minutes vanishing (7)

20 Bill to support popular former partner? That’s rough (7)

22 Cut government’s last British

unit (1-4)

23 Fellow spotted in hide-andseek (4)