CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

ACROSS 1

4

See 10 Down

Extremely hard to accept reduced farming for 24Ac’s gamekeeper (6)

9 Stand firm and grab the deck (4,4,6)

11 Unconfined Corona case before heartless employer becomes moody, mysterious hero (9)

12 Capitals of Angola, Chad, Cameroon, Rwanda, Algeria and Ghana (5)

13/7 Sisters operating the route a feature of 24Ac (4,2,3,3)

15/17 Newspaper has a Reuter’s misprint – headliner for 24Ac (8,8)

18 Slow companion necessary to win race (6)

21 Dream of boxers Duke or Dean? (5)

22 Ties first pair of guests in fluttering saltire (9)

24 Stewed Creole rabbit on cracker? (6,8)

25 Main songs are throwaway observations (6)

26 Core of belief in the East Neuk (4)

MACBETH DOWN 2

Partner in crime might be revealing stealing (5)

3 See 23

4 Moral stance is the slow route to Scotland (4,4)

5 Spike, for example, with commercial tie arranged to reduce size (2,2,1,4)

6 Naive tourist has no money in pub on a rural highway (8,6)

7 See 13 Across

8 Dispersed on-line clan Scot has, to be cut when in witness protection (3,11)

10/1 Composer arranged carol, originally really, really loudly (4,4)

14 Randomly destroy outside limits of battle – Pearl Harbour? (6,3)

16 Offensive posters captivating extreme elderly moving beds (8)

17 So, long fragment of metatarsal (2-2)

19 Enemy in disarray infiltrated by, at first, seemingly agreeable chaps (3-3)

20 Completely neglect devastated region (6)

23/3 Stone-cold scoop featuring 24Ac (5,6)