CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

ACROSS

1 Continually consumed a lot in front of catering boiler, it’s said (2,5,4) 9 Joint post office run by mud-wallower (5) 10 Tough soldier to be in charge of circuit (8) 12 Record preserves appearance of gridlock situations (7) 13 Confessed to coming up for air with Spanish wine (7) 14 Laid out cash when received by Washington’s Pentagon (5) 15 Bottom is burning when landed too soon (9) 18 Birds wear fashions when they marry GIS, perhaps (3,6) 20 Summer snake? (5) 21 What people are saying is, yes, part of house belongs to us (7) 24 Communist vote gets the bird (7) 25 Constituting being obstructive (2,3,3) 26 Lights up when executing donkeys (5) 27 See through differently gendered father or mother (11)

DOWN

2 Duet we hear engenders such sweet sorrow (3-4) 3 Deputies join with four in police division (4,5) 4 Frost’s poetry read aloud (5) 5 Footwear found in coach (7) 6 Tracking device that allows you to see both ways (5) 7 State of the art? Amen (3,4,4) 8 There are gaps I engineer in a botched job (1,4,3) 11 Get the hang of social stratification in lesson from expert (6,5) 16 Deter Rosy from operating gunship (9) 17 Ate cuts of fish (8) 19 Make harsh interpretation when hung o’er (7) 20 Dam’ bone found digested in belly (7) 22 Reconstruction of Roman villa (5) 23 Complete way we stage recovery in drink (3,2)