CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

ACROSS

1 Discovery holiday by river, falling in however (12) 9 Someone who may act weird and not even dance (7) 10 Funny-looking African native, one that’s good and strong, tracking duck (7)

11 Short sight (7)

12 Act badly, giving order in pizzeria? (3,2,2) 13 High-flier’s dog with no lead (5) 14 Job with Ezra, perhaps, entertaining gospel reader’s friends? (9)

16 Deck’s wet – I crumpled – most shameful (9)

19 Gosh! US soldier is royal companion? (5)

21 Person at a symphony clutching pieces of music (7)

23 Smart Alec from Spain picked up one’s tense (7)

24 Carry out injured fencer to be given oxygen (7)

25 Worker that’s painting, say, in enthralling South America (7)

26 Publicist issues this request to gatekeeper? (5,7)

DOWN

1 Black on top, not soft, dessert shows potential (7)

2 Help Max Ernst to hold up illustration (7)

3 Lethal drone that’s flown over America? (6,3)

4 Liquor reportedly which person’s taken to church (5) 5 Best to be tight-lipped after pot I smashed (7) 6 Brilliance in golf shown by little swine! (7)

7 Challenge to make English shingle or German manger? (67)

8 Silly posh idiot first to oppress worker, one in sales (4,9) 15 Promptly bellow when getting hammered here? (2,3,4) 17 One’s usually needled when neighbours go bare (7) 18 Blackmails using rearranged letters, or texts (7) 19 Occasionally viewed in car, local tribal country (7)

20 Is charge to follow concerning second publication? (7) 22 Buffalo drive (5)