CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

Across

1. Sweet boxer protects daughters at home (7)

5. Discourage priest going with posh aristocrat (3,3)

9. It picks up signals from colonist woman heading west (7)

10. Songbird showing yellow talon out of shape (7)

11. Tree has collapsed (3)

12. Visit NY site unde reconstruction, showing tact (11)

13. Axes rotten elm, revealing its tissue (5)

14. Knotty problem underlying playground’s shape (9)

16. Daring old American to follow a Conservative in car (9)

17. Croat trained theatre worker (5)

19. Battered biplane user can’t be beaten (11)

22. He follows queen to start of Mall (3)

23. Unruly conversation about love’s essentially nice (7)

24. 1 Across, one in a pot, stirred roughly (7)

26. In Paris, second person secures directions of vessels (6)

27. Plug in these crude earphones (7)

Down

1. Aim to surround hectare with cross body of troops (7)

2. Arrange teams scheduled to control current tree problem (5,3,7)

3. Trendy name for local (3)

4. Beam protects a cereal (5)

5. Monarch’s sons hold old victor in areas away from cities (9)

6. African’s tailored suit impressing Tory leader (5)

7. Where to refuel, like rushhour train commuters? (7,8)

8. Head of zoo in Yemen misused protein perhaps (6)

12. Shrub French writer pulled up (5)

14. Newfangled RAC’s OK for top carriers (4,5)

15. Bowl over a puzzling feature of Hampton Court (5)

16. A part for each one (6)

18. Rave about a politician out of control (7)

20. Paved area perhaps used in anticipation (5)

21. Bishop has to put up with church blunder (5)

25. Sort of green turf that’s cut (3)