£50 PRIZE CROSSWORD

1 Nasty and unkind when the ulcer gets out of control (5)

4 Hurtful action by a grass mower or hedge trimmer (7)

8 A very talkative person waving about a big wand (7)

9 A sweet-smelling bouquet is an essential part of a romance… (5) 10 …a secret love affair in Paris has a lot of glamour (5) 11 Disturb, please, if taking forty winks and out like a light (6) 14 Outdoor swimming pools must be solid when constructed (5) 16 Thorny plants can give you sores (5) 18 Little Linda or Barbara head west, in another country (6)

21 A hidden amount of drugs is found in Augusta’s house (5) 24 A guy in the family solved the newspaper’s first clue (5)

25 The ale Sir and I brewed for a Tel Aviv resident (7) 26 Rearrange the seats – i.e., it’s the least complicated (7) 27 Finished the job in Haiti – didn’t have to return (3,2) 1 Browbeats and intimidates the milk producers (4) 2 Unidentified, like a ghostwriter – might be mundane (7)

3 Hercules had a dozen, belonging to Sir Keir Starmer’s party, we hear (7)

4 Machine sprockets can occasionally get stuck initially (4) 5 Replace parts of the rodent-catching gadgets maybe (5) 6 A dream golf shot? I had none (2,3)

7 A footballer never wants to hit it – so pal got annoyed (8) 12 Napoleon’s sign (3) 13 Lea’s into pure enjoyment, happiness and fun (8)

15 A failed noughtsand-crosses line for the soup stock supplier (3) 16 Received the firm’s gold watch – and went to bed (7)

17 Spend when going round the United States – and stop for a while (7)

19 Sitting in the terrace, schoolkids see some athletic events (5) 20 Wee Dee led Alan back to the Someone Like You singer (5) 22 Failed to hit the target, we hear? It’s the drizzly haze (4)

23 Lean over to get the shopper’s grocery note (4)