by Jane Fitzpatrick AE
ACROSS
7. A flower for a boofhead and complete mug! (9)
10. Island prison guard stripped, even burnt, and beaten (5)
11. How far down does heartless death hold power? (5)
12. Us canines can be pains in the neck! (9)
13. In seconds, her chocolate assortment became class leaders (14)
15. Taking steps to have law overturned by sovereign (7)
17. Crude old boy followed by commotion (7)
19. His unruly vocal broadcast was showing discourtesy (14)
23. Lunar rat I’ve caught has a story within (9)
24. Some icy, clear days come round (5)
25. A little bit of magic time (5)
26. Ancient Egyptian leader fit entire assembly (9)
DOWN
1. To comply with rules, I supplant Centre in starting five (5)
2. Quirky play I act is unusual (8)
3. Dance music bizarre once hepcat ends … (6)
4. … but improves when addled hen dances headless! (8)
5. Might throw liquid scum on the French (6)
6. Inner structure of public transport turned my sets orderly (9)
8. Fire awkwardly along arc to Fin (13)
9. Feline group, surely of characters, value having a particular quality (5,8)
14. I get out of line in disturbance after state turned up atrocity (9)
16. Can act the same way when starts off prim, albeit tipsy (8)
18. Choosing from various sources, European community puts confused Celt in charge (8)
20. Etched right into cave dead-end (6)
21. Assembling clues about extortion’s core inflamed conditions (6)
22. First of all, trim each parsnip into dice and slightly warm (5)
ANSWERS
ACROSS
7 buttercup | 10 Nauru | 11 depth | 12 nuisances | 13 schoolteachers | 15 walking | 17 obscene | 19 unchivalrously | 23 narrative | 24 cycle | 25 spell | 26 Nefertiti
DOWN
1 abide | 2 atypical | 3 techno | 4 enhances | 5 muscle | 6 subsystem | 8 conflagration | 9 pride yourself | 14 awfulness | 16 imitable | 18 eclectic | 20 carved | 21 ulcers | 22 tepid