| Clues across |
| 1 | Cold, noisy bird to alight in dream world (5-6-4) |
| 9 | Greek character busted crime using digits (7) |
| 10 | Penetrates chessmen surrounding king (7) |
| 11 | Scoundrel races around inside Mint (9) |
| 12 | Bear seen initially behind tumbledown building (5) |
| 13 | Touts a kiss, oddly, to discover sources of ivory (5) |
| 15 | Rabelaisian figure’s crazy (gaga nature, mainly) (9) |
| 17 | Placed lei on garden lad, perhaps (9) |
| 19 | Clean up computer program, carelessly using most of budget (5) |
| 21 | Rug concealed in first-rate fiddle (5) |
| 22 | Checks shade, we’re told, at edge of pavement (9) |
| 24 | More dangerous, growing a beard? (7) |
| 25 | Thing found in newspaper (7) |
| 26 | Green sort of chap (Tory) losing first and fourth of votes but gaining on one street (15) |
|
| Clues down |
| 1 | Go American – pitch madly into something to do with moving pictures (15) |
| 2 | Diffusion? Assimilation? SOS! I’m so confused! (7) |
| 3 | Artist depicts doctor in river? No, the other way round! (5) |
| 4 | Peacekeeping body altered? No, remained the same (9) |
| 5 | Small Ford car caused to be out of action (5) |
| 6 | Role of the managing director – or where to ditch him in a take-over? (9) |
| 7 | Bill’s narrative (7) |
| 8 | Gentleman ends it after this (15) |
| 14 | Steady, Isabel – it’s changed (9) |
| 16 | Bird shaking bard’s tree (9) |
| 18 | Genuine gin (shaken) needed to put things straight again (7) |
| 20 | Brother with broken chin seen in passages (7) |
| 22 | White wine and fruit syrup, then nothing before five in Russian city (5) |
| 23 | Aquatic animals, leaving river behind, rear up and fight (3-2) |
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