No 9561, Wednesday, 17 Jun 09, Nita Jaggi

ACROSS
8 - To pretend sorrow, large rats swallow an egg head after the fabulous bird is inside the coiled structure (9,5) - C{ROC}ODILE* {T{E}ARS}
9 - Even catch our ones with hard fruits (6) - {A}{C}{O}{R}{N}{S}
10 - Regular cold Alice developed around the neck bone (8) - {C}{L}{A{V}ICLE*} V from V-neck sweaters
11 - Woman sounds a bell for the fishes (8) - {HER}{RINGS} Thank God it was not a Red one!!
13 - Mental condition put to rest (6) - TRANCE [CD]
14 - Mother and a woman have a problem (6) - {MA}{LADY}
16 - Now, detective is back on time for an enthusiast (6) - {AD}{DIC<-}{T}
19 - Greek letter holding the crossed part of a plant (6) - S{T}IGMA
21 - Cry of delight before showing anger returning the shrub (8) - {OLE}AN{DER<-} AN from?
23 - Pay money for the decline in the number of customers (8) - {FOOT}{FALL}
24 - Indian leader has a Rolls Royce in Uttar Pradesh almost to enter suddenly (6) - {I}{RR}{UP}{T(-o)}
26 - Batting on zero, start to score given an approximate estimate (2,5,7) - IN ROUND NUMBER{S}
DOWN
1 - Soft thing eaten after an extraction (8) - ICECREAM
2 - Not rich to order gold (4) - {PO}{OR}
3 - I caught you son playing with a relative (6) - {C}O{U}S{I}N*
4 - Princess has a firm coming up with ease surrounding the second Episcopal area (7) - {DI}{OC<-}{E(-a)SE} I suppose by surrounding the setter means cloaking it?
5 - Soul that has left the body (8) - DEPARTED [CD]
6 - Thoughtfulness for a negotiation to resolve differences covering Thailand (10) - MEDI{T}ATION
7 - French, mostly old I see in gay activity (6) - {FR}{OL(-d){I}{C}
12 - Mild banishment of the state representatives gets a king in place of a duke (10) - (-d+r)RELEGATION
15 - Take up the menu for the poet oddly near a plant (8) - {DRAC<-}{AE}{NA}
17 - Manage the rest to go across to enter in unlawfully (8) - {TRES*}PASS
18 - Opposite the stern, mark the fixed loop (7) - {BOW}{LINE}
20 - Eldest son of Odin is not specific about the spines (6) - {THOR}{NS}
22 - Wrong to imagine without one in problem (6) - ENIGMA(-i)*
25 - Feels sorry for the streets in Paris (4) - RUES [DD]