No 10419, Saturday 24 Mar 12, Gridman

ACROSS

1   - Moved to protect the king, actors were in the forefront (7) - CASTLED {CAST}{LED}

5   - Language friar used with topless woman (6) - FRENCH {FR}{wENCH}

9   - Kingdom not fancied by very many (5) - REALM {REAL}{M}

10 - Police officer's one habit is unworldly (9) - SPIRITUAL {SP}{I}{RITUAL}

11 - Massaging technique for first of septuagenarians, breaking hiatus (7) - SHIATSU {S}{HIATUS*}

12 - Inch GOC into a tricky situation with an Italian dish (7) - GNOCCHI*

13 - Totally sane wanderer? (5) - NOMAD {NO}{MAD}

14 - Bold elf we set up as partner (9) - BEDFELLOW*

16 - Greeting learners — desis hurtling down ski run spots (9) - HILLSIDES {HI}{LL}{DESIS*}

19 - Blame unsteady walk (5) - AMBLE*

21 - Nimmi hesitant — hesitant at the very least (7) - MINIMUM {NIMMI*}{UM}

23 - Revolutionary's road, we hear, to a smoker's item (7) - CHEROOT {CHE}{ROOT}(~route)

24 - Declaration: “Roughed up, I'm not safe” (9) - MANIFESTO*

25 - Get up, carbon copy India's topping designer wear (5) - GUCCI {G}{U}{C}{C}{I}

26 - Insect in group set out boorishly (6) - TSETSE {T{SET}SE*}

27 - Banter by boy hit hard (7) - KIDDING {KID}{DING}

DOWN

1   - Mushy merchants stomping in the garden maybe (14) - CHRYSANTHEMUMS*

2   - Must aid ground such as Chepauk or Eden Gardens (7) - STADIUM*

3   - Thus one's movements are not free (7) - LIMITED [CD]

4   - Unsettled, as one burst rashly cutting into Doctor of Education (9) - DISTURBED {D{I+BURST*}eD}

5   - Throw fine fish (5) - FLING {F}{LING}

6   - Essence of English book about Greek character (7) - EPITOME {E}{PI}{TOME}

7   - Central leader to uncoil confusion at groupthink (7) - COUNCIL {C}{UNCOIL*}

8   - Everybody fighting? Tired fighting? (3-2,9) - ALL-IN WRESTLING {ALL-IN} {WRESTLING}

15 - It protects one's dress from looking bad on the surface (4,5) - DUST CLOAK [CD]

17 - Proverbially, clouds have these of silver (7) - LININGS [CD]

18 - Consider: If mates are all of uniform size, their dresses should be of … … (4,3) - SAME FIT*

19 - Got order negatived to skip it (7) - AVENGED NEGAtiVED*

20 - No birch felled to make airways (7) - BRONCHI*

22 - Shot with lots of English? (5) - MASSE {MASS}{E}

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