No 2732, Sunday 31 Mar 13

Excellent, crisp surfaces today.

ACROSS
1   Feasts abroad, most free from risk (6) SAFEST*
4   Film luminary was screening beginning of Rocky (4,4) STAR WARS {STAR} {WA{R}S}
9   An artist holding shot rabbit (6) ANGORA {AN}{GO}{RA}

10 A blaze inside chimney in plant (8) LABURNUM {L{A}{BURN}UM}

11 Book had to include right dates (4,5) HARD TIMES {HA{R}D} {TIMES}
13 One avoiding work, badly riled (5) IDLER*
14 Dam lake for religious head (6,8) MOTHER SUPERIOR {MOTHER} {SUPERIOR}
17 Similarly, purchase, say, an identical disc (2,3,4,5) BY THE SAME TOKEN (~buy){BY} {THE SAME TOKEN}
21 Take mouthful from ragout (a stew) (5) TASTE [T]
23 A new suggestion concerning an hors d'oeuvre (9) ANTIPASTO {A}{N}{TIP}{AS TO}

24 What 18 is especially? (5,3) ABOVE ALL [C&DD]
25 Key cricketer, first at the crease? (6) OPENER [DD]
26 In stand is eastern paper (8) TREATISE {TREAT}{IS}{E}
27 Recited flourishing novelist (6) GREENE (~green)

DOWN
1   Bandage the man after violent blow (6) SWATHE {SWAT}{HE}
2   Reckon dignitary's not in (6,3) FIGURE OUT {FIGURE} {OUT}
3   Withdraw with slight injury (7) SCRATCH [DD]
5   Clear river blocked by unruly US clan (11) TRANSLUCENT {TR{ANSLUC*}ENT}
6   Procedure at home getting in the way (7) ROUTINE {ROUT{IN}E}
7   Invalidate yearbook, with article missing (5) ANNUL ANNUaL
8   Run out after dark in a Mexican's hat (8) SOMBRERO {SOMBRE}{RO}

GREAT IDEA

12 Opera singer, Lanza, cut short La Scala broadcast (5,6) MARIA CALLAS {MARIo}{A CALLAS*}
15 Fashionable German city church, basically (2,7) IN ESSENCE {IN} {ESSEN}{CE}
16 Summary of a bishop's religious pamphlet (8) ABSTRACT {A}{B'S}{TRACT}
18 Continually rest, heading off for mountain (7) EVEREST {EVER}{rEST}

19 Working daily? In theory (2,5) ON PAPER {ON} {PAPER}
20 Origin of HP, perhaps, reportedly (6) SOURCE (~sauce)

22 Angry about wife, used bad language (5) SWORE {S{W}ORE}

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