No 2746, Sunday 07 Jul 13

Insertion day today!!

ACROSS
1   Show amusement about one as daft as a brush, say (6) SIMILE {S{I}MILE}
4   Convincing Roman Catholic to admit weakness? Just the opposite (8) FORCIBLE {FO{RC}IBLE}
9   Old boy stretched, in shape (6) OBLONG {OB}{LONG}
10 Nonsense written in columns exposing clowns (8) PIERROTS {PIER{ROT}S}
11 Goddess seen in play (5,8) VENUS OBSERVED {VENUS} {OBSERVED}
14 Eminent newspaper framed by the US actress, Myrna (5) LOFTY {LO{FT}Y}
16 Sort of beer - not lagers, oddly (6,3) STRONG ALE*
17 Ivy, perhaps, always pale and sickly-looking (9) EVERGREEN {EVER}{GREEN}

19 From Soho, telephone the Savoy, perhaps (5) HOTEL [T]
20 Our host, hidden away, poured drinks (3,3,7) DID THE HONOURS*
23 Begin a journey in craft with sturdy exterior (5,3) START OUT {ST{ART} OUT}
24 Trumpet playing drowned by cor anglais, initially (6) CORONA {COR}{ON}{A}
25 Looks at head, uneasy in a visor (8) EYESHADE {EYES}{HEAD*}
26 Sculpted figure of Nehru finally acquired by nation (6) STATUE {STAT{U}E}

DOWN
1   End bombardment with a delicate tennis stroke (4,6) STOP VOLLEY {STOP} {VOLLEY}
2   Fruit from Middle East - large ones? Not half! (5) MELON {ME}{L}{ONes} Interestingly this could also have been {M}{E}{L}{O}{N}, but 'Not half' means it's the first anno.
3   Girl soprano, Jenny, for example (7) LINDSAY {LIND}{SAY}
5   Peace offering from bachelor in 7 around 5 (5,6) OLIVE BRANCH {OLI{V}E BRANCH*} '7' in the clue leads BROADCAST which is used as Anind here
6   A Romany leader entering Irish county in a mobile home (7) CARAVAN {C{A}{R}AVAN}
7   Outspoken actors in show (9) BROADCAST {BROAD}{CAST}
8   Bridge player, poorest having lost pounds (4) EAST lEAST Why pounds?
12 Dog's plus point husband discovered during spring (6,5) BASSET HOUND {B{ASSET} {H}OUND}

13 Property not supposed to be taken to car (4,6) REAL ESTATE {REAL} {ESTATE}
15 Pick up food for bird (9) FIELDFARE {FIELD}{FARE}

18 Attempt, with wife, to share expenses equally (2,5) GO DUTCH {GO} {DUTCH}

GO GOING GONE DUTCH

19 Spend time relaxing in lodge (4,3) HANG OUT [DD]
21 Worried about vessel (1-4) U-BOAT*
22 Man, perhaps, in his Levi's (4) ISLE [T]

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