No 2790, Sunday 11 May 2014

ACROSS
1   Song and dance, to a degree (6) BALLAD {BALL}{A}{D}
4   Beads scattered round the chapel (8) BETHESDA {BE{THE}SDA*}
10 Want adage to be self-evident (2,7,6) GO WITHOUT SAYING {GO WITHOUT} {SAYING}
11 Charge across river for bait (5) TROLL {T{R}OLL}
12 Willing? Sounds like servant may be ideally suited (5-4) READY-MADE {READY}-{MADE}(~maid)
13 Is nice try, though scrappy, in truth (9) SINCERITY*
14 Old female, a music-hall singer (1'4) O'SHEA {O}{SHE}{A}
15 Irritable, youth leader after trial (5) TESTY {TEST}{Y}
17 Drink that may get one general drunk by end of evening (6,3) GINGER ALE {G}{1+GENERAL}*
19 The very same dialect in broadcast (9) IDENTICAL*
21 Some criminal lawyers taken together (2,3) IN ALL [T]
23 What may be required during play in new surroundings (6,2,7) CHANGE OF SCENERY [DD]
24 Small leaves used in cooking the Parisian rejected inside? Scarcely (8) SPARSELY {S}{PARS(-le+el)ELY}
25 Loan shark certain to be seen in ancient city (6) USURER {U{SURE}R}

DOWN
1   Changing at the front, rowing crew in large bay (5) BIGHT (-e+b)BIGHT

2   Dope in an inferior position? (7) LOWDOWN [DD]
3   Powerful guns, not well positioned in main road (9) ARTILLERY {ART{ILL}ERY}
5   Sort of language used by heartless guy in resort (7,7) ESTUARY ENGLISH*
6   Intoxicating froth on top of yours (5) HEADY {HEAD}{Y}
7   Go round with a child for a vegetable (7) SPINACH {SPIN}{A}{CH}
8   Total got from a boy standing in narrow opening (9) AGGREGATE  {A}{G{GREG}ATE}
9   Getting on coach for Roedean, say (8,6) BOARDING SCHOOL {BOARDING} {SCHOOL}
13 Synchronise men's rehearsed moves (3,6) SET PIECES {SET} {PIECES}
14 Wisecracks concerning English passenger ships (3-6) ONE-LINERS {ON}{E}-{LINERS}
16 Czech composer in Vilnius met an accompanist (7) SMETANA [T]
18 Scholar enthralled by a true eccentric, a dabbler (7) AMATEUR {A}{MA}{TRUE*}
20 Adult wearing clothes, garments worn by ancient Romans (5) TOGAS {TOG{A}S}

22 Hen, perhaps, in film (5) LAYER [DD]