No 11584, Friday 25 Dec 2015, Anon

MERRY CHRISTMAS

ACROSS
1   Prospective groom’s fund missing new source (6) FIANCE FInANCE
4   One replaces a knife with shovel (6) DIGGER D(-a+1)1GGER
9   Forbid extract of clove tobacco (4) VETO [T]
10 Receptionists fasten returning officials? (4,6) ROOM CLERKS {ROOM<=} {CLERKS}
11 Repents decapitating herons (6) EGRETS rEGRETS

12 Lampoon social evil’s advance (8) SATIRISE {SATI}{RISE}
13 This might be a revealing form of entertainment (5,4) STRIP SHOW [CD]
15 Run away with returning European to last refuge (5) ELOPE {ELOP<=}{r..gE}
16 Right to behead trainer of insect (5) ROACH (-c+r)ROACH

18 Trickster to burn South African province retreat (9) CHARLATAN {CHAR}{LATAN<=}
22 Let slip that artist protects first lady of the French democratic leader (8) REVEALED {R{EVE}A}{LE}{De...c}
23 Fruit for father? Yes! (6) PAPAYA {PAPA}{YA}

25 Monarchs of the Soviet get rid of Income Tax rules (10) SOVEREIGNS {SOViEt}{REIGNS}
26 Cut, sent back rolls (4) SNUB <=
27 Somehow athletes lose a final game in Jewish village (6) SHTETL aTHLeTES*
28 Attempts to answer, starting off with compositions (6) ASSAYS {A}{eSSAYS}

DOWN
1   Fear grips last one in carriage (7) FREIGHT {FR{onE}IGHT}
2   Abode made from brick (5) ADOBE*
3   Dead bodies right amongst the bushes (7) CORPSES {CO{R}PSES}
5   Prompt company to be semi-polite (6) INCITE {INC}{polITE}
6   Irregular to change sides in irregular confusion (9) GUERRILLA IRREGULA(-r+l)L*
7   Discovers empty artwork in torn purse (5,2) RAKES UP {R{Ar...rK}ES UP*}
8   Gets good ethos somehow but becomes ruined (4,2,3,4) GOES TO THE DOGS*
14 Changing sides during expansion is nasty (9) INCLEMENT INC{-r+l)LEMENT
17 Difficult for one to curtail anger (7) ONEROUS {ONE}{ROUSe}
19 Rests, consumes father’s meals (7) REPASTS {RE{PA}STS}
20 Shelters a Yankee leader in run-down neighbourhoods (7) ASYLUMS {A}{S{Ya...e}LUMS}
21 Wealthy, lose a fortune initially, become liquid (6) FLUENT afFLUENT
24 Father has confused Turkish military leader (5) PASHA {PA}{HAS*}