The Sunday Crossword No 2984, Sunday 25 Feb 2018

ACROSS
1   Ditch fish in river? On the contrary (6) TRENCH {T{R}ENCH}
4   Time for example consumed by random plan (8) STRATEGY {STRA{T}{EG}Y}
9   Protest in error about railway (6) OUTCRY {OUT}{C}{RY}
10 Eccentric joke, best around (8) CRACKPOT {CRACK}{TOP<=}
12 Author of tales with exhausted villain possessing one unknown power(7,6) BEATRIX POTTER {BEAT}{R{1}{X} {P}OTTER}
14 Famous sign of assent to protect tribe’s borders (5) NOTED {NO{TribE}D}
15 Brief record, hot gem mostly (9) EPHEMERAL {EP}{H}{EMERALd}
17 Wine waiter right after start of meal in a certain lounge (9) SOMMELIER {SO{Meal}ME}{LIE}{R}
19 Film to follow while making jelly (5) ASPIC {AS}{PIC}
21 Learner in tangled web overdrawn in dystopian novel (5,3,5) BRAVE NEW WORLD {L} in {WEB+OVERDRAWN}*
24 Private signal (8) INTIMATE [DD]
25 Move restlessly following identification and capture (6) FIDGET {F}{ID}{GET}
26 Predicted worry about ring, antique (8) FORETOLD {F{O}RET}{OLD}
27 Drink during supper, no doubt (6) PERNOD [T]

DOWN
1   Player isn’t robot designed to cover miles (10) TROMBONIST {ISNT+ROBOT}* over {M}
2   Passage further north of court (7) EXTRACT {EXTRA}{CT}
3   Case in which vehicle goes over top of roof? (9) CARTRIDGE {CART}{RIDGE}
5   Bought red car, newly equipped to be more powerful (12) TURBOCHARGED*
6   Racecourse firm in days gone by, not soft (5) ASCOT {pAS{CO}T}
7   Ruler with energy, politician with heartless delusion (7) EMPEROR {E}{MP}{ERrOR}
8   Legendary creature still on island (4) YETI {YET}{I}
11 Fellows supporting one in authority with a line that’s tentative (12) EXPERIMENTAL {EXPER{1}{MEN}T}{A}{L}
13 Very happy about central element in inquiry detectives explained (10) ELUCIDATED {EL{inqUiry}{CID}ATED}
16 New mail he sorted at the same time (9) MEANWHILE*
18 Medium crustacean, not large? Criminal (7) MOBSTER {M}{lOBSTER}
20 Standard earlier name for model (7) PARAGON {PAR}{AGO}{N}
22 Acknowledge commercial with mass appeal (5) ADMIT {AD}{M}{IT}
23 Able to rise above loud argument (4) TIFF {FIT<=}{F}

GRID