No 12481, Monday 26 Nov 2018, Lightning

ACROSS
8    Illusion somehow makes don faithfully represent society (5,3,7) SMOKE AND MIRRORS {MAKES+DON}* {MIRROR}{S}
9    To influence retiring salesman, used a trick (8) PERSUADE {REP<=}{USED+A}*
10 Held back battered, neglected male for one (6) GENDER [T<=]
11 Contracts demand rings because security’s foremost (9) DECREASES {DECRE{AS}E}{Se...y}
12 Child caught in Mumbai suburb (5) SCION {S{C}ION}
15 Makeshift spinner penetrating batsman’s core space (7) STOPGAP {batSman}{TOP}{GAP}
17 German managed a district attorney in this province (7) GRANADA {G}{RAN}{A}{DA}
19 Southern trading place is expensive (5) SMART {S}{MART}
20 It could flutter by after morphing (9) BUTTERFLY* &lit
23 Excellent and right introductory book (6) PRIMER {PRIME}{R}
25 Temporary worker (not new) at established concern (8) INTEREST {INTERn}{EST}
26 Brew drink today, charm everyone (3,4,3,5) TOM DICK AND HARRY*

DOWN
1    A parliamentarian before becoming a physicist (6) AMPERE {A}{MP}{ERE}
2    Engineer scraps key recipe for tall building (10) SKYSCRAPER {SCRAPS+KEY}*{R}
3    A gent nearly sped after animal on sailboat (9) CATAMARAN {CAT}{A}{MAn}{RAN}
4    Conformed with total around this place (7) ADHERED {AD{HERE}D}
5    Keen and desperate to catch last song (5) DIRGE {DIR{sonG}E}
6    One fled to this country (4) IRAN {1}{RAN}

7    Complimentary supply of sponge (8) FREELOAD {FREE}{LOAD}
13 Rejecting popular opinion, ran car into building (10) CONTRARIAN*
14 Feeling thankful that class admitted bird first up (9) GRATITUDE {GRA{TIT}{Up}DE}
16 Medical officer interrupted to mostly fret about the next day (8) TOMORROW {TO}{MO}{WORRy<=}
18 Surprisingly claims university of Chicago for one (7) MUSICAL {CLAIMS}*{U}
21 Saint trapped by temptation of splendour and glory (6) LUSTRE {LU{ST}RE}
22 Bishop with people’s support (5) BRACE {B}{RACE}
24 Fashion design left out (4) MODE MODEl

GRID