The Sunday Crossword No 3023, Sunday 25 Nov 2018

ACROSS
1   Old man without hesitation seizing power, extremely revolutionary in a way (8) FOOTPATH {F{TOO<=}{P}ATHer}
5   Stop talking about large cougar being around (4,2) CLAM UP {C}{L}{PUMA<=}
9   Intermittently popular, proper French novelist gets going (2,4,3,6) IN FITS AND STARTS {IN}{FIT}{SAND}{STARTS}
11 Ace breaking record for circuit (3) LAP {L{A}P}
12 Insider felt prepared to be most sociable (11) FRIENDLIEST*
13 Face villain with no right to make conversation (8) DIALOGUE {DIAL}{rOGUE}
14 In dystopia nothing's soft (5) PIANO [T]
17 Easy match (5) LIGHT [DD]
19 Dock in area of land next to reserve (8) SUBTRACT {SUB}{TRACT}
22 Dinosaur hoax, not last, best in ages (11) TRICERATOPS {TRICk}{ERA{TOP}S}

24 Diamonds seen in circlet, regularly spaced (3) ICE cIrClEt
25 Gift having adverse consequences once policies had changed (8,7) POISONED CHALICE*
26 Problem with French name, turning page (6) SUMMON {SUM}{NOM<=}
27 Posted cutting when editor agreed (8) ASSENTED {SENT} in {AS}{ED}

DOWN
1   Flutter about feeling pretty (6) FAIRLY {F{AIR}LY}
2   Bad time of year for litter (9) OFFSPRING {OFF}{SPRING}
3   Sad soul, so lost, with hollow uncertainty ahead (7) PITIFUL  {PIT}{IF}{soUL}
4   Aim to protect delta and develop industrial area (7,6)  TRADING ESTATE {TRA{D}IN}{GESTATE}
6   Revealed skill finally on northward ski run, keeping in line (3,4) LET SLIP {s..lL}{PI{L}STE<=}
7   Good in lake and pool (5) MERGE {MER{G}E}
8   Is work lifted and shifted into place? (8) POSITION {IS}{OP}<={INTO*}
10 Study part of speech with vicious scorn about love for American football team (6,7) DENVER BRONCOS {DEN}{VERB}{RONC{O}S*}
15 Keeper of records in vault, one with endless view (9) ARCHIVIST {ARCH}{1}{VISTa}
16 Mammal, a tailless sort – positive about that? (8) PLATYPUS {PL{A}{TYPe}US}

18 Doctor in new role after time identifying quivering effect (7)  TREMOLO {T}{RE{MO}LO*}
20 Lean period present again in dramatic form (7) RESTAGE {REST}{AGE}
21 Part of journey with purpose in story (6) LEGEND {LEG}{END}
23 One not clear about old expression (5) IDIOM {1}{DI{O}M}

GRID