The Sunday Crossword No 3102, Sunday 31 May 2020

Day 68 of 68 Stay safe at home

(Last day of Lockdown 4.0)

ACROSS
1   Swansea, rather stormy sandy area (7,6) WESTERN SAHARA*
8   PM, less bold, in retreat (4) LAIR bLAIR
9   Opt out with pain, suffering to some extent (2,2,1,5) UP TO A POINT {OPT+OUT+PAIN}*
10 Playwright grovelled, we’re told (6) COWARD (~cowered)
11 With backing of UN, volunteer soldiers in jet (8) FOUNTAIN {OF<=}{UN}{TA}{IN}
12 Church figure with shady past: he’s seen in brothel (2,7) ST PATRICK {PAST*}{TRICK}
14 Yes, in Germany, Wenders – on the fringes – creates film (4) JAWS {JA}{We...rS}
15 Appreciates accommodation (4) DIGS [DD]
16 Basically not fine to manipulate fiancé? Not half (2,7) IN ESSENCE {fINESSE}{fiaNCE}
20 Weak ale? I wobble and worry (3,5) LIE AWAKE*
21 A learner with weapons leads to panics (6) ALARMS {A}{L}{ARMS}
23 Longed to peel off pinched kind of trousers (10) PINSTRIPED {PIN{STRIP}ED}
24 Primarily: systematise / order / rank / type (4) SORT Acrostic &lit
25 Coastal, rather stormy: character of the South (8,5) SCARLETT OHARA*

DOWN
1   Crossword setters are mostly unfashionable and need replacing (4,3) WEAR OUT {WE}{ARe}{OUT}
2   Some fairy stories about far-off land (5) SYRIA [T<=]

3   Country dancing, caroused with seconds to spare (7) ECUADOR CAROUsED*

4   Most of notifications: ‘New Kind of Menu, Italian!’ This won’t last long (3,2,1,3,4,2) NOT IF I CAN HELP IT {NOTIFICAtions}{N}{HELP}{IT} Not sure of anno 
5   Upwardly mobile head of Uber takes taxi in South Africa? You can count on it (6) ABACUS {S{Uber}{CAB}A}<=
6   U-boat questionably brave to reverse direction (5-4) ABOUT-FACE {U BOAT}* {FACE}
7   Australian gets loose with relatives (7) AUNTIES {A}{UNTIES}
13 Aeneas' age? It's uncertain, but the location is somewhere around Greece (6,3) AEGEAN SEA*
15 Everyman wearing platforms and flowers (7) DAISIES {DAIS{I}ES}

17 Nothing special and, at heart, a bit of a git (2-3-2) SO-AND-SO {SO SO} over {AND}
18 A mountainous place, Cuba, a mountainous place (7) CUMBRIA {C}{UMBRIA}
19 Is it a tree? Yes. A shrub? Also yes. Hardy? … not quite (6) LAUREL [MD]
22 Lost part of Great Seal (2,3) AT SEA [T]

Reference List
Bold = B, Volunteer soldiers = TA, Yes in German = JA, Fine = F, Learner = L, Seconds = S, Italian = IT, Australian = A, Cuba = C