The Sunday Crossword No 3143, Sunday 28 Mar 2021

ACROSS

1   Book, slim part of Bible, poetry without rhyme (5,5) BLANK VERSE {B}{LANK}{VERSE} 

6   Man perhaps somewhat misleading (4) ISLE [T]

9   Where you can bet sailors will give you a purgative (5,5) EPSOM SALTS {EPSOM}{SALTS}

10 Tense? Regularly take garlic powder (4) TALC {T}{gArLiC}

12 Leg at start of exercise being given circular motion and elevation? (9,2) LIMBERING UP {LIMB}{Ex...e}{RING}{UP} &lit

15 Everyman is taking speed in Elvis' home (7) MEMPHIS {ME}{MPH}{IS}

16 Translation of 'Danger!' before tip of epée is seen? (2,5) EN GARDE {DANGER*}{Epee} Semi&lit

17 Chemists use these witty comebacks (7) RETORTS [DD]

19 Prime Minister that is 7-10 year-old (7) BROWNIE {BROWN}{IE}

20 Trophy from a ceramics moulding held aloft (8,3) AMERICAS CUP {A}{CERAMICS*}{UP}

23 Native Americans seeing bear-like characters every so often (4) ERIE {bEaR+lIkE}

24 Amassed much water and industrial kit (4-6) PILE-DRIVER {PILED}{RIVER}

25 Empty kettle and glass vessels (4) KEGS {Ke..lE}{Gl.sS}

26 Wayward youth is behind fiery eruption somewhere in C Europe (10) BRATISLAVA {BRAT}{IS}{LAVA}

DOWN

1   Auntie looking up and down (4) BEEB <=>

2   In despair, looking up, seeing part of church (4) APSE [T<=]

3   Imminent White House inhabitant treated shark malaria (6,6) KAMALA HARRIS*

4   Theologian enthralled by opera's musicality (7) ERASMUS [T]

5   Primarily, something offered to herald ending (rude expression!) (2,5) SO THERE Acrostic &lit

7   Amazing seeing the Queen in second act of vandalism (10) STAGGERING {S}{TAGG{ER}ING}

8   In disguise, he'd creep in sneakily (10) ENCIPHERED* 

11 Struggle in France to order foie gras pies (5,2,5) SIEGE OF PARIS*

13 Jumped-up master, having absorbed a smattering of learning, extremely 'clever Dick'! (5,5) SMART ALECK {SMART{A}{Le,,,g}E*}{Cl...cK} &lit

14 Parenting where 'son comes first' is suffocating (10) SMOTHERING {MOTHERING}<=>{S}

18 Wound up about one that's more fearsome (7) SCARIER {SCAR}{RE<=} over {1}

19 His most famous character is never performed in modern theatre (7) BECKETT [CD]

21 Whereby type of light starts to enter animals? (4) UVEA {UV}{En..r}{An...s} &lit

22 Topic like 'Bigger Moustaches in EastEnders' (4) AREA (~'airier)

Reference List

Book = B, Tense = T, Queen = ER, About = RE