The Sunday Crossword No 3146, Sunday 18 Apr 2021

ACROSS

1   Protect two companies? Almost; one (6) COCOON {CO}{CO}{ONe}

4   M. le Président, missing mother, drinks fizz to become resolute (4-4) CAST-IRON {maC{ASTI}RON}

9   Museum for the blind? (6) LOUVRE [DD]

10 Playwright, Shaw, not half confusing reading, mostly (8) SHERIDAN {SHaw}{READINg*}

12 In a little Nissan, Guinevere is cheerful (8) SANGUINE [T]

13 Spout about aliens: 'They're often seen in the sky' (3,3) JET SET {J{ETS}ET}

15 Young and wary, woo nervously in song (2,4,3,3) GO YOUR OWN WAY {YOUNG+WARY+WOO}* 

18 Superintendent Kerr: 'Folks, cow has run amok' (5,2,5)  CLERK OF WORKS*

21 Everyman's wearing, on and off, clergy's distinctive garb (6) LIVERY {cL{IVE}eRgY}

22 Some forks I'd picked up in the northeast (8) TYNESIDE (~ tines i'd)

24 Butler's conveying luggage at first: I'm grateful, that's capital (8) VALLETTA {VA{Lu..e}LET}{TA}

25 Moistens black turnip after flipping (6) BEDEWS {B}{SWEDE<=}

26 With Pence gone, White House inhabitant's now a kind of doctor (8) RESIDENT pRESIDENT

27 Exceedingly determined inventor; salesman of note, primarily? (6) EDISON Acrostic &lit

DOWN

1   It's heard on radio: 'In California, 50 N American soldiers rising' (4,4) CALL SIGN {CAL}{L}{GIS<=}{N}

2   Relishes chance to slyly hit you up, nervous, excited, initially aroused (8) CHUTNEYS {Anagrammed acrostic)

3   Victorian novel in which Spooner solicits orange healer? (3,6,6) OUR MUTUAL FRIEND (~ our fruit'll mend)

5   Desire fish in East End (4) ACHE (HAKE pronounced as 'AKE by Cockneys)

6   Rudely, they wakened deer needing longer rest (5-3,7) THREE-DAY WEEKEND*

7   Spoke up, at first ignored, wanting hot veg (6) RADISH {RADIuS}{H}

8   Degree of precision: 'Number ... not 100 ... bit less than 100' (6) NINETY NI(-c+n)NETY

11 Fuss about nothing, principally, arriving from South in principality (7) ANDORRA {DO}<=>{Ab..t}{No...g} and {ARR<=}

14 Opposite motorway, under a Gormley (7) ANTONYM {ANTONY}{M}

16 Personal ones may wear these! (8) TRAINERS [DD]

17 Announces only a little blusher's intended to be seen (6,2) USHERS IN [T]

19 Musical old organ (6) OLIVER {O}{LIVER}

20 Tuvalu's topless resort with fleshy bodies (6) UVULAS tUVALUS*

23 School kept going with odd absences (4) ETON {kEpT+gOiNg}

Reference List

Company = CO, Mother = MA, Alien = ET, I'm grateful = TA, Black = B, Pence = P, 50 = L, Hot = H, Number = N, 100 = C, Arriving = ARR, Motorway = M, Old = O