The Sunday Crossword No 3182, Sunday 26 Dec 2021,

All the best to the IXL Finalists.

Rangoli by Gowri

ACROSS

1   £51 uncle's blown, consuming hot 'meals' that are really just booze (6,7) LIQUID LUNCHES {L1 QUID}{LUNC{H}ES*}

8   Opposed to Protestantism to some extent (4) ANTI [T]

9   Time one German given clubs (he's a golfer) (5,5) TIGER WOODS {T}{1}{GER}{WOODS}

10 Work party (6) LABOUR [DD]

11 PM's body parts in Spooner's speech (3,5) TED HEATH (~ head teeth)

12 Message in very odd parts of zodiac wanting flipping Everyman to irritate (5,4) VOICE MAIL {V}{zOdIaC}{ME<=}{AIL}

14 Cheerful boy, by George (to begin with) (4) GLAD {LAD}<=>{G}

15 Primarily, someone honouring 'Infallible Ali'? (4) SHIA Acrostic &lit

16 Dishes sent back: long time, wait with only sides cleared off (9) DELFTWARE {ERA}{WaiT}{FLED}<=

20 'Curse of marijuana' – the Mail (8) ANATHEMA [T]

21 Indecent bridal pants (6) RIBALD*

23 Star, Ringo perhaps, announced: 'Good, EU's beginning to evaporate' (10) BETELGEUSE {(~beatle)BETEL}{G}{EUS}{Ev...e}

24 Nurse's backside (4) REAR [DD]

25 Little wrinkles, removing head in butchery jobs (8,5) LAUGHTER LINES {sLAUGHTER}{LINES}

DOWN

1   Behold! 'New joke' at first originated in ancient past (4-3) LONG-AGO {LO}{N}{GAG}{Or...d}

2   Low-carb diet's sound in Ecuador's capital (5) QUITO (~keto)

3   Italian footballers on WhatsApp, perhaps finding caretaker (7) INTERIM {INTER}{IM}

4   Easy reading – e.g. taut thriller – I ordered (5,10) LIGHT LITERATURE*

5   Regularly suppressing anger round a poet (6) NERUDA {aNgEr+RoUnD}{A}

6   What you may get when boxed salad accommodates a little ethical principle (6,3) HOOKES LAW {HOOK}{Et...l}{SLAW}

7   On drugs, southern English getting old-fashioned (7) SEDATED {S}{E}{DATED}

13 Citron mixed with water in French drink (9) COINTREAU {CITRON*}{EAU}

15 Fish from south not available in W Yorks city (4,3) SAND EEL {LEED{NA}S}<=

17 The French female admitting mistake, largely shown up – seriously! (3,4) FOR REAL {LA}{ERROr}{F}<=

18 Scrappy Sea Lord arms cannon again? (7) RELOADS*

19 Giving up iodine, lighten up for duration (6) LENGTH LiGHTEN*

22 How Hermione had a child, a poet (5) BYRON {BY RON}

Reference List

51 = L1, Pound = QUID, Hot = H, Time = T, Clubs = WOODS, Good = G, New = N, Southern = S, English = E, Water in French - EAU, The in French = LA, Female = F, Iodine = I