The Sunday Crossword No 3186, Sunday 23 Jan 2022

ACROSS

1   Not just any flyer for a movie? (3,7) THE AVIATOR {THE}{AVIATOR}

6   Russian ruler 'beats a retreat' ... bottles it (4) TSAR [T]

9   Employee appraisal at the House of Lords? (4,6) PEER REVIEW {PEER}{REVIEW} [CD]

10 Repelled a raven, largely predatory beast (4) ORCA {A}{CROw}<=

12 Deaf-ish nans treated, being well looked after (2,4,5) IN SAFE HANDS*

15 More sickly, kind of green, perhaps slalomer's heading off (7) PEAKIER {PEA}{sKIER}

16 Morally improved duke earlier, becoming exalted (7) DEIFIED {(+d)DE(-d)IFIED}

17 Artist's empty landscapes' sad lines (1,1,5) L S LOWRY {La...eS}{LOW}{RY}

19 Hates seeing sights with son not about (7) DETESTS DETE(-c+s)STS

20 A sad, a bleak king ordered pudding (5,6) BAKED ALASKA {A+SAD+A+BLEAK+K}*

23 In France, one is where courses take a long time to get through (4) UNIS {UN}{IS}

24 Hoping for an 'h' sound (10) ASPIRATION [DD]

25 Made pencil portrait of Andy (4) DREW [DD]

26 Brand new day, etc, for coward (7-3) SCAREDY-CAT {SCAR}{DAY+ETC}*

DOWN

1   Gratuities regularly shunned; at a push, Everyman will chip in (4) TIPS {aT+a+PuSh} over {I}

2   Days before, golfer becomes upset (4) EVES <= 

3   State broadcast assessed value of Wimbledon champ (8,4) VIRGINIA WADE {VIRGINIA}{WADE}(~weighed)

4   Guide daughter to wear a sun-blocker (7) ADVISOR {A}{D}{VISOR}

5   Lover Federer admits was excessively giving? (7) OVERFED [T]

7   Spirited grittiness, tough in the extreme (10) STRINGIEST*

8   To talk with enthusiasm in talk about hard earth is exhausting at first (10) RHAPSODISE {R{H}AP}{SOD}{IS}{Ex...g}

11 This acid rain alarmed campaigners (9,3) CHRISTIAN AID*

13 Mesmerized by Alexander Graham's weight, according to Spooner (10) SPELLBOUND (~bells pound)

14 Arrangement of elements: potassium, nickel, iron and silver, in part (5,5) TABLE KNIFE {TABLE}{K}{NI}{FE}

18 Membrane unusually scaly? OK ... (4-3) YOLK-SAC*

19 File 'requiring less effort', fancifully? (7) DOSSIER (dossing more = dossier)

21 Realize, after losing six balls: it's a record (4) DISC DISCover

22 Commonly, Norseman underestimating tides, primarily? (4) CNUT Acrostic Semi&lit

Reference List

Duke = D, Lines = RY(Railway), Son = S, About = C, King = K, One in French = UN, Daughter = D, Hard = H