Sunday’s puzzle

1, 24 Down & 12 Down For Peter, death was to be natural – Ivy bungled a few dreadfully (2,7,3,9)

8 Bill’s attached to Lemper with an accent (5)

9 Olympian’s skill transformed the semi (7)

11 Takes right turn towards Sinead Kerr? (6)

12 Confident of being right amidst sad disarray (7)

13 & 21 Across One acting in scene on yarn’s unravelling…(4,7)

14 …by way of being implicated in “The Aviator” (3)

17 Chair doesn’t finish in the main (3)

18 A palindromic time (4)

21 See 13 Across

23 It’s not us who have two points for the motifs (6)

24 Drinks manufacturer hides the Spanish casks (7)

25 Subject the First Lady to scrutiny by an old  magistrate (5)

26 You won’t retire comfortably with this dark horse! (9)

DOWN:

2 More than one grass is breaking ranks (5)

3 Dismal women – old – exercise futilely under loss leaders (6)

4 & 15 Down Defeat embraces nurse, getting point of city (3,7)

5 Look for no retreat for Americans (7)

6 A panto character, yet joining heavyweights (7)

7 Concealed a railway from office worker (9)

10 Encountered one setback in article (4)

12 See 1 Across

15 See 4 Down

16 A quartet of fellows, on the phone, are in charge of the workers (7)

19 A party’s reprise with mixer (4)

20 A neat county (6)

22 King might be used to draw the line? (5)

24 See 1 Across

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION:

Across 3 & 16 Down, Skeleton keys. 8, Cher. 9, Legal costs. 10, Urge. 11, Ants. 13, Alain. 17 & 2 Down, Take it or leave it. 18, Eludes. 19, Taste. 22, Isis. 24, Iraq. 25, Terra Firma. 26, Note. 27, Settlers.

Down 1 & 23 Down, Third Party. 2, See 17 Across. 4, Keats. 5, Lucia. 6, Tosca. 7, Nosiness. 12, Tote. 14, Louisiana. 15, Statutes. 16, See 3 Across. 20, Sprat. 21, Email. 22, Icier. 23, See 1 Down.

Our Prize Crossword competition features in Spectrum magazine each week. See Spectrum, Page 33