8-across – Disease of horses in Belgium : GLANDERS

9-across – Muslim scholars’ rule may be disclosed : ULEMA

10-across – Leave clothes : QUIT

11-across – Beast’s owner gets a sovereign and a penny : LORDCOPPER

12-across – Wave tree : WILLOW

14-across – One with lute, B playing — that would be B flat : BLUENOTE

15-across – Condense bird : CHICKEN

17-across – Denial of nearly failing mind : DEMENTI

20-across – Pirate doesn’t finish nasty beer : VILLAGER

22-across – Particular arrest : DETAIL

23-across – Rising and tapering, saying No to 11 : UPTOAPOINT

24-across – Measure in Lorraine : METZ

25-across – Son of Welsh expert on test to see if wanted : APPRO

26-across – Southern states news: a horse given a girl’s name : SUSANNAH

1-down – Student comes in about teatime with a showy gesture : FLOURISH

2-down – Join one : KNIT

3-down – Cowardly cry : BELLOW

4-down – Attribute : ASCRIBE

5-down – Flat point : JUNCTURE

6-down – Divorcee maybe down : DESPONDENT

7-down – Visible invisible : PATENT

13-down – Connections with exchanges: see phone conversation — I shouldn’t have said that! : LOCALLOOPS

16-down – Spur to cuddle little helper at breakfast : EGGSPOON

18-down – Knight of romance on reported date with male : TRISTRAM

19-down – Regretful agreement of doctor is a requirement : FRAIDSO

21-down – With marquetry feature, keeping quiet, being out of touch? : INPLAY

22-down – Hate of foreign international : DETEST

24-down – Setter’s saucebox : MINX

1-across – Shakespearean wind-up : BELCH

4-across – Catalogue not allowed, dead : TABULATE

8-across – Those under trousers, though not under discussion? : UNMENTIONABLES

10-across – Come on, it’s miserable — so get smiley? : EMOTICON

11-across – See 5 : BUSTER

12-across – Musician’s heartbreak? : ORGANSTOP

15-across – Odd bits from bush by this compiler’s feet : IAMBS

17-across – Partially motorised, a nursing chair carried : SEDAN

18-across – Plant short grass alongside earth, perhaps : PLANETREE

19-across – Touring players given starter of ravioli in endless syrup : TROUPE

21-across – Poor child’s heading off to fill barrel to the sound of a cash register! : KERCHING

24-across – Optical illusions with anagram — pathos, I gathered : PHANTASMAGORIA

25-across – Pay to drink ale? On the contrary, don’t pay! : FREEBOOT

26-across – Romantic gift excites, but not you : ROSES

1-down – Octogenarian performer requiring check-up — perhaps he’s forty? : BRUCEFORSYTH

2-down – Born premier in Messiahs, encapsulated by animal : LAMBOFGOD

3-down – Fringes of party banned language : HINDI

4-down – Bald tyre initially at­tached, in suggestion work needed : THINONTOP

5-down – Novel where it’s not entirely nuts to squeeze breasts? : BONK

6-down – I trouble a revolutionary to become possible socialist? : LABOURITE

7-down – Comment from budgie to swallow, said swiftly? : TWEET

9-down – In confusion, forgets to collect daughter and young lady? It’s not clear : FROSTEDGLASS

13-down – A few coppers agreeable, imprisoning Gateshead writer : NINEPENCE

14-down – Possible arrangement to eat fish at Muslim’s property : PRAYERMAT

16-down – Party like gunmen in war : MARDIGRAS

20-down – Different native beheaded : OTHER

22-down – Cloth, I see, going up in smoke : CIGAR

23-down – County date that should appear as April 30? : MAYO

1-across – Get rid of mess from small — very small — dog : SWEEPUP

5-across – Trench mortar, signalled, came to 1,000 odd : TOCEMMA

9-across – Chimney in an establishment that shows brightness : LUMINANCE

10-across – A scared demon? : AFRIT

11-across – Too necessary part in choral society : ALSO

12-across – Killing in bygone territorial army style : BAYONETING

14-across – Old maker of music about stream : REBECK

15-across – See 18 : ITALIAN

16-across – Successive notes among followers in part exchange : TRADEIN

18-across – Drink has trap with it : GINAND

20-across – Endless Irish tact in work of crude style : INARTISTIC

21-across – Throw up s-seat : SPEW

24-across – Musical approach for sequel to 18 left in seat : TONIC

25-across – Sequel to 18, making it 3, infuriates stout characters keeping half-hearted rabbit inside : ANGOSTURA

26-across – See 25 : BITTERS

27-across – Authority for queen in old king’s nest site : ROOKERY

1-down – See 24 : SOLFA

2-down – Sesame seed appears around end of season in bulk : ENMASSE

3-down – Huntsman … : PINK

4-down – … holding up taxi, getting seasoner drunk, to pay close attention : PINBACKONESEARS

5-down – Writer from the fringe : THEMOVINGFINGER

6-down – Superior housekeeper in conversation with the lily maid : CHATELAINE

7-down – 18 15 — swallow one! : MARTINI

8-down – Girl keeps Manx cat as part of healing process : ANTIGEN

13-down – Container for mushroom in claret cooked on earth : RECEPTACLE

16-down – Queen abandons season but returns, going round to do the washing : TWINTUB

17-down – Once more the good guy’s in opposition : AGAINST

19-down – Writer turning to melody in Holst’s work : NEPTUNE

22-down – Tired, ie be clothed, with the unknown? : WEARY

23-down – Large request to look at capital : OSLO

8-across – Feline and ovine creat­ures with number prefixed in mathematical chart : NOMOGRAM

9-across – Good number absorbing book about safety device : AIRBAG

10-across – Reluctant to jettison origin of profanity : OATH

11-across – Non-PC brat set to caper about? : STREETARAB

12-across – Closer to making comeback, played again without drug : NEARER

14-across – One’s taken in by spell — a politician needs this : CHARISMA

15-across – Bunk off, keeping distance, to engage in dangerous sport : SKYDIVE

17-across – Import from 9, a genetically modified crop : MEANING

20-across – Dotty way of prophesying : GEOMANCY

22-across – Situation for sculpture caused standing row : COLUMN

23-across – Sitting on fence, alleged drunkard said to have switched on inside light : NEUTRALITY

24-across – The president’s wing : SIDE

25-across – That’s the lot! Home and drink a round! : INTOTO

26-across – Coral & Co breaking an oath about Australia : ANTHOZOA

1-down – Git, a plonker, seller of pop : SODAJERK

2-down – Fish without a lake : LOCH

3-down – Elizabeth playing herself as The Obliterator : ERASER

4-down – Welcome figure finally: 1002? : EMBRACE

5-down – Post-expressionist not brave? : PALEFACE

6-down – Mad Italian love claiming rights, as unreasonable : IRRATIONAL

7-down – Ally in war, killer : NAPALM

13-down – What The Good Shepherd gave new temp in De Niro characterisation? : REDEMPTION

16-down – Very appropriate location for Ali G after one? : VINDALOO

18-down – Pardon me, misguidedly mentioning star : NAMEDROP

19-down – Jaundiced Charlie modelled in clay : CYNICAL

21-down – In pursuit of the old elected government: Conservative, at last, on top : EYEING

22-down – Holding a trivial matter up, Olympics’ chief makes howler : COYOTE

24-down – Old cobbler has no blue dresses : SNOB

1-across – First of burners turned on, so warmer? : BRANDY

4-across – Analyses dumb ladies? : ASSESSES

9-across – What’s odd about river? It’s Britain’s longest : SEVERN

10-across – Some 19 with hoops : HULAHULA

11-across – In which constant blurring of laconic narrations so rectified, mistake ultimately forgotten? : CORRECTIONSAND

13-across – Sentence like that entered into computer accessory, ending in bum : PRISONTERM

14-across – See 19 : BEAR

16-across – Northern European circuit on the radio? : LAPP

18-across – Passionate description of some crows devouring rusty bolt : HOTBLOODED

21-across – See 11 : CLARIFICATIONS

23-across – Strong resistance to break off engagement, might one say? : DEFIANCE

24-across – Two in pool get the urge : LIBIDO

25-across – Mined particles, hardened diamonds found in blast : GOLDDUST

26-across – Compete to eat what’s laid, one wouldn’t eat the layer? : VEGGIE

1-down – Sculpture more than chipped? : BUST

2-down – Temperature taken from worryingly volatile air sacs : ALVEOLI

3-down – Development here, where catastrophe claims vessel on far edge of weir : DARKROOM

5-down – Country girl steals car, then bachelor nicks one : SAUDIARABIA

6-down – Girl in denial eventually flipped : ELAINE

7-down – Right half of visa application, nothing if not one? : SAUSAGE

8-down – Sod in London area given wine, slurred : SLANDERED

12-down – Judge and I lost in poetic justice, unfortunately destroyed : CUTTOPIECES

13-down – Trained poodle? Corgi? Or not! : POLICEDOG

15-down – Its opposite in 3, for sure : POSITIVE

17-down – Light-hearted, fly off with me? : PLAYFUL

19-down – Russian performer on which 22 or 16, we hear? : DANCING

20-down – Super speller : WIZARD

22-down – Central European at the far north or south? : POLE