THC-crossword thread-6; 4 ans PP till 4 pm IST

[deepakgita]

ACROSS
1 Hit back with a weapon, so to speak (8)
5 Not a little upset with the Alaskan's state (6)
10 It's an instrument of good fortune that the fool's caged in (7)
11 Rent-a-party in case of bad weather (7)
12 Billet partly accommodating other ranks (5)
13 He gets one per cent interest ( compounded ) (9) RECIPIENT
14 I'd permit some changes in the afternoon (4,8) POST MERIDIEM
18 Restrain group without putting strain on the boy (12) STRAITJACKET
21 Pity the country's lost it — that burning ambition (9) PYROMANIA
23 The atmosphere inside the room (5)
24 Trap made Neanderthals overlook death (7)
N25 It will latch on to the page number in a large novel (7)
26 Tries some compositions (6)
27 Secret coteries could be formed (8)

DOWN
1 Blood suckers mostly follow local people (6)
2 Singer forced to step down (6)
3 All the more a vital priority to hold the rampart (1, 8)
4 It's hard to find wild growth in the urban centre (8,6)
6 A voyage with anchors aweigh (5)
7 Free to tease about a dish (5,3)
8 Give up after second question: when does the curtain rise? (8)
9 Cattle trades in financial markets (5,9)
15 Eglantine's kind of homely (9)
16 Number one bribe; the Frenchman gets volatile stuff... (8)
17 ...they provide support to the Frenchman during stops (8)
19 He complains of booze, gets high... it's never ending (6)
20 Play and run around (6)
22 Sound surprised about taste, it's substantial (5)