No 2751, Sunday 11 Aug 2013

ACROSS
1   Amazing acrostic about a country (5,4) COSTA RICA {COST{A} RICA*}

6   Bitter note (5) SHARP [DD]
9   Regular time for episode (5) EVENT {EVEN}{T}
10 Actor, terrible at reading (9) TRAGEDIAN*
11 Defiant remark from habitual drunkard present (2,5) SO THERE {SO T}{HERE}
12 Speaker at rear of lady chapel (7) ORATORY {ORATOR}{ladY}
13 Queen attending stage play (8,7) VICTORIA STATION {VICTORIA}{STATION}
15 It bore forbidden fruit - in legend, fewer took bananas (4,2,9) TREE OF KNOWLEDGE*
18 Elected barrister to sum up (2,5) IN BRIEF {IN} {BRIEF}
20 Manipulates western points of view (7) WANGLES {W}{ANGLES}
22 French chemist varies oil output (9) LAVOISIER*
23 Writer about to leave house (5) BINGO {BIN<=}{GO}
24 Clergyman caught on immediately (5) CANON {C}{ANON}
25 Heels were broken in another place (9) ELSEWHERE*

DOWN
1   Game show (5) CHESS [DD?] Second meaning not clear if this is a DD
2   Show place sect rebuilt (9) SPECTACLE*
3   Fashion trade company's style of interior design (3,4) ART DECO {ART DE}*{CO}
4   Banged up often, I'm close to parole, and not a moment too soon (2,3,4,2,4) IN THE NICK OF TIME {IN THE NICK} {OF T}{I'M}{parolE}
5   Not knowing what to say, unable to go at Scrabble? (2,1,4,3,5) AT A LOSS FOR WORDS [DD]
6   Composer from Wales met an arranger (7) SMETANA [T]
7   I start to support a married friend (5) AMIGO {A}{M}{I}GO}
8   Girl, possibly ten, describing a type of poker (5,4) PENNY ANTE {PENNY} {A}{TEN}*
13 Uncommonly civil about threesome, or biting (9) VITRIOLIC {VI{TRIO}LIC*}
14 No decline, unfortunately, in laziness (9) INDOLENCE*
16 Work in one, on view (7) OPINION {OP}{IN}{1}{ON}
17 Weapon made from pine - hollow base missing (7) LONGBOW {LONG}{BOWl}
19 Labour statesman getting head round onset of violence (5) BEVAN {BE{V}AN}
21 Vexed about contralto's first record (5) SCORE {S{C}ORE}