ACROSS

7.  Blows causing disturbed rests but all right inside (7)
8.  Priests can possibly tell military ranks (7)
10.  Promoters find nothing lost in giving spoons to the army rankers (8)
11.  Takes the healthy direction of many to begin with and lives there (6)
12.  Head of a city master alters payment to the author (9)
13.  This is designed to put right inside a garment (5)
15.  Fruits and many eats distributed (5)
16.  Combine with the one dropped in the new regime (5)
20.  A trifle warm though out of step idiomatically (5)
21.  A business concern possibly meant to be right under the sky (9)
23.  Left inside the violent horse all others being younger (6)
24.  Establishes connection with persons exposed to contagion? (8)
25.  Often many a master displays defect in speaking (7)
26.  Inherited traits or tendencies right among different saints (7)

DOWN

1.  Idealistic turn given to cultivated pain (7)
2.  While on this, caught by warning sounds of an insoluble problem (5,2,1,7)
3.  The French on a day don't start wrong ideas to have soft drinks (9)
4.  Room to apply your mind (5)
5.  Make a gift of wild animals to disclose a secret (4,3,4,4)
6.  Feel sorry for the departure in short of traditional learning (7)
9.  A brew of tea is ideal to produce a place for building (1,4)
14.  Order of merit takes a new neat end (9)
17.  Fed up with not being in time to let the air out (7)
18.  To speak in an affected way in a hundred put me out (5)
19.  A brand of coffee brought out this month (7)
22.  Kind of trees that can guide (5)

SOLUTIONS TO CROSSWORD 1174

ACROSS

5. Chastisement 9. Reminder 10. Abides 11. Sty 12. Confiscated 14. Duress 15. Spread 19. Vindication 22. Cap 24. Centre 25. Abattoir 26. Breathtaking

DOWN

1. Accepted 2. Patio 3. Smears 4. Indicated 6. Tedious 7. Straff 8. Mere 13. Creditors 16. Pro rata 17. Drawings 18. Attach 20. Idea 21. Chenab 23. Attic.