The Hindu Crossword 8203 Solutions - by Vinod & Rajagopal

Across
1 Hit back? It is oddly unfair (1,3,5) A BIT THICK (ana. HIT+BACK+IT)
5 English county creatures (5) BUCKS (Double Defn.)
8 Courage derived from a drink holder (6) BOTTLE (Double Defn.)
9 What an anonymous letter could be (8) UNSIGNED (Direct)
11 A measure that dear ones back (4) STEP (dear ones=PETS=>dear ones back = STEP)
12 A mean, blasé, corrupt sailor (4,6) ABLE SEAMAN (ana. A+MEAN+BLASE)
14 About a hip bone mentioned in a Swahili account (5) ILIAC (Container => SwahILI ACcount )
15 Germ cells that Georgia reportedly encounters (7) GAMETES (Georgia=GA, encounters=MEETS=>reportedly encounters=homonym of MEETS=METES => GA+METES)
16 One that arouses a keen manoeuvre in conflict (8) WAKENER (keen manoeuvre=ana. KEEN= KENE, conflict=WAR=>keen manoeuvre in conflict = WA(KENE)R)
17 Feeling remorse is universal in a band (5) RUING (universal=U, band=RING=>universal in a band = R(U)ING)
19 But for a southpaw his delivery would be the opposite (3,7) OFF SPINNER (Cryptic Defn.)
20 Heart of woman's winning service in club (4) MACE (Heart of woMan=M, winning service=ACE => M+ACE)
22 I quietly ignore rip in dressing gown (8) PEIGNOIR (ana. I+P(quietly)+IGNORE)
23 Bacon's piece that was more impetuous (6) RASHER (Double Defn.)
24 Girl who found Montana's capital not hard (5) ELENA (Montana's capital=HELENA, hard=H=>Montana's capital not hard = HELENA-H)
25 The art of getting stuffed! (9) TAXIDERMY (Cryptic Defn.)

Down
1 In the morning, a statesman is lying in wait (6) AMBUSH (morning=AM, a statesman=BUSH => AM+BUSH)
2 Another moment and it would have been too late (2,3,4,2,4) IN THE NICK OF TIME (Direct)
3 Note a couple of pounds in the cash box (4) TILL (Note=TI(Do,Re,Mi...), pounds=LL => TI+LL)
4 School for more pleasant garnet designing (12) KINDERGARTEN (more pleasant=KINDER, garnet designing=ana. GARNET = GARTEN)
5 The one to be married is a girl assisting another getting wed (10) BRIDESMAID (Direct)
6 Emigrant poacher who turned cameraman (15) CINEMATOGRAPHER (ana. EMIGRANT+POACHER)
7 Chants, about 499 short lines (7) SIDINGS (Chants=SINGS, 499=ID(in Roman)=>Chants, about 499 = S(ID)INGS)
10 Opposing reform, old boy's blunt around opponents (12) OBSCURANTIST (old boy's=OBS, blunt=CURT, opponents=ANTIS=>old boy's blunt around opponents = OBS+CUR(ANTIS)T)
13 Bear-like creature, huge, and protected by father (5,5) GIANT PANDA (Direct)
16 Joyous shout, we hope, is about love (7) WHOOPEE (ana. WE+HOPE+O(love))
18 Man with an affected interest in painting, for instance, is warm and unreserved (6) HEARTY (Man=HE, with an affected interest in painting=ARTY => HE+ARTY)
21 A poet reportedly embargoed (4) BARD (embargoed=BARRED, reportedly embargoed=homonym of BARRED = BARD)