Complete
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1 8 10 15 17 21 23 2 12 18 3 13 9 19 4 24 5 11 20 22 6 14 7 16
  1. 1a Medical condition caused by harmful bacteria in the blood (6)
  2. 4a Darker area (6)
  3. 8a Pale purple (5)
  4. 9a Diameter of a gun barrel (7)
  5. 10a ___ Lawson, cook (7)
  6. 11a American handbag — boxer's prize (5)
  7. 12a Flooded field for growing food-producing swamp grass (4,5)
  8. 17a Eight musicians as a group (5)
  9. 19a Region of south-west France between the Bay of Biscay and the Pyrenees (7)
  10. 21a With no duty (3-4)
  11. 22a Like the moon (5)
  12. 23a Exhausted (6)
  13. 24a Host city for the 1896 Olympics (6)
  14. 1d Signoret, de Beauvoir or Weil? (6)
  15. 2d One taking a dive (7)
  16. 3d Perfect in every way (5)
  17. 5d Adelphi (anag) — landing place (7)
  18. 6d Suspend (5)
  19. 7d Frankfurter (6)
  20. 9d Pale cream colour — map change (anag) (9)
  21. 13d Exclusive inner circle (7)
  22. 14d Cameroon's capital (7)
  23. 15d Spanish conquistador who toppled Montezuma, 1519 (6)
  24. 16d Mediterranean island country (6)
  25. 18d Poison (5)
  26. 20d Cut down the middle (5)