Inquisitor 1599

[Ripper]

Please can some kind person help with the following clues (sorry not many letters)Wordplay yields an extra letter not put in grid.
21 across: Number with piles tends towards smallest variation among the ancient (5) ?EA?? 20 down: Chief of Staff cycling, criminally awful, one in trouble with DA? (8) ????F??? 25 down: Villa's one short after foul by winger gutted another one (7) ????I?L
The one word I have for the quotation (8 letters long) I can't find in my ODQ (perhaps mine is out of date? it's the fourth edition)
Thanks in advance.

[biggus56]

21ac 'Number' + 'piles' (with extra letter) = the rest of the clue. Think tides.
20dn Abbrev for 'Chief of Staff' "cycled" - write the letters in a circle, pick a different starting point and go round in the same direction; add 'awful' criminally (but there's an extra letter), and I laugh in the face of your laws.
25dn 'Villa' - make it "one short" and lose an extra letter. Precede that with "foul" 'by' + 'winger' gutted. Get another "winger".
Hope that's not too long-winded.

[Neveracrossword]

Ripper, the 8-letter word isn't a great help, but the longer word before it is! (I'm hoping you have the same, correct 8-letter word).

[Ripper]

Thank you biggus56 & Neveracrossword. I'm now nearly there, but need a bit of help on the two that are in Collins. 20across: Green alga's ruined your sauna (6) (extra letter is A.) S?NU?A. 2 down Delightful old ornamental stand acquired by flower-girl (6) L?E?L? (extra letter N) Also 6 across Heaven at last is springtime in Shetland with first of guillemots about (6) SV?RGA is it svArga or svErga ? (extra letter O) both words mean heaven.
Thanks again

[Neveracrossword]

Ripper, glad we could help.
I think 6 has to be Svarga - Voar is springtime in Shetland, then the O is lost. 2 D is Liefly . Nef was the flower-stand, lose the N and put the Ef inside Lily. 20 is Synura - anagram of 'sauna' and 'yr', your, with an A dropped.

[Ripper]

Thank you So much Neveracrossword, think I'll request a Collins for my birthday pressy!

[Neveracrossword]

Glad I could help, Ripper.