No 12358, Monday 02 Jul 2018, Dr. X,

ACROSS
1   “We haven’t met for ages,” perhaps _enturies, say? (4,4,2,3) LONG TIME NO SEE {CENTURIES without C(~see)} Defintion by example?
8   Promotional feature on obscure book (5) BLURB {BLUR}{B}

9   Noticing a crafty female in disguise (9) INCOGNITA*
11 Reasonable judgement shown by one keeping lodger and lover apart (10) GUESTIMATE {GUEST}{1}{MATE}
12 Leave wife for glimpse of bombshell in advertisement (4) WILL (-b+w)WILL
14 Resolve stiffens to lose a bit of flab to achieve this? (7) FITNESS STIFfENS* Semi&lit
16 Bloomer! A big one, sadly (7) BEGONIA*

17 Proceeds to feel remorse for keeping cool (7) REVENUE {R{EVEN}UE} Even/Cool?
19 Ineffectual people on ecstasy and speed losing head with such frenzy (7) EUNUCHS {E}{rUN}{SUCH*}
21 Rude contemptible man in front of bar (4) CURT {CUR}{T}
22 Brusquely dismiss graduate bored by career with bank (5,5) BRUSH ASIDE {B{RUSH}A}{SIDE}
25 Pantry not yet filled up? (5,4) STILL ROOM [DD]
26 Subtle hint to embrace girl when it gets dark (5) NIGHT {NI{G}HT*}
27 Take a very bad risk! That will be devastating for litigant? (5,8) COURT DISASTER [DD]

DOWN
2   Well-to-do university student enthralled by well-known model (7) OPULENT {OP{U}{L}EN}{T}
3   Obese gent disturbed about wife’s liaisons (2-8) GO-BETWEENS {OBESE+GENT}* over {W}
4   Fool married for short time crying over spilt milk, say (5) IDIOM IDIO(-t+m)M
5   Passionate kiss involved in transformation of celibate (9) EXCITABLE {E{X}CITABLE*}
6   Sailor gyrating continuously at wild party (4) ORGY [T]
7   Dismissal of Republican turning into dire issue (7) EDITION {INTO+DIrE}*
8   Set of ingenious resources that a magician has (3,2,6) BAG OF TRICKS [C&DD]
10 What you get from laundry when nothing’s conceded by your team (1,5,5) A CLEAN SHEET [DD]
13 They advise some about life and relations! (5,5) AGONY AUNTS {A{GO}NY} {AUNTS} Semi&lit
15 Degeneration involved in endlessly wanting to sleep around! It’s considered offensive (9) SWEARWORD {WEAR} in {DROWSy}<=
18 Drinking a bit of rum, I’ve got weird light-headedness (7) VERTIGO {VE{Rum}TIGO*}
20 Start to secure far end of sail with grommet of rope (7) CRINGLE {CRING{saiL}E} That should have been Grommet 'for' rope not 'in,

23 Sportsmen who’ve problems going outside circle! (5) SUMOS {SUM{O}S} Semi&lit
24 Insult to drink noisily, not softly (4) SLUR SLURp

GRID

Bhargav's Talepiece

The bouncer and the dancer - Part 77

Let us look ACROSS and see what was happening at Shangri-la...

After sometime Clement felt that there was STILL ROOM for improvement. 

The present REVENUE did not meet his earlier GUESTIMATE. In the FITNESS of things the NIGHT life should be made more exciting thought he. It was with this intention that he had put up the BLURB about getting bare essentials. He WILL have to do something about it. 

By a strange coincidence a couple of EUNUCHS  arrived from INCOGNITA land. They approached him and started saying something like 'LONG TIME NO SEE' and wanted to dance in Shangri-la. They gloated about their earlier experience in the Alcazar cabaret.

Clement felt that such a move might make him COURT DISASTER. He was CURT to BRUSH ASIDE their request.

Somewhat frightened his reply was nonsensical: BEGONIA.

DOWN fall of Clement ? :

Clement later slept well patting himself for coming out with A CLEAN SHEET (he meant clean chit) and managing a VERTIGO. Thank God! He had used no SWEAR WORD while talking to them and hence no SLUR.

Some GO BETWEENS saw an opportunity. They were aware that Smith was also wanting to make his shows more OPULENT and EXCITABLE.  When they went to them with their proposal, Smith began with an IDIOM: You went barking up the wrong tree!

And thus Gemini came up with their new EDITION with the following additions: Two SUMOS, EriC RINGLE formerly of the Ringling Circus with his BAG OF TRICKS and another show named: O of the AA (to keep people guessing).

What happened next?