No 12921, Tuesday 28 Apr 2020, Gridman

Day No 35 of 40 Stay safe at home

Solution to 12A has been deliberately left unsolved and is to be answered only by a non-regular/novice commenter, with proper annotation. Those who have answered yesterday give others a chance.

ACROSS
1   Beginning to cut vastra to make ties (7) CRAVATS {Cut}{VASTRA*}

5   Notice man with lady unnoticed — that’s proper! (6) SEEMLY {SEE}{M}{LadY}
9   Mule disturbed by ultimately clever mammal (5) LEMUR {MULE*}{c...eR}

10 Winner — one who attracts endlessly in French region (9) CHAMPAGNE {CHAMP}{mAGNEt}
11 True, one goes astray on the way (2,5) EN ROUTE*
12 With expert losing his head, you in France become twitchy (7) N?R?O?S (Addendum - NERVOUS {oNER}{VOUS} - See comments)
13 It’s about Communist being worn out (5) TIRED {IT<=}{RED}
14 Somehow gains learner-fellows as railway employees to help train movement (9) SIGNALMEN {GAINS*}{L}{MEN}
16 Record-keeper stern over substance given to rebel leader (9) REGISTRAR {RE{GIST}{Re..l}AR}
19 Principally some Narikuravars are registering low growl (5) SNARL Acrostic
21 Runaway famille in disgrace (3,4) ILL FAME*
23 Newly-weds get some controls, reportedly (7) BRIDALS (~bridles)
24 Tied up with a kind of test over one newspaper article (9) EDITORIAL {TIED*}{OR{1}AL}
25 Show each in the middle of road (5) OPERA {rO{PER}Ad}
26 A smuggler’s beginning to transport charm (6) AMULET {A}{MULE}{Tr...t}
27 Light in fine sort of fabric (7) INFLAME {IN}{F}{LAME}

DOWN
1   Molest cleric to repair rare object (10,4) COLLECTORS ITEM*
2   Married exotic lover (7) ADMIRER*
3   Stuck on the bottom of the sea? There’s a reason! (7) AGROUND {A}{GROUND}
4   Fame to other hungry one who follows (9) SUCCESSOR {SUCCESS}{OtheR}
5   Well at one new country (5) SPAIN {SPA}{1}{N}

6   Marie runs around odd poor shops (7) EMPORIA {EM{PoOr}RIA*}
7   The French bride man’s enough space to stretch (7) LEGROOM {LE}{GROOM}
8   Each child, least bothered, consumed what’s left (8,6)  PERSONAL ESTATE {PER}{SON}{LEAST*}{ATE}
15 US soldier passes over a coarse Italian leader (9) GARIBALDI {G{A}{RIBALD}I}

17 Girl has a short think-up over one element (7) GALLIUM {GAL}{MU{1}Ll<=}
18 Fuel gets a company all-round mark of approval (3,4) SEA COAL {SE{A}{CO}AL}
19 Pins incidental benefit? (4-3) SPIN-OFF {PINS}* [RA]
20 Promenade sees a boy and a dame exercising (7) ALAMEDA {AL}{A}{DAME*}
22 Be a type of discriminator without a trace of shame (5) EXIST sEXIST

Reference List
Man = M, You in French = VOUS, Learner = L, Fine = F, Well = SPA, New = N, The in French = LE, US Soldier = GI, Company = CO, Boy = AL

Dr RKE's TalePiece

Bianca Raimondi, an OPERA singer, had chosen a red GARIBALDI for her BRIDAL attire, instead of the traditional white dress. This tradition had EXISTEd in her family as some generations ago, a woman from her family had been a Red shirt in the First Italian Independance War. Her ADMIRER, Jose ALAMEDA, owned a chain of EMPORIA, selling COLLECTOR'S ITEMs from SPAIN. He was wearing  a SEEMLY red CRAVAT to match with his bride's dress. Being understandably NERVOUS before the big event, he had to bolster his confidence with some CHAMPAGNE before leaving home to the office of the REGISTRAR of marriages. The drive would have normally taken only 20 minutes, but today, of all days, there was a traffic SNARL EN ROUTE. There was no way his PERSONAL vehicle, a huge ESTATE car could find ROOM to wiggle out of the choc-a-bloc traffic. SIGNALMEN to whom he explained his plight were helpless as a huge truck had run AGROUND and it would be 2 hours before it was cleared. Growing TIRED of waiting, he decided to LEG it to the venue. He arrived panting and in an INFLAMEd state of mind but the moment he saw the angelic face of his bride, his nerves were soothed. Those who have never fallen in love, will never understand the chemistry of such a magical transformation. Its power is far greater than any magical AMULET!