No 13742, Wednesday 21 Dec 2022, Dr. X

Margazhi Day 6 Rangoli by Gowri

Solution to 1A has been deliberately left unsolved and is to be answered only by a non-regular / novice commenter, with proper annotation. Those who have answered earlier in the week, please give others a chance.

ACROSS

1   Director shortly hiring one to manage cinematographic apparatus (8) B?O?C?P?  (Addendum - BIOSCOPE {B{1}OSs}{COPE} - See comments)

5   Fish is fresh bass and trout (6) TURBOT {B+TROUT*}

10 Approach century, playing with skill (7) CONTACT {C}{ON}{TACT}

11 One interfering with Mexico's top drug dealer, beheaded (7) MEDDLER {Me...o}{pEDDLER}

12 Tenor enthralled by simple rhythm (5) METRE {ME{T}RE}

13 Places for young children to race around on cycle (9) NURSERIES {RUN<=}{SERIES}

14 Application by insolent model wanting divorce (12) PERSEVERANCE {REP*}{SEVERANCE} (Correction - {PERt}{SEVERANCE} - See comments)

18 What to do with football before taking penalty kick to give trouble (3,2,3,4) PUT ON THE SPOT [DD]

21 Manage to acquire launch and go off to travel widely (5-4) GLOBE-TROT {G{LOB}ET}{ROT}

23 Probe a harridan conducting a form of witchcraft (5) OBEAH [T]

24 Fuss about noisy student wanting fruit (7) AVOCADO {A{VOCAl}DO}

25 Old relatives, briefly on vacation in Japanese prefecture (7) OKINAWA {O}{KIN}{AWAy}

26 Sick tot held by woman becoming more febrile (6) HOTTER {H{TOT*}ER}

27 Problem reviewed, tackled by expert group (8) ASSEMBLE {A{MESS<=}BLE}

DOWN

1   Worker stealing company man's suit (6) BECOME {BE{CO}{M}E}

2   Fancy mineral aggregate turned brown inside (6) ORNATE {OR{TAN<=}E}

3   Creature over top of hedge, one in disguise? (9) CHAMELEON {C{He..e}AMEL}{ONE*} Semi&lit

4   Be sure of misleading hot sirens in deception (3,4,5,2) PUT ONES SHIRT ON {HOT+SIRENS}* in {PUT ON}

6   Unnecessary feud, nuisance to tackle in retrospect (5) UNDUE [T]

7   Europeans stay with gals in building (8) BELGIANS {BE}{GALS+IN}*

8   Punishes harshest criminal (8) THRASHES*

9   Vamps and scamps entertaining a visitor on trips (14) IMPROVISATIONS {IMP{A+VISITOR+ON}*S}

15 Hold ring up in ceremony to show gemstone (9) RHODOLITE {HOLD+O}* in {RITE}

16 Inscription, say, about Greek character playing harp (8) EPIGRAPH {E{PI}G}{HARP*}

17 Brawny old con entering caught the eye (5,3) STOOD OUT {STO{O{DO}UT}

19 Couch, primarily unclean, covered by a black smear (6) BEDAUB {BED}{A}{Un...n}{B}

20 Trail outside hotel in ancient European region (6) THRACE {T{H}RACE}

22 Remove erratic seamer leaking many (5) ERASE SEAmER*

Reference List

Bass = B, Century = C, Tenor = T, Model = T, Student = L, Old = O, Company = CO, Man = M, Old = O, Black = B, Hotel = H, Many = M