No 13873, Wednesday 24 May 2023, Dr. X

Solution to 5A 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.

Open for anyone to answer, if not solved by 1 PM.

ACROSS

1   Discouraged to drink and drive (8) DOWNCAST {DOWN}{CAST}

5   Make-up is marvellous, most gorgeous (6) ?A?R?C (Addendum - FABRIC {FAB}{RICh} - See comments))

10 Toxin in container broken by clumsy lout (7) BOTULIN {B{LOUT*}IN}

11 Destruction caused by reactionary men in rebellious row (7) EROSION {E{OR<=}SION<=}

12 Students he encouraged showing brilliance (5) SHEEN [T]

13 Einstein's analysis about essence of gravity is thorough (9) INTENSIVE {EINSTEIN}* over {graVity}

14 Runs after girl abducted by monstrous hoodlum in confusion (6-6) HUGGER-MUGGER {R}<=>{HU{G}GE} and {MUGGER}

18 Take a gem deviously with a plan and escape (4,1,7) MAKE A GETAWAY {TAKE+A+GEM}*{A}{WAY}

21 Like to embrace girl hurt about making a bloomer (9) AMARYLLIS {A{MARY}{ILL<=}S}

23 Contradict opinion endlessly (5) BELIE BELIEf

24 Exceptionally strong guy working with head of Mossad in Middle Eastern country (4,3) IRON MAN {IR{ON}{Mo...d}AN}

25 Juice is fresh and cold, a little tangy (7) EXTRACT {EXTRA}{C}{Ta..y}

26 Harry returned to pick up old article about Australian lizard (6) GOANNA {NA{O}G<=}{AN<=}

27 Greedy head of monarchs ousted, mutineers went berserk (8) ESURIENT mUTINEERS*

DOWN

1   Shame seabed's polluted (6) DEBASE*

2   Top opener for Bangladesh dismissed after wicket gets more damp (6) WETTER {bETTER}<=>{W}

3   Stop unionist interrupting visit at a plant (9) CALENDULA {CAL{END}{U}L}{A}

4   Crime lord on launch filled with drugs gets a sense of dread (7,7) SINKING FEELING {SIN}{KING}{F{EE}LING}

6   Nut in a cereal (5) ACORN {A}{CORN}

7   Wild girls in American bars (8) RAILINGS {GIRLS+IN+A}*

8   Container by mistake taken by British Airways to capital city (8) CANBERRA {CAN}{B{ERR}A}

9   What one will find in previous TH publication - person who's no longer of interest (10,4) YESTERDAYS NEWS [DD]

15 Brutal old rogue snatching article in capital city (4,5) ULAN BATOR {BRUTAL+O}* over {AN}

16 Intoxicated German is slurring (8) SMEARING*

17 Good Buddhist monk outside house in American state (8) OKLAHOMA {OK}{LA{HO}MA}

19 Will perhaps sleep around afternoon (6) PLEASE {PLE{A}SE*}

20 Old tenor welcomed by band, a group of six musicians (6) SEXTET {S{EX}{T}ET}

22 Male on vacation overwhelmed by lust in Arabic country (5) YEMEN {YE{MalE}N}

Reference List

Men = OR, Runs = R, Girl = G, Cold = C, Old = O, Article = AN, Wicket = W, Unionist = U, Drug = E, American = A, Old = O, House = HO, Afternoon = A, Tenor = T