The Sunday Crossword No 3281, Sunday 19 Nov 2023

ACROSS

1   Fall to the ground (touch of hydrophobia) (4) DROP [T]

3   Extremely dark sweatshirt worn (10) SWARTHIEST*

9   Soldiers, Italian, following peacekeepers (4) UNIT {IT}<=>{UN}

10 Teach a lesson in specialist area (10) DISCIPLINE [DD]

11 Feeling giddy before stakes amassed in sports venue (8,4) SWIMMING POOL {SWIMMING}{POOL}

15 Madness without Suggs at the front? It's meaningless (7) INANITY INsANITY

16 Twisted conceit: Tolkien's monster's a meanie (7) SCROOGE {EGO}{ORCS}<=

17 Ape with neck out of shape: it's a bone (7) KNEECAP {APE+NECK}*

19 A little ecstatic at a language that's spoken in Iberia (7) CATALAN [T]

20 Son has cloudy disposition in place of learning (6,6) SUNDAY SCHOOL*

23 Actors' performances, amateur, drawn out: pretends to enjoy it (5,5) PLAYS ALONG {PLAYS}{A}{LONG}

24 Is unable to sermonise (4) CANT [DD]

25 Priest's set off to find relative (10) STEPSISTER*

26 Naked, bashful, praiseful verses (4) ODES mODESt

DOWN

1   Chicken pieces, as seen in steel pan (10) DRUMSTICKS [DD]

2   Begins and gives a speech having consumed one drink (10) ORIGINATES {OR{1}{GIN}ATES}

4   Dash with money from the South to get to Houston? (7) WHITNEY {WHIT}{YEN<=}

5   Initially playing for time, intones instructions (7) RECIPES RECI(-t+p)PES

6   Big beast close to Arctic, barking a kind of oath (11) HIPPOCRATIC {HIPPO}{ARCTIC*}

7   In earliest stages (elsewise, romantically), Ireland's name? (4) ERIN Acrostic & lit

8   Reportedly, players proliferate (4) TEEM (~team)

12 Seaways offering larger things to eat (4,7) MAIN COURSES [DD]

13 Playwright having chicken after Christmas (4,6) NOEL COWARD {COWARD}<=>{NOEL}

14 Once again, blows up ten flares ... I digress (10) REINFLATES*

18 Quietly confuses those propelling a boat (7) PADDLES {P}{ADDLES}

19 Urge to tuck into something sugary that's spicy (7) CAYENNE {CA{YEN}NE}

21 Work's over; drink up (4) OPUS {SUP}{O}>= (Correction - {O}{SUP<=} - See comments)

22 A passing diversion, Everyman's beginning to lose freshness (4) FADE {FAD}{Ev...n}

Reference List

Italian = IT, Time = T, Quietly = P, Over = O