No 14083, Monday 29 Jan 2024, Karaoke

Solution to 23D 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

9   Product price without payment essentially? Say again (7) ITERATE {ITEm+RATE}

10 Happy countries without borders, yet to be born (2,5) IN UTERO cOUNTRIEs*

11 Abdominal pain? Apply oil in small measure (5) COLIC {C{OIL*}C}

12 A thinker'd work without any knowledge (2,3,4) IN THE DARK*

13 Determined to trespass and overwhelm first love with precious stone? Yes, but parents essentially rejected (6-6) SINGLE-MINDED {SIN}{G{Love}EM}{INDeED}

15 Buses etc use mainly poisonous lubricants on roads (6,9) PUBLIC TRANSPORT {Po...s}{LUBRICANTS*}{PORT} Port/Roads?

18 Heart of great importance? (5-7) EARTH-SHAKING {HEART}* [RA]

22 Supper club in dark place (9) NIGHTSPOT {NIGHT}{SPOT}

24 Maybe Santa's reindeer comes to rest, destroying shops (5) COMET {COMEs+to+resT}

25 Puzzle -! (7) NONPLUS Rebus

26 Joint at present near lake for nightbird (4,3) BARN OWL {BAR}{NOW}{L}

DOWN

1   50% walk out of lectures for music (5) DISCO DISCOurses

2   Unit of a large group is growing (5) TESLA {A}{L}{SET}<=

3   Split hairs and almost pick Indian game (8) PARCHISI {HAIRS+PICk}* Actually PARCHEESI is only a Registered brand name of the Indian game PACHISI, shown below

4   Killed top to bottom for money (4) CEDI (-i)CED(+i)I

5   Hi-tech task is resolved. Call it a day (3,3,4) HIT THE SACK*

6   Maybe Scottish philosopher with religious instruction reveals what skeletons have? (6) HUMERI {HUME}{RI}

7   Anodynes relax to a certain degree (3,3,2) YES AND NO*

8   Pattern of padlock to be broken unplugging camera mainly (5,3) POLKA DOT {PADLOcK+TO}*

14 Troubling deep thoughts? Don't be dismissed from job (3,3,4) GET THE PUSH {dEEP+THoUGHTS}*

15 Big-bellied parent anxiously considers good name (8) PREGNANT {PARENT}* over {G}{N}

16 Machine pistols burn up extremely strong building (4,4)  BURP GUNS {BURN+UP+St..nG}*

17 Happy to get popular job without much work (8) SINECURE {S{IN}ECURE}

19 Fashionable belles often drop in these places (6) HOTELS {HOT}{bElLeS}

20 They are fired by army regularly from mobile operating systems primarily (5) AMMOS {ArMy}{Mo...e}{Op...g}{Sy...s} Not a valid plural

21 I agree, there is no law in this country (5) ITALY {I}{TAlLY}

23 Set to be replaced only for upper-class (4) T?B? (Addendum - TUBE {T(-o+u)U}{BE} - See comments)

Reference List

Lake = L, Large = L, Religious Instruction = RI, Good = G, Name = N, Popular = IN, Fashionable = HOT, Only = O, Upper-class = U, Law = L