No 14097, Wednesday 14 Feb 2024, Vidwan

Solution to 20A 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

8   Kind surgeon operated and sealed her heart (8) GENEROUS {GEN{hEr}ROUS*}

9   Moulded by a priest inside shack (6) SHAPED {SH{A}{P}ED}

10 Part executed without intravenous drug (6) DIVIDE {D{IV}ID}{E}

11 Grey, bored by sex! A time to be on the edge! (8) AGITATED {AG{IT}{A}{T}ED}

12 Spooner's 24 hours hog farm for purebred (8) PEDIGREE (~day piggery to pedigree) Not sure of Anno 

13 Monk going south for vinegar (6) ACETIC AsCETIC

14 Popular school lament about English lines, something that bugs the bugs (6,9) INSECT REPELLENT {IN}{SECT}{REP{E}{LL}ENT}

18 Rodent consuming second dessert (6) MOUSSE {MOU{S}SE}

20 Pause that is extremely elongate, perhaps (8) H?S?T?T? (Addendum - HESITATE (THAT+IS+El...tE}* - See comments)

23 Good actor, heading out to military base (8) GARRISON {G}{hARRISON}

24 Liberal prison official wanting women for pantry (6) LARDER {L}{wARDER}

25 Festival! Leave out fellow who eats heartily! (6) EASTER fEASTER

26 Pet waste reused for flowering plant (8) SWEETPEA Error in Fodder with and extra T and an E short

DOWN

1   Small dog or cat tiptoes occasionally (6) PETITE {PET}{tIpToEs}

2   Iron men imbibing popular, stylish aspect of women (8) FEMININE {FE}{M{IN}{IN}E} How is the N from MEN deleted?

3   So pure hash is fake? (6) POSEUR*

4   Am in space scheme programmed for avoiding ground realities (6,9) ESCAPE MECHANISM*

5   Assess site redeveloped by friend (8) ESTIMATE {SITE*}{MATE}

6   Plunder run by headless barbarian (6) RAVAGE {R}{sAVAGE}

7   Green is mixed with red in the end to make a fresh sketch (8) REDESIGN {GREEN+IS+reD}*

15 About a new baby, one shifting to a South African province (8) NEONATAL {ONE*}{NATAL}

16 A sure try possibly for source of funds (8) TREASURY*

17 Intelligentsia's inflamed, leading to irate fights (8) LITERATI {LIT}{IRATE}* What's the role of 'leading to'?

19 New start with adult classes (6) STRATA {START}*{A}

21 Special live broadcast runs for runner-up's medal (6) SILVER {S}{LIVE*}{R}

22 Famous talks about fringe focusing on a particular subject (6) THEMED {T{HEM}ED} 

Reference List

Priest = P, Drug = E, Sex = IT, Time = T, South = S, Popular = IN, English = E, Line = L, Second = S, Good = G, Fellow = F, Stylish = IN, Run = R, Adult = A, Special = S