No 14109, Wednesday 28 Feb 2024, Karaoke

Solution to 19D 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   Where drinks are served to taste almost openly (2,6) IN PUBLIC {IN PUB}{LICk}

6   Game essentially for this type of clue (6) ACROSS lACROSSe

9   American town enjoys upper-class smartness (6) ACUITY {A}{C{U}ITY}

10 A stupid fight with wife? It's not a good idea (1,3,4) A DIM VIEW {A}{DIM}{VIE}{W}

11 No crime with genuine currencies in marriage functions (10) CEREMONIES {sinCERE}{MONIES}

12 Prize announced for music producer (4) LUTE (~loot)

13 Good in shape and not without heart a bit (8) FRAGMENT {FRA{G}ME}{NoT}

15 Caught king out in the game? Bless you! (6) CHEERS CHEckERS

16 Arrest copper colluding with tipster (3,3) CUT OUT {CU}{TOUT}

18 Doctors reported with papers at the Eastern region of harbour area (8) DOCKSIDE {(~docs)DOCKS}{ID}{E}

20 They come from another planet - It's so futuristic feature, on the contrary (4) UFOS [T<=]

21 Incorrectly wrote other unspecified number (3,2,5) TWO OR THREE*

23 Exhausted to set grid to English daily initially (3-5) DOG-TIRED {GRID+TO+E+Da..y}*

24 Ward councils often lacked handsome youth (6) ADONIS {wArD+cOuNcIlS}

25 It comes from China to make fun of model (3,3) TEA SET {TEASE}{T}

26 Models from past blockbusters overwhelmed Indian Box-Office mainly (8) EXHIBITS {EX}{H{I}{Bo...e}ITS}

DOWN

2   Family type destructive weapons (7) NUCLEAR [DD]

3   Couple is free to take time down (5) UNITE UN(-t)I(+t)TE

4   Bury unusual tale/story (3,2,4) LAY TO REST*

5   Drink and roti prepared in carriage (7) CHARIOT {CHA}{ROTI*}

6   Maybe the Ram's not bound by frontiers (5) ARIES boundARIES

7   They go on turning around peacemakers perhaps (9) REVOLVERS [DD]

8   Jumper's writ initially admitted by bench (7) SWEATER {S{Writ}EATER}

14 Girl's missing. It is the problem of the tongue (9) GLOSSITIS {G}{LOSS}{IT}{IS}

15 Spooner's dance trainer, a pest (9) COCKROACH (~rock coach to cockroach)

17 Removed controls in ground zero following wild fun (7) UNFROZE {ZERO*}<=>{FUN*}

18 Dangerous pass around old ring road (2-2-3) DO-OR-DIE {D{O}{O}{RD}IE}

19 He fights to get rightful tip (7) D?E?I?T (Addendum - DUELIST {DUE}{LIST} - See comments)

21 Violated contract regularly to win second trump card (5) TAROT {cOnTrAcT}* over {tRump} 

22 Henry took a lot of money for powerful explosive (1-4) H-BOMB {H}{BOMB}

Reference List

American = A, Upper-class = U, Wife = W, Good = G, Caught = C, King = K, Papers = ID, Eastern = E, English = E, Model = T, Indian = I, Time = T, Girl = G, Old = O, Henry = H