No 14182, Thursday 23 May 2024, Afterdark

Solution to 21A 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   Booked prime table in beach, say (3-5) SET-ASIDE {SE{Ta..e}ASIDE}

5   Arrange commercial fair (6) ADJUST {AD}{JUST}

10 Work on nurse's appearance outdoors (4-3) OPEN-AIR {OP}{EN}{AIR}

11 Flap of the airplane wings with hole in the middle of passage at rear gate (7) AILERON {AIsLE}{NOR<=}

12 Game of chance many get tips from tout and organiser (5) LOTTO {LOT}{Tout}{Or...r}

13 Trees and tubers as rendered primarily useful inside (9) ARBUTUSES {TUBERS+AS}* over {Us...l}

14 Congress no saints in case, working to get bail, perhaps (12) RECOGNISANCE {CONGREss+IN+CASE}*

18 Mostly mood gets altered with an opiate, only leading to formation of buzz, perhaps (12) ONOMATOPOEIA {MOOd+AN+OPIATE+Only}*

21 One news from the front covering order at last, makes perception unknown (9) I?C?G?I?O (Addendum - INCOGNITO - Error in clue wording. See comments}

23 Harry Kane dived in the front to manipulate (5) KNEAD {KANE*}{Di..d}

24 The Spanish, say hire worker that is smart (7) ELEGANT {EL}{EG}{ANT}

25 Record with an agent finally, to collect instalments, clean essentially (7) ITEMISE {1}{a..nT}{EMIS}{clEan}

26 Say, richest man confronts stranger with gun (6) MUSKET {MUSK}{ET}

27 French police is good to close issue with English (8) GENDARME {G}{END}{ARM}{E}

DOWN

1   To begin with piling lubricant in ship pollutes (6) SPOILS {S{Pi...g}{OIL}S}

2   Agreement to vacate territory filled with soldiers, volunteers to retreat (6) TREATY {Te...rY} over {RE}{TA<=}

3   Thus a father took time for a drama (4,5) SOAP OPERA {SO}{A}{POP}{ERA}

4   Store admits log was manipulated by doctors (14) DERMATOLOGISTS*

6   Earthenware depot vacated to house troll (5) DELFT {Dep{ELF}oT}

7   Out of bed, teacher about to take on a new government in a coup (8) UPRISING {UP}{SIR<=}{1}{N}{G}

8   Design sten gun with a bit of titanium and another element (8) TUNGSTEN {STEN+GUN+Ti...m}*

9   Is cobalt a gas? (6,8) CARBON MONOXIDE (co)

15 Tip of DNA signifies death (6,3) STICKY END [C&DD]

16 Amphitheatre for playing music entertaining noble often across Spain (8) COLISEUM {MUSIC}* over {nObLe} and {E}

17 Rebel found in wastelands with beggars (8) MOOCHERS {MOO{CHE}RS}

19 Say flat-earther's study that is right (6) DENIER {DEN}{IE}{R}

20 A man in the care of medico gets online support (6) ADHERE {A}{D{HE}R}{E}

22 Ate fruit, became great ape (5) GRAPE [CA] {GRAPE+ATE}* = {GREAT APE}

Reference List

Commercial = AD, Nurse = EN(Enrolled Nurse), Gate = NOR, Saint = S, The in Spanish = EL, Stranger = ET, Good = G, English = E, Ship = SS, Soldiers = RE(Royal Engineers), Volunteers = TA(Territorial Army), New = N, Government = G, Spain = E, Right = R, Online = E