No 14202, Saturday 15 Jun 2024, Crescent

ACROSS

8   Section of vessel in front of her is buckling with pressure (8) FORESHIP {OF+HER+IS}*{P}

9   Mock Congress about summits (6) APEXES {APE}{SEX<=}

10 Ancient Egyptian rattles pole as it runs around (6) SISTRA {S}{AS+IT+R}*

11 After-dinner drink like Benedictine ultimately leaving fellow very high (8) DIGESTIF {DIG}{b...nE{STIFf}

12 Peaking, scoring century of the season (8) CLIMATIC CLIMAcTIC

14 Country without a law lacking opening to charge with crime (6) INDICT {INDIa}{aCT}

15 Big bribe left, bit dispelling gossip (15) FLIBBERTIGIBBET*

18 Awful crash crushing some props (6) FULCRA [T]

20 Certain parts withdrawn are primarily such? (8) ERASURES {SURE}in {ARE<=}{Such} &lit

22 Fawned after son doodled (8) SCRAWLED {CRAWLED}<=>{S}

24 King and Queen duo consuming only Danish bread (6) KRONER {K}{RN}{ER} over {O} RN = Queen? (Correction - {K}{R}{ONE}{R} - See comments)

25 Hoopla on base has married women crowding field (6) MEADOW {ADO}<=>{E} in {M}{W}

26 Popular soprano following overture to Swan Lake, perhaps sequentially linked (2,6) IN SERIES {IN} with {S} after {Swan}{ERIE}

DOWN

1   Jolly duck accompanying Jack through lake (6) JOVIAL {J}{O}{VIA}{L}

2   Split second in lab saving lecturer and paid demonstrators (4-1-3) RENT-A-MOB {RENT}{lA{MO}B}

3   Legal watch, those activated to elude capital punishment? (5,3,7) CHEAT THE GALLOWS*

4   Article on vinyl counter daughter took off (4) APED {A}{EP<=}{D}

5   High jinks, such a grand gala, serving Kingfisher in Australia? (8,7) LAUGHING JACKASS {JINKS+SUCH+A+G+GALA}*

6   Let rest breaks start from Labour Day (6) LEASED {La...r}{EASE}{D}

7   Just about ordinary, the same reflected in this? (8) MEDIOCRE {ME{ID<=}{O}{C}RE} (Correction - {MERE} over {C}{O}{ID}<=  Semi&lit - See comments)

13 Prompt curbs placed over sex doll (5) CUTIE {CU{IT<=}E}

16 Institutes are stopping meals (8) LAUNCHES {L{A}UNCHES}

17 Trace of balmy odour is relaxing in ladies' parlours (8) BOUDOIRS {Ba..y}{ODOUR+IS}**

19 King and Queen possibly eating hot vegetables (6) CHARDS {C{H}ARDS}

21 Uniform worn by the French team (6) ELEVEN {E{LE}VEN}

23 Duck crossing river will be wet (4) DRIP {D{R}IP}

Reference List

Pressure = P, Congress = SEX, Pole = S, Like = DIG, Fellow = F, Century = C, Son = S, King = K, Queen = R, Only = O, Base = E, Married = M, Women = W, Soprano = S, Jack = J, Lake = L, Lecturer = L, Vinyl = EP(Extended Play record), Daughter = D, Grand = G, Day = D, Sex = IT, Are = A, Hot = H, The in French = LE, River = R