No 14215, Monday 01 Jul 2024, Karaoke

Solution to 26A 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   Bottles displaying fine slogan (7) FLAGONS {F+SLOGAN}*

5   Ageless model leaves base (7) IMMORAL IMMORtAL

9   Get used to a place over time (5) ADAPT {A}{PAD<=}{T}

10 A gun fires back to pierce instantly (2,1,6) AT A GLANCE {A}{GAT<=}{LANCE}

11 Lawyer quietly got up to reach criminal court (10) PROSECUTOR {P}{ROSE}{COURT*}

12 American sailor near Central China's uninhabitable place perhaps (4) GOBI {GOB}{chIna}

14 Femme fatale liking dress but without tops! (11) ENCHANTRESS {pENCHANT}{dRESS}

18 Faking fever? He can relax heartily and remain absent unauthorized (6,5) FRENCH LEAVE {FEVER+HE+CAN+reLax}*

21 Expressing annoyance, leader left spot (4) OUCH tOUCH

22 Wife shown iPod variety having no intention of buying (6,4) WINDOW SHOP {W}{SHOWN+IPOD}*

25 Leaders go out to admire missile? Quite contrary (5,4) RAISE HELL {pRAISE}{sHELL} [CD]

26 Fruit, dry fruit? (5) M?L?N (Addendum - MELON waterMELON - See comments)

27 When resting they are closed speedily skipping page perhaps (7) EYELIDS SpEEDILY*

28 Congresswoman from East or North misrepresented (7) SENATOR {EAST+OR+N}*

DOWN

1   Female before music exercise gets iced drink (6) FRAPPE {F}{RAP}{PE}

2   Highly explosive stuff stocked up in Pelota Market (6) AMATOL [T<=]

3   Where will an indecisive person sit? (2,3,5) ON THE FENCE [CD]

4   Initially, social networks arouse flames unknowingly in chaotic state (5) SNAFU Acrostic

5   Eat a taro, man! It holds back paramour (9) INAMORATA [T<=]

6   Take advantage of mass and class (4) MILK {M}{ILK}

7   He rescues oarsmen at sea, right? (8) RANSOMER {OARSMEN}*{R} 

8   Most suspicious stories about revelry regularly by model (8) LEERIEST {L{rEvElRy}IES}{T}

13 What? No more troubling wife? (5,5) OTHER WOMAN*

15 They measure everything in zeros? Not hard (9) CALLIPERS {C{ALL}IPhERS}

16 Fighter plane lost at sea undoubtedly (2,6) OF COURSE [DD] (Addendum - {OFf COURSE} - See comments)

17 Write about editor and reporter (8) DESCRIBE {ED<=}{SCRIBE}

19 Drink permitted in holiday home (6) CHALET {CHA}{LET}

20 He starts the play as an expert having training (6) OPENER {O{PE}NER}

23 Playthings picked up in small portions (5) DOLES (~dolls)

24 Nice to give 50% discount in shop (4) DELI DELIcate

Reference List

Fine = F, Model = T, Time = T, Gun = GAT, Quietly = P, Wife = W, Page = P, North = N, Female = F, Exercise = PE, Mass = M, Right = R, Hard = H, Fighter = F, Editor = ED, Drink = CHA, Training = PE