No 14223, Wednesday 10 Jul 2024, Crescent

Solution to 13D 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   Puritans expressing resistance with sickly slop (8) PIGSWILL {PrIGS}{W}{ILL}

9   Case of lives lost assuming focus in war (6) VALISE {V{wAr}LISE*}

10 Steal closer to target base in centre of activity (6) THIEVE {t...eT}{HI{E}VE}

11 Intimate friend about her missing husband and child (8) PERSONAL {P{hER}{SON}AL}

12 Participants in rave serving men are wearing briefs (8) ORGIASTS {OR}{GI{A}STS}

14 Note storing name and number in portion of memory (6) MNEMON {M{N}EMO}{N}

15 Versatile jobber primarily called for task, a handyman (4,2,3,6) JACK OF ALL TRADES {Jo...r+CALLED+FOR+TASK+A}*

18 Decision outing king can bar king's outing (6) PICNIC {PICk}{NICk}

20 Intensified action implicating English writer (8) DEEPENED {DE{E}{PEN}ED}

22 Backbone many a time is bent (8) MAINSTAY {MANY+A+T+IS}*

24 Jug over fire (4,2) STIR UP {STIR}{UP}

25 Dumb lot touching skirts a bit tight (6) BLOTTO [T]

26 Family dons privy to probe (4,4) LOOK INTO {KIN} in {LOO}{TO}

DOWN

1   Humour leading lady's shrink (6) WITHER {WIT}{HER}

2  'Star Trek' Cassie's stuffing mix (8) ASTERISK {TREK+cASSIe}*

3   Edit bare proof introducing section creating more variety (15) DIVERSIFICATION {eDIt}{VER{S}IFICATION}

4   Forward somersault (4) FLIP [DD]

5   Without exception, all fresh heroes try new moves (5,7,3) EVERY MOTHERS SON {HEROES+TRY+N+MOVES}*

6   Area like niche essentially inset? (6) ALCOVE {A}{L{niChe}OVE} &lit

7   Slice of meat left by duck occupies fly (8) ESCALOPE {ESCA{L}{O}PE}

13 Sound one flogged stifles (5) S?L?D (Addendum - SOLID {SOL{1}D} - See comments)

16 Friendly guy's a mile ahead (8) AMICABLE {CABLE}<=>{A}{MI}

17 Pirate at sea providing drink to whet appetite (8) APERITIF {PIRATE*}{IF}

19 (Nought minus X) plus (X over Y) = a real number (6) NINETY {NIx}{TEN<=}{Y}

21 Parallel universe at origin bit beyond energy source of quasar (6) EQUATE {Un...e}{ATE}<=>{E}{Qu...r}

23 Cry from chicken, not painful cry (4) YELL YELLow

Reference List

Resistance = R, With = W, Base = E, Husband = H, Men = OR, Are = A, Note = MEMO, Name = N, Number = N, King = K, Can = NICK, English = E, Time = T, Jug = STIR, Privy = LOO, Section = S, New = N, Area = A, Left = L, Mile = MI, Energy = E