No 14253, Wednesday 14 Aug 2024, Bruno

Solution to 20A 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   Cellar's often hidden - employ passage (6) CLAUSE {CeLlAr}{USE}

4   Arranges bags wrapping piece of tape (6) STACKS {S{Tape}ACKS}

8   Circular showing Communist leader and revolutionary (7) RADICAL {RADI{Co...t}AL}

9   Recovering Communist finally lost passion for disorder (7) DERANGE {RED<=}{ANGEr}

11 Look while talking! Name one wild animal! (3,7) SEA ANEMONE {(~see)SEA}{NAME+ONE}*

12 Shank flesh's not ready in the middle after flipping (4) STEM MEaTS<=

13 First sign of emotion when embraced by kind relative (5) NIECE {NI{Em...n}CE}

14 Limit a large town's size (8) CAPACITY {CAP}{A}{CITY}

16 Back's also hurt and tender (8) PROPOSAL {PROP}{ALSO*}

18 Banish top Conservative, fired for suspicion of perjury (5) EXPEL EX(-c+p)PEL

20 Old and limitlessly happy (4) ?A?E (Addendum - LATE eLATEd See comments)

21 Selfish models holding small bags at the back, I have to follow (10) POSSESSIVE {POS{S}ES}{bagS}{I'VE}

23 Thumping bible to get trinket (7) BIBELOT {BIBLE+TO}*

24 Spy agency recovered artificial intelligence containing literature on rebel group (7) MILITIA {MI}{AI<=} over {LIT}

25 Runs into treasure finally, returns with prize (6) ESTEEM {MEETS}{t...rE}<=

26 Key to living in Coromandel - eternally (6) DELETE [T]

DOWN

1   Box's extract from Socrates (5) CRATE [T]

2   Heart of Satanical man had become alive (7) ANIMATE {satANIcal}{M}{ATE}

3   Soldier's face, unfortunate, after copping piece of explosive became irregular (9) SHAPELESS {So...r}{HAP{Ex...e}LESS

5   Topic of article? Setter! (5) THEME {THE}{ME}

6   Old Indian drink drunk by hundreds (7) CLASSIC {C{LASSI}C}

7   American company's upset, mad, and divided (9) SEGMENTAL {GE'S<=}{MENTAL}

10 Dumb virtuoso went on vacation without diamonds? (9) VOICELESS {Vi...sO}{ICE LESS}

13 Regulating gold being brought into Vietnam while travelling (9) NORMATIVE {N{OR}MATIVE*}

15 Tense president concerned with not finishing term? It's finally here! (9) PRETERITE {P}{RE}{TERm}{IT}{herE}

17 Perhaps Biden's forgetting papers now? (7) PRESENT PRESidENT

19 Portugal revokes online entry permit when blocked by Senate - it's not active... (7) PASSIVE {P}{E VISA<=} over {S}

21 Hot, working in gym, creating buzz... (5) PHONE {P{H}{ON}E}

22 Fabric from petroleum found in duvets, essentially (5) VOILE {duV{OIL}Ets}

Reference List

Conservative = C, Small = S, Man = M, Hundred = C, Gold = OR, President = P, Cocerned with = RE, Papers = ID, Portugal = P, Senate = S, Hot = H, Gym = PE