No 14283, Wednesday 18 Sep 2024, Afterdark

Solution to 16A 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   Thin-skinned to speak of and yobbish primarily (6) TOUCHY {TOUCH}{Yo...h}

4   Roused by image in Stag, excellent at the outset (6) SPICED {Stag}{PIC}{Ex...t}D D from?

9   Capital of Laos, looks to captivate (4) OSLO [T]

10 Indian lady triumphs primarily by way of shrewd resourcefulness (10) STREETWISE {STREE}{Tr...s}{WISE}

11 Somehow take on comedian Buster (6) KEATON*

12 Alloy for digital memory hardware put in position (8) NICHROME {NICH{ROM}E}

13 Network takes time to work on human element (9) LANTHANUM {LAN}{T}{HUMAN*}

15 Princess's help returned with new assistant from the front (5) DIANA {AID<=}{N}{As...t}

16 Box at clubs and collect payment (5) ?R?T? (Addendum - CRATE {C}{RATE} - See comments)

18 Fluency of one clue rewritten about Qatar's entertaining to begin with (9) ELOQUENCE {ONE+CLUE}* over {Q} then {En   g}

22 Essentially flavour penetrates mind, an ultimate Greek international dish (8) SOUVLAKI {SOU{flaVour}L}{A}{g..eK}{I}

23 Urges famous golfer to back mischievous child (6) IMPELS {ELS}<=>{IMP}

25 Engineer certifies purchasing right devices (10) RECTIFIERS {CERTIFIES}* over {R}

26 Common sense of Latino users displayed (4) NOUS [T]

27 America retreats and Sweden enters union to take a county (6) SUSSEX {US<=}{S{S}EX} Why 'to take'?

28 One adapts to powers (6) ANGELS {AN}{GELS}

DOWN

1   A square tile sets magically over time (7) TESSERA {SETS}*{ERA}

2   Snake, in say Puducherry, moves under water (1-4) U-BOAT {U{BOA}T}

3   Praise from head office Chief Superintendent received by a girl (7) HOSANNA {HO}{Su...t}{ANNA}

5   Request child to braid (6) PLEACH {PLEA}{CH}

6   Company division meeting with ICE with spinelessness (9) COWARDICE {CO}{WARD}{ICE}

7   Garbage collector is mad, nuts in a way (7) DUSTMAN* 

8   Queen takes ill in train crash, arises in the second half and gets calmer (13) TRANQUILLISES {TRAN{QU}{ILL}I}*{ariSES} Definition is off!

14 Note; 4 employed in galleries spruces up (9) TITIVATES {TI}{T{IV}ATES} Tates is incorrect

17 Regarding work, nurse at Sweden starts again (7) REOPENS {RE}{OP}{EN}{S}

19 Made good money in quarter? Paper's wrong (5,2) QUIDS IN {QU}{ID}{SIN} Made or Makes?

20 Paints company line is owned by us (7) COLOURS {CO}{L}{OURS}

21 Blather in WhatsApp, very loud against the French (6) WAFFLE {WA}{FF}{LE}

24 Writer these days get small change (5) PENCE {PEN}{CE}

Reference List

Indian lady = STREE, Time = T, New = N, Clubs = C, International = I, Right = R, Pondicherry = UT(Union Territory), Child = CH, Queen = QU, Note = TI, Regarding = RE, Work = OP, Nrse = EN(Enrolled Nurse), Sweden = S, Quarter = QU, Papers = ID, Line = L, WhatsApp = WA, Loud = F, The in French = LE, These days = CE