No 14435, Tuesday 18 Mar 2025, Pixie Dust

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 solve, if not solved by 1 PM.

ACROSS

1   A taxi reverses with you and me - we can count on it! (6) ABACUS {A}{CAB<=}{US}

5   Bother! Wet girl leaves without towel's top (8) IRRITATE {IRRIgATE} over {To..l}

9   Say, Rummy Spooner's sentry drew nigh! (4,4) CARD GAME (~guard came to card game)

10 Swell! Join after teetotaller replaces saint (6) FATTEN FA(-st+tt)TTEN

11 ... say, annoyingly tend to lie about date? (6,4) DOTTED LINE {TEND+TO+LIE}* over {D}

12 Let it be so! Some fortune may turn around (4) AMEN [T<=]

13 Obese lot, sadly no longer in use (8) OBSOLETE*

16 No! This line of argument for a change is honest! (6) T?E?I? 

17 He was from the beginning enterprising, dynamic, innovative - so overwhelmingly noble (6) EDISON Acrostic Semi&lit

19 High-pitched cry (basically scary) disturbed creche - end of day (8) SCREECHY {Sc..y}{CRECHE}*{daY}

21 Surgeon's advocate (4) URGE [T]

22 Sneak or pry to become a buttinsky (4-6) NOSY PARKER*

25 Say, Clark apprehends Regina's doctor (6) GARBLE {GA{R}BLE}

26 Misrepresented scene involving criminal Lodge (8) ENSCONCE {ENS{CON}CE*}

27 A large number of naughty ads he sold without shame basically (8) SHEDLOAD {ADs+HE+SOLD}*

28 Measure old pavilion (6) EXTENT {EX}{TENT}

DOWN

2   Hurrah! Initially Bheema rode a Vayu-Vajra? Oh! (5) BRAVO Acrostic

3   Young trainee, somewhat indulgent, edacious, stuck-up (5) CADET [T<=]

4   Cover small stagger (7) SWADDLE {S}{WADDLE}

5   Make a list of extremely important monthly instalments by 5th of September (7) ITEMISE {Im...nT}{EMIS}{s.pTe...r}

6   Wonder, Parry's daughter is right (7) REFLECT (-d+r)REFLECT

7   Brewed tea, consumed several times in cosy chat! (4,1,4) TETE A TETE {TEA}* [Letter Bank]

8   In addition to that he threw it haphazardly (9) THEREWITH*

14 Bertha's oral offence? (3,6) BAD BREATH {BERTHA}* [RA]

15 Yes! Debtor is beaten up for an area at the bottom of the sea (6,3) OYSTER BED*

18 Made-up one endlessly horny protagonist perhaps flawed (3-4) NON-HERO {ONE+HORNy}*

19 Arrest extremely useless writer inside borders of Switzerland (7) SUSPEND {Us...eS}{PEN} in {Sw...nD}

20 Return advertisement cycling around Indonesian capital (7) RIPOSTE {(+R)POSTE(-r)} over {In...n}

23 Drop costs (limitlessly) to settle (5) ROOST {dROp}{cOSTs}

24 Complex conversation about previous inmate (2-3) EX-CON [T]

Reference List

Girl = G, Teetotaller = TT, Saint = ST, Date = D, Regina = R, Small = S, Daughter = D, Right = R