No 14440, Monday 24 Mar 2025, Afterdark

Solution to 1D 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   Designed culottes in college at England for Romaine (3,7) COS LETTUCE {CULOTTES} in {C}{E}

6   Crowd seen in Christmas service (4) MASS [T]

10 A priest is out of favour during trial period (9) PROBATION apPROBATION

11 A win once more (5) AGAIN {A}{GAIN}

12 Arranged mass meet, hence red liqueur (5,2,6) CREME DE MENTHE {M+MEET+HENCE+RED}* 

14 Those people's article ending in tragedy (4) THEY {THE}{t...dY}

15 Say, China's eaters in a mess are at fault (3,7) TEA SERVICE {EATERS*}{VICE}

17 Cassettes played in legal actions as a precedent (4,5) TEST CASES*

21 Career or Carrier (5) CRAFT [DD]

22 Say, aggressive sales vets rife surprisingly (4-9) SELF-ASSERTIVE*

24 A space ultimately made wide open (5) AGAPE {A}{GAP}{madE}

25 Increase support at one entrance (9) PROPAGATE {PROP}{A}{GATE}

26 Trade some soda and liquor (4) SALE {Soda}{ALE}

27 People with time follow Insta luminaries primarily for payment (10) INSTALMENT {MEN}{T}<=>{INSTA}{Lu...s}

DOWN

1   Enable or restrict account accessing a tape, remove page on time (10) C?P?C?T?T? (Addendum - CAPACITATE {CAP}{AC}{!}{TA(-p+t)TE} - See comments)

2   Sleek moss when burnt has no fumes (9) SMOKELESS*

3   Polish setter found in back alley (6) ENAMEL {ENA{ME}L<=}

4   Boat's timer malfunctions, royal engineers inducted (7) TRIREME {TRI{RE}ME*}

5   Cheats smuggle iron statues primarily to own (7) CONFESS {CON{FE}{St...s}S}

7   Watchful in a funeral (5) AWAKE {A}{WAKE}

8   Yodelled one in Singapore (4) SUNG {S{UN}G}

9   Jog in American terminals (6) CANTER [T]

13 Conclusion to pay people on time (10) SETTLEMENT {SETTLE}{MEN}{T}

16 Dead inmate in a compound (9) INANIMATE*

18 Visitor was more quiet when man left and lady entered (6) CALLER CAL(-m+l)LER

19 File's quiet on writer circumventing a rule (7) SHARPEN {SH}{A}{R}{PEN}

20 Mark ousts us in a terrible way (4,3) SUSS OUT*

21 Restrict dogs (7) CURTAIL {CUR}{TAIL}

22 A sluggish person has taken small digital protection (5) SNAIL {S}{NAIL}

23 Girl has style but no brain (4) LASS cLASS

Reference List

College = C, England = E, Priest = P, Mass = M, Time = T, Page = P, Royal Engineers = RE, Man = M, Lady = L, Quiet = SH, Rule = R, Small = S