No 14583, Monday 08 Sep 2025, Arden

Solution to 23A 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   Representing cancer by cross? (6) CRABBY [DD] (Correction - {CRAB}{BY} - See comments)

4   Waste left exposed and flowing (8) EFFLUENT {lEFt}{FLUENT}

10 Hawthorne's cow receives fellow ship (9) MAYFLOWER {MAY}{LOWER} over {F}

11 Ian Paisley's accorded a passage (5) AISLE [T]

12 Criticize over allowing only a short distance between these animals (7) MAMMALS {SLAM<=} over {A}{MM}

13 Fancy hotel, even allow to play (7) OTHELLO {HOTEL*}{aLlOw}

14 Some fell ill while returning from French city (5) LILLE [T]

15 Cold, exposed in order to be lazy (8) INDOLENT {IND{cOLd}ENT}

18 Way to kill a scandal about royal decay (8) GARROTTE {GA{R}{ROT}TE}

20 Tailenders making you less confident - no enthusiasm (5) GUSTO Tail Acrostic

23 Spend a penny on fashion - shows nobility (7) P?E?A?E (Addendum - PEERAGE {PEE}{RAGE} - See comments)

25 Complaint of one without husband (7) SHINGLE {S{H}INGLE} The complaint is SHINGLES and not SHINGLE

26 Traffic police ban parking, it's dangerous for health (1,4) E COLI pOLICE*

27 Declines American awards (9) ATROPHIES {A}{TROPHIES}

28 Cosmetic boundary crossed by observer (8) EYELINER {EYE{LINE}R}

29 Importance given to a point on a cube, say (6) WEIGHT {W}{EIGHT}

DOWN

1   Happy Alice gets her mother some flowers (8) CAMOMILE {CA{MOM}ILE*}

2   Assumably, the absence of United States could be terrible (7) ABYSMAL ASsuMABLY*

3   Beer drinking - the entire publicity is for the singer (9) BALLADEER {B{ALL}{AD}EER}

5   Our fearsome dog barking as well (3,4,7) FOR GOOD MEASURE*

6   Hate to be part of ministerial oath taking (5) LOATH [T]

7   Harry piles on a character (7) EPSILON*

8   Shock as discontented trader raises capital (6) TREMOR {Tr..eR}{ROME<=}

9   Unexpected turn of events - or in other words what it entitles (5,2,3,4) TWIST IN THE TALE 'I always thought it was Twist in the tail'

16 Appealing desperately for a gratuity (9) LAGNIAPPE*

17 Place you have Bath in the UK (8) SOMERSET [GK]

19 One guarding school is a stripper of sorts (7) ACETONE {AC{ETON}E}

21 Carol astride a horse is slumping (7) SAGGING {S{A}{GG}ING}

22 Stop evacuation - call to attention for discipline (6) SPHERE {StoP}{HERE}

24 "It's extempore and lacks depth" - one makes an excuse (5) ALIBI {Ad LIB}{1}

Reference List

Cow = LOWER, Fellow = F, Royal = R, Husband = H, Parking = P, American = A, Point = W, Publicity = AD, Horse = GG