No 14666, Tuesday 16 Dec 2025, Crossant

Solution to 5D has been deliberately left unsolved and is to be answered 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

8   City's popular event primarily for Chinese martial art (6) TAIPEI TAI(-ch+PE}PEI

9   Novel about a girl in love (8) ORIGINAL {A+GIRL+IN+O}*

10 Tailender finally dismissed, that's a comprehensive defeat (4) ROUT {t...eR}{OUT}

11 Behind bars post essentially nasty criminal activities (6,4) INSIDE JOBS {INSIDE}{JOB}{naSty}

12 Outline of America's stupid tariff (9) ADUMBRATE {A}{DUMB}{RATE}

14 Restless in Seattle perhaps, about to leave without child (5) ITCHY {cIT{CH}Y}

16 Resource for training module? (9,6) REFRESHER COURSE [CD]

19 Not a method of flushing out unknown adversary (5) ENEMY {ENEMa}{Y}

21 Notes about technocrats needing finances from the centre (9) CROTCHETS TECHnOCRaTS*

24 Careful - online criminals ensnaring old men in cybercrime basically (10) ECONOMICAL {E}{CON}{AL} over {Old}{Men}{In}{Cy...e}AL 

26 Nothing is obvious in the beginning perhaps (4) ZERO Anno not clear (Addendum - 0b...s - See comments)

27 Accept role and participate (4,4) TAKE PART {TAKE}{PART}

28 Country's right to occupy? Certainly not. (6) NORWAY {R} in {NO WAY}

DOWN

1   Boat transporting old injured pet (8) CANOODLE {CANO{OLD*}E}

2   Something expressed orally? (6) SPUTUM [CD]

3   Confusion about one new, fancy, red outfit (9) MINIDRESS {M{1}{N}I{RED*}SS} Wordplay doesn't work. See comments.

4   Chuck Norris agrees to act, at last making a comeback (4) TOSS [Tail acrostic<=]

5   Nervous in a city like Chicago perhaps (5) ?I?D? (Addendum - WINDY [DD] - See comments)

6   One female leaving Fuji entertained by just extravagant martial art (3-5) JIU-JITSU {1}{fUJI} in {JUST}*

7   Money to get boy a castle in North Africa (6) CASBAH {CAS{B}{A}H}

13 What belonged to them finally went to the next in line (5) THEIR {wenT}{HEIR}

15 Expert tensely working to disconnect lead from strapped explosive material (9) ACETYLENE {ACE}{TENsELY}*

17 Note - America is exiting. What's left? (8) REMINDER REMaINDER

18 Weekend stay duration cut by half unfortunately (8) SATURDAY {STAY+DURAtion}*

20 Money mostly kept back by sailor for drink (6) NECTAR {CENt<=}{TAR}

22 Difficult to control an unknown danger (6)  HAZARD {H{A}{Z}ARD}{

23 Mark's wearing brown coat (5) SMEAR {S{M}EAR}

25 Name of place is mentioned (4) CITE (~site)

Reference List

Chinese = CH, Child = CH, Unknown = Y, Online = E, Criminals = CON,AL, Right = R, New = N, Female = F, Boy = B, America = A, Sailor = TAR, Unknown = Z, Mark = M