No 14796, Monday 18 May 2026, Bruno

Solution to 12A 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

1   Special ceremony for fairy (6) SPRITE {SP}{RITE}

4   Documents show public school circumventing copyright? (6) PAPERS {P}{APE}{R}{S}

8   Sear easily on burning range (7) EARSHOT {SEAR}*{HOT}

9   They're gutted when taken in by nurse provider (7) CATERER {CA{Th..rE}RER}

11 Try putting it back on head for warmth (10) HEARTINESS {HEAR}{IT<=}{NESS}

12 Card so far held back shows clover, in the end (4) T?E? (Addendum - TREY {YE{c...eR}T<=} - See comments)

13 Often suppressing secret need for drama (5) SCENE {SeCrEt+NeEd}

14 North African King, starting to convulse, is returned to infirmary (8) SICKROOM {MOOR}{K}{Co...e}{IS}<=

16 Musical composition of devotee starting to thrill continent (8) FANTASIA {FAN}{Th...l}{ASIA}

18 Antarctica's western end: area surrounded by water, you could walk down one (5) AISLE {a...cA}{ISLE}

20 Green part of body that's got teeth (4) GEAR {G}{EAR}

21 Make defensive walls of credit European banks and the Spanish get behind (10) CRENELLATE {CR}{Eu...aN}{EL}{LATE}

23 Injured in the back, hobbling around intensive care, returning often? (7) DECIMAL {LAM{IC}ED}<=

24 One that argues to forbid boxing then intermittently leaving (7) DEBATER {DEBA{ThEn}R}

25 Tension as IT tried regularly to get SAAS contents released (6) STRESS {aS+iT+tRiEd}{SaaS}

26 Avenues not very new, causing anxiety (6) UNEASE AvEnUES*

DOWN

1   Source of oil is old, getting hard as time passes (5) SHALE S(-t+h)HALE

2   Book on verse's translated (7) RESERVE {RE}{VERSE*}

3   Rats without front teeth in shed shooting up empty rafters (3-6) TWO-TIMERS {WO}{Te..h} in {EMIT<=}{Ra...rS}

5   Group from North-Eastern state cycling (5) AMASS (+am)AMASS(-am)

6   Citizen peeled carrot, celery on the counter (7) ELECTOR [T<=]

7   Dock worker's girl walked in, strode out (9) STEVEDORE {EVE} in {STRODE}*

10 Perhaps when hot husband's out traveling, it can become a daily issue (9) NEWSPAPER {PERhAPS+WhEN<=}

13 Quiet amateur at gym - smaller and lacking form (9) SHAPELESS {SH}{A}{PE}{LESS}

15 Drink and fruit containing seeds essentially for lizard (9) CHAMELEON {CHA}{MEL{seEds}ON}

17 Dog's not very energetic at first retriever, maybe? (7) TERRIER RETRIEveR*

19 Noblewoman from America's uppity articles about Lithuania (7) SULTANA {US<=}{AN}{A} over {LT}

21 Boorish and angry orator's starting to be kicked out by head of administration (5) CRASS CR(-o+a)ASS

22 Setter supports article's topic (5) THEME {ME}<=>{THE}

Reference List

Special = SP, Public = P, School = S, Copy = APE, Right = R, King = K, Green = G, Credit = CR, The in Spanish = EL, Intensive care = IC, Very = V, New = N, Hard= H, Time = T, On = RE, Without = WO, Girl = EVE, Hot = H, Husband = H, Quiet = SH