No 14895, Thursday 10 Sep 2026, Gridzilla

Solution to 7D 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 answer, if not solved by 1 PM.

ACROSS

8   By noon, man having bit of dehydration collapsed (4,4) FELL DOWN {N}<=>{FELL{De...n}OW}

9   Old American chap drinking away on vacation (5) MAYAN {M{AwaY}AN}

10 Senior periodically dropped wife's winter coat (4) SNOW {SeNiOr}{W}

11 One using cutting edge technology? (10) GUILLOTINE [CD]

12 'Twas unsettling, around nightfall (6) SUNSET [T]

14 They say entire verse heartily (8) UTTERERS {UTTER}{vERSe}

15 Associate orders awfully huge fans (7) ADORERS {A}{ORDERS*}

17 Articles on entertainment from one end to the other (7) REPORTS {RE}{(-s)PORT(+s)S}

20 Rose died in a place close to Ireland (8) ASCENDED {A}{SCEN{D}E}{i...nD}

22 Bullied boy, becoming tense, didn't sleep well (6) TOSSED (-b+t)TOSSED

23 Site for putting links? (4,6) GOLF COURSE {CD]

24 Lure one to get into club (4) BAIT {BA{1}T}

25 Regularly wish couple with wishful words? (1,4) I HOPE {wIsH+cOuPlE}

26 For starters, scanty hair causes worries (8) STRESSES {Sc...y}{TRESSES}

DOWN

1   Spooner's eager...swift, perhaps, to get something to eat (4,4) BEAN CURD (~keen bird to bean curd)

2   Sounded sad on the phone (4) BLEW (~blue)

3   Fail to make it ultimately? (6) FORGET {FORGE}{iT}

4   Old equation's tweaked. Nothing's left out (7) ANTIQUE EQUATIoN*

5   Motel has everything needed to make item for breakfast (8) OMELETTE {MOTEL}* [Letter Bank]

6   Enigmatic author's grave, visited by tourists primarily (10) MYSTERIOUS {MY}{S{To...s}ERIOUS}

7   Where a doctor might be making less sense? (6) ?N?N?R ()

13 Shops essentially tested for contaminated bhel puri perhaps (6,4) STREET FOOD {shOps+TESTED+FOR}*

16 Signal-receiving device or aid? (5,3) RADIO SET {OR+AID}* [RA]

18 Topics about sex rising daily? (3,5) THE TIMES {THE{IT<=}MES}

19 Daughter wears a frock for a sermon (7) ADDRESS {A}{D{D}RESS}

21 & 22D Lift more than this, possibly (4,2,3,3) SHOT IN THE ARM*

22 See 21 

24 Low key? (4) BASE [DD]

Reference List

Noon = N, Wife = W, Associate = A, On = RE, Died = D, Boy = B, Tense = T, Daughter = D