A workmanlike puzzle which should be suitable for new solvers.
Most of the definitions given are from Chambers 12th Edition. Most of the standard abbreviations used in the wordplay are shown with the unused letters in brackets e.g. D(ay). Definitions are underlined in the clue and only included in explanations where further information is given.
Across
1a Prepared a couple by day (6)
BRACED – a couple, as in a couple of pheasants, followed by D(ay)
4a Game, , is arranged after tea (8)
CHARADES – an anagram (arranged) of DEARS preceded by a colloquial word for tea
9a Read Tory extremists, just a few (6)
SCANTY – a verb meaning to read followed by the outer letters (extremists) of TorY
10a No accommodation charge for new referent (4-4)
RENT-FREE – an anagram (new) of REFERENT
11a Steal mobile phone card back, which is fitting (14)
MISAPPROPRIATE – Reverse (back) the type of card found in a mobile phone and follow it with an adjective meaning fitting or suitable
13a Touching sentiment, darling (10)
SWEETHEART – split as (5,5) this could, at a pinch, be a touching sentiment
14a Getting back to the office initially with a German fellow (4)
OTTO – reverse (getting back) TO and add the initial letters of The Office
16a Want some blacking (4)
LACK – hidden (some) inside the clue
18a Iced tea tap: replaced top (10)
DECAPITATE – an anagram (replaced) of ICED TEA TAP gives a verb meaning to top or behead
21a Show of hypocrisy when crawler gets damages (9,5)
CROCODILE TEARS – a reptile that crawls followed by a verb meaning damages or rips
23a Lucid as I, maybe, yet self-destructive (8)
SUICIDAL – an anagram (maybe) of LUCID AS I
24a Spoil one article overturned in dock (6)
MARINA – a verb meaning to spoil followed by I (one) and the reversal (overturned) of the two-letter indefinite article
25a Wizard‘s church swamped by false errors (8)
SORCERER – the Church of England inside (swamped by) an anagram (false) of ERRORS
26a About to surrender in retreat (6)
RECEDE – a two-letter word meaning about followed by a verb meaning to surrender
Down
1d Browbeat an employer (4)
BOSS – two definitions
2d Greed shown by artist falling back into a bad habit (7)
AVARICE – reverse Crosswordland’s usual member of the Royal Academy inside the A from the clue and a habit or weakness
3d Takes out old pamphlets (8)
EXTRACTS – the two-letter prefix for old followed by some pamphlets
5d Maybe hero Graham at one point was bleeding (11)
HAEMORRHAGE – an anagram (maybe, again) of HERO GRAHAM followed by a compass point
6d Exhaust the Queen, coming up first to go to bed (6)
RETIRE – a verb meaning to exhaust preceded by (first) the reversal (coming up in a down clue) of the queen’s regnal cipher
7d Inactive worker at last given place to sleep (7)
DORMANT – a worker insect after (at last) a place to sleep
8d Docker found in store without first wife and daughter (9)
STEVEDORE – STORE around (without) Adam’s wife and D(aughter)
12d Consider in advance how it permeated working (11)
PREMEDITATE – an anagram (working) of IT PERMEATED
13d Sort of single schism (not hard) producing gaffes (9)
SOLECISMS – a word meaning single followed by an anagram (sort? / producing?) of SC(H)ISM without the H (not hard) – whichever way this works, I don’t like it
15d Fifty, say, are educated (8)
LITERATE – the Roman numeral for fifty followed by a verb meaning to say
17d Clerical staff? (7)
CROZIER – you are meant to think of clerical personnel, but this is a cryptic definition of the pastoral staff of a bishop
19d Pressure hosepipe for transport company (7)
AIRLINE – two definitions
20d Ten feed on an antiseptic (6)
IODINE – ten written down as Arabic numerals and then converted to letters of similar shape, followed by a verb meaning to feed or eat
22d Animal’s pelt? (4)
HARE – two definitions, the second one being a verb meaning to pelt or run fast, rather like the animal in the first definition
Comments from solvers who are new to cryptic puzzles are more than welcome – and that doesn’t mean the usual suspects can’t add their thoughts as well!
This was an enjoyable puzzle that was probably the right level for a Quiptic, although I confess that I waited until I had all the checkers before I attempted to spell HAEMORRHAGE.
Some of it was good, but a bit patchy, I thought.
Thanks Big Dave; I can’t see any justification for SWEET=touching. I thought BRACE=prepare was a bit difficult also (I suppose in ‘brace yourself for this.’)
IODINE was my last in and a nice clue – I kept trying to fit an ‘x’ in somewhere. ðŸ™
If there are things we regulars don’t like, then I don’t see how this is a good Quiptic. Not far off though.
Dave? How about educating the target audience with why you didn’t like 13d?
@Derek
In 13d if “sort” is the anagram indicator it is separated from the fodder (SCISM) by single = SOLE; if it’s “producing”, then it’s pretty poor and what function is performed by “sort”.
I didn’t expand on this in the review as I was hoping, somewhat optimistically, for other opinions.