(Please click here for this same blog but with a picture quiz added. Please do NOT post hereinbelow any comment relating to the picture quiz. Thank you.) Nice Sunday offering, thanks to Hieroglyph. Definitions are underlined in the clues.
P.S. When this appears, I’ll be travelling, so I may not be able to respond to comments.
Across
1 Financial statement by pompous Tory leader (6)
BUDGET : BUDGE(archaic term for “pompous”;overformal) + the 1st letter of(… leader) “Tory “.
4 Out, like the French record? (6)
ASLEEP : AS(like;in the same way as, as in phrases like “think as I think”) + LE(“the” in French) + EP(abbrev. for “extended play”, a former sound recording format).
8 On the way back, convict cuts and runs (7)
GALLOPS : Reversal of(On the way back) LAG(a convict) + LOPS(cuts off a part from a whole, eg. a tree or body).
9 Hellish theatrical show? (7)
DISPLAY : DIS(the mythological underworld;hell) qualifying PLAY(a show in a theatre).
Answer: A show, or a theatrical;ostentatious show. “show”, and perhaps “theatrical” too, doing double duty.
11 Disunion on a pirate’s junk (10)
SEPARATION : Anagram of(…’s junk) ON A PIRATE’S.
12 Go off hot novelist (4)
ROTH : ROT(to go off;to decompose) + H(abbrev. for “hot”).
Answer: Philip, American novelist.
13 Old man uninvolved in a Roman boy’s crime (5)
ARSON : [ O(abbrev. for “old”) + MAN ] deleted from(uninvolved in) “a Roman ” + SON(a boy).
14 Surprisingly rates banker’s wealth (8)
TREASURE : Anagram of(Surprisingly) RATES + URE(a river;banker in N. Yorkshire, England).
16 Dubliner reels, free from restraint (8)
UNBRIDLE : Anagram of(… reels) DUBLINER.
18 Supplementary edition amateur gave as a gift to begin with (5)
ADDED : ED(short for “edition”) placed after(… to begin with, in an across clue) [ A(abbrev. for “amateur”) + D.D.(abbrev. for the Latin phrase “dono dedit”;gave a gift) ].
20 First outdo top footballer (4)
BEST : Quadruple defn: 1st: The first;the premier; and 2nd: To outdo;to better; and 3: The top;the best part; and 4: The late George (or Georgie) Best, a former (top) footballer for Manchester United and Northern Ireland.
21 Still without a poet laureate? (10)
MOTIONLESS : -LESS(a suffix denoting “without”) MOTION(Andrew, former UK Poet Laureate).
23 Kill for a kebab, perhaps (4-3)
TAKE OUT : Double defn: 1st: To kill or destroy; and 2nd: A take away. A meal bought at a shop or restaurant, but not eaten there, an example of which;perhaps, is a kebab.
24 Applause for fish expert? (3,4)
DAB HAND : HAND(applause, as in “please give a hand to our first contestant”) placed after(… for, in an across clue) DAB(any of various flatfish, eg. the flounder).
25 Latin woman’s soap (6)
LATHER : LAT(abbrev. for “Latin”) + HER(pronoun for a woman).
Defn: As a verb.
I can’t say if she’s Latin or not.
26 Surprisingly intense, missing last of the game (6)
TENNIS : Anagram of(Surprisingly) “intense ” minus(missing) the last letter of(last of) “the “.
Down
1 Poet originally bottled water (5)
BLAKE : The 1st letter of(originally) “bottled ” + LAKE(a body of water).
Answer: William, English poet.
2 Bucks term of endearment: “a right sausage, at heart” (7)
DOLLARS : DOLL(a term of endearment for addressing a woman) + A + R(abbrev. for “right”) + the central letter of(.., at heart) “sausage “.
Defn: A term used by North Americans (and Australians) for their currency.
3 Once unpretentious newspaper boss opened up (9)
EXPLAINED : EX-(prefix denoting “once”;formerly) + PLAIN(unpretentious) + ED(abbrev. for “editor”;newspaper boss).
5 Extremely sarcastic setter in contact with descendant (5)
SCION : The 1st and last letters of(Extremely) “sarcastic ” + I(self-referential pronoun used by setter of this puzzle) + ON(preposition denoting “in contact with”).
6 Old wine son sends abroad (7)
EXPORTS : EX-(prefix denoting “old”;formerly) + PORT(a fortified wine) + S(abbrev. for “son”).
7 Drunk rested unsteadily after mountain-climbing (9)
PLASTERED : Anagram of(… unsteadily) RESTED placed below(after, in a down clue) reversal of(-climbing, in a down clue) ALP(a high mountain).
Defn: …, or intoxicated.
10 Preparations, having missed first three meetings (9)
OINTMENTS : “appointments”(meetings) minus(missed) its first 3 letters(first three …).
Defn: Plural of a fatty or oily formulation;preparation applied to the skin to heal, protect or as a cosmetic.
13 Film musical director (5,4)
ANNIE HALL : ANNIE(the musical based on the comic strip Little Orphan Annie) + HALL(Peter, English theatre director, founder and director of the Royal Shakespeare Company and director of the National Theatre in England).
Answer: Film directed by Woody Allen.
15 Complicate eastern American’s work at the finish (9)
ELABORATE : E(abbrev. for “eastern”) + LABOR(“labour”;work, as spelled by Americans) + AT + the last letter of(… finish) “the “.
17 Once again, foot the bill for retirement (7)
RETREAT : RE-(prefix denoting “once again”;repeated) + TREAT(to foot the bill for entertainment, food, or gift given for or to someone).
Defn: …, or a withdrawal from military action or into seclusion and privacy.
19 Swimmer‘s party left local at home (7)
DOLPHIN : DO(a party;a social function) + L(abbrev. for “left”) + PH(abbrev. for “public house”;formal term for a pub, including one’s local, a pub that is close to home or place of work) + IN(at home).
21 Missouri university’s electronic computer equipment (5)
MOUSE : MO(abbrev. for the American state of Missouri) + U(abbrev. for “university”)‘S + E-(the prefix used nowadays to denote things electronic, such as “email”).
22 Chants in German aboard ship (5)
SINGS : [ IN + G(abbrev. for “German”) ] contained in(aboard) SS(abbrev. for “steamship”).
(Please do NOT post hereinbelow any comment relating to the picture quiz. Thank you.)
I have no memories of completing this, but I see there were a couple of clues I couldn’t parse: 13ac, which seems obvious now that you explain it, thanks, and 1ac, where I was totally unaware of that meaning of “budge”.
11A Anagrind is simply “junk”, the “‘s” is needed for the answer, SEPARATION.
Thought PLASTERED was rather neat.
Thanks to Hieroglyph and scchua.