An entertaining challenge from Dac which had the right mix of clues to keep you on your toes. However, I do have one query and two small questions (19 and 21 across and 23 down).

( * = ANAGRAM  (R) = REVERSAL   CD =  CRYPTIC DEFINITION) 

ACROSS  

1.  CHER - C (No 1 in charts) + HER (female)

4   REPORTER - Re = about  PORTER (Cole P)

9   RETROACTS -  TO CARTER’S *

10  BLUE - Double definition

11  OPENED - PEN (write) inside OED (oxford English Dictionary, which I now have courtesy of Countdown!)

12  ANTELOPE - ANTE (Stake) + LOPE (To Bound)  Nice surface reading.

14  DECLINE AND FALL -  Cryptic def.  Two synonyms of “drop”.

16  SLEEPING AROUND - LAD SEEN IN GROUP* -  Nice definition =  spurning high fidelity.  Anagram indicator =  Punk

19  ADJUTANT -  My reading of this (correct me if not the case!)  AD = Active Duty (not heard of abbrev. before)  JUT =  Project  ANT  = Soldier (a type of ant)

21  BLEARY - Hmmmm….  Isn’t the Minister Hazel Blears?

22  ACER - Nice surface reading  ACE = One  R = River  ACER is, if I recall, the Latin name for the Maple.

24  ANIMALISM - MALI’S MAIN*  Nice & Lit clue

25  MARY JANE - Slang name for cannabis - double def.

26  KISS KI(D) - last letter missing  S S =  Sunday School  -  cf Glaswegian/Kirkby Kiss  (Slang terms for head butt)

DOWN
2   HARD PRESSED - HARD = strict  PRESS-ED =  Media Boss!

3   RETINOL - Single recipe containing it   IT inside ONE+R (R) + L (length)

4   RACE AGAINST TIME - CE (Chief Engineer) inside MAGISTRATE IN A*

5   POSIT - How to relax = SIT  after OP (R)

6   RUBELLA - Rugby = RU  BELLA = I am advised by my big sister it is a ladies’ magazine.

7   ECU - E = English  CU = Copper   (Have seen this clue a few times before)

8   COLD SNAP - C = Caught  OLD SNAP =  Sepia Photo  (Like it!)

13  PALINDROMES - The clue is composed entirely of palindromes!  This was thevery last clue as he didn’t notice them, he said rather shame-facedly!

15  DEADBEAT - Double definition

17  EQUERRY - E =  last letter of Prince R = Royal inside QUERY

18  OBELISK - OB = old Boy +  LIKES*

20  AQABA - AB = sailor inside A Q A

23  CHA - CA =  About (Presumably abbrev of Circa - Is this right?) with H inside

‘The dog for me’ (6dn)… well, I don’t think Chifonie’s an Afghan, so it probably had to be setter, didn’t it!  That one was a bit obvious to seasoned hands, but there are some nice clues here and some toughies, with a good mix of types. One or two weak definitions, but good surfaces throughout. Sat at home, my blogging day for once coinciding with a day off, it took 21 minutes with one guess that had to be verified in the Atlas.

ACROSS:

7. CO(TOP)AX, I. If you’ve been to Ecuador, this may have come quickly. For me, it was the last clue, guessed on the basis that ‘entice’ (_OA_) had to be ‘coax.

10. C(L)UE. Def = ‘this is’, potter’s equipment = cue, as in pool, snooker etc. Nice.

11. AFTERTASTE. STAR AT FETE*. Excellent clue, just the kind I like - a cryptic definition supported by wordplay, so you don’t know it’s a CD till you get it.

12. STROKE. It looks at first as though ‘one having a’ is redundant, but I think it’s justifiable on the basis that a stroke can be a rower (see under ’stroke-oar’).

14. REDS TART. Very topical after last night, though Liverpool’s victory owed more to their keeper than any winger (here meaning flier, i.e. bird).

15. EXCE(r)PT. Prett difficult clue, not the first synonyms that spring to mind for ‘ban’ or ‘citation.

17. (w)ANGLER. If you can call standing on the riverbank all day a sport. Mind you, you could get through a few crosswords while you wait for them to bite.

22. G RAP PA. Italian firewater.

23. AUCTIONEER. A NICE ROUTE*. A good one for an anagram, because the letters mislead you towards -ATION, -ATOR etc. In the end, a very precise definition.

24. FAR O. Not a game I’ve played, but comes into crosswords now and then.

26. DISH EVE L. Jumble as a verb.

DOWN.

1. ROU(LET)TE. Good surface, unlike some of the roads round my way.

4. SHE RID A N. Normally abbreviations in daily cryptics are ones you come across outside the dictionary, but I’m not sure that’s true of N for nationalist - it should be a party abbreviation, but it’s the SNP challenging at the polls in Scotland tomorrow. Then again, LD should really be the abbreviation for ‘liberal’, but we still use ‘L’ in crosswords.

5. TA RAN TELL A. Very nicely broken down.

6. (see preamble).

13. OCCUPATION. This is the kind of double definition that leaves me cold - it’s a neat phrase, but essentially relies on two variations on the same meaning of the word.

16. PRI(SON)ER.

18. REPARTEE. PEAR TREE*. Hmm… a sally may be a bit of repartee, but are they synonymous?

22. GA(RI)SH. Another exception to my spurious rule above (see 4dn). RI is a member of the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours, but it’s not one I’ve had occasion to use.

24. F(R)EE. For which I don’t think ‘libertarian’ is a great definition.