Fifteensquared

… “To get to the same side!”
 
Across
 
1 MOB-I(US)S-TRIP - a Mobius Strip only has one side
 
9 PR-OS-AIC - PR is “spin” with “CIA” and “SO” reversed

10 A(TLAS)ES - i.e SEA with SALT in it (haven’t they all?), reversed

11 C-ALLOW-EST - “ALLOW” is literally in “CEST”
 
12 A-RC-ED - Abbreviation for A Roman Catholic EDitor
 
14 INTERCEDES - Produced an audible groan : to “inter” is to bury and “cedes” sounds like “seeds”
 
16 EX-TRACTION  - ould tell you some stories about my L5-S1 disc, but will resist the temptation. “Traction” involves stretching the back for possible medical benefits. May have been invented by a sadistic osteopath who wanted to update the medieval Rack. 

19 P(L)OD - Took me ages to remember that a Pod is a school of whales.
 
22 AT(HE-IS)TIC
 
24 IN-A-NEST - Surely “inane” means lacking in interest rather than actually cuckoo crazy ?
 
25 LE(CH)E-RY
 
26 ALTERNATELY - (T-LATE-NEARLY)*
 
 
Down 
 
1 MOONLIGHTS-ON-AT-A - To “moonlight” is to take on work after official work has finished
 
4 STAR(TL)E - LT is Lieutenant
 
6 POST CODE LOTTERY - Nice cryptic definition
 
7 IPECAC - Knew it was going to be an anagram of “icecap”, but had to look it up
 
8 A(SIDE)S - There are 11 in a cricket or a soccer “side”. An “aside” in the theatre is where an actor talks to the audience.
 
15 TASH-KEN-T - (THATS)* with the major of London being a guy called Ken
 
17 TOASTER - I don’t get it. Certainly it’s breakfast equipment, but doesn’t sound like anything to me.
 
18 OPHELIA - A cryptic obituary for Hamlet’s girlfriend (HOPE)* and (AIL)<
 
23 INCLE - maintaIN CLEar. Had to look this up too. It’s a linen tape used for trimmings.