A first pass got me worried, until I got a foothold in the SE corner, and things then went okay. Thanks Armonie for an enjoyable puzzle, perhaps a little harder than usual. Definitions are underlined in the clues. Each of the pictures at the bottom has an unidentified link to the crossword – hint: there are 3 pairs of pictures, and 1 setter’s device.
Across
1 Corrupt French noble found in bishopric (6)
SEDUCE : DUC(French for duke,a nobleman) contained in(found in) SEE(a bishopric,the office of a bishop).
4 Dog in mine without railway (6)
COLLIE : “colliery”(coal mine) minus(without) “ry”(abbrev. for railway).
8 It is given here (7)
PRESENT : Double defn: 1st: That which is given,a gift; and 2nd: To indicate that one is present at a roll call..
9 Living with an independent partner (7)
ANIMATE : AN + I(abbrev. for independent, as with an election candidate) + MATE(partner).
Answer: Descriptive of one who has life,living, as opposed to inanimate.
11 Rude show about the Spanish (10)
INDELICATE : INDICATE(to show) containing(about) EL(Spanish for the article, “the”).
12 Measure sentence (4)
TIME : Double defn: 1st: As a noun, a measure,dimension, or as a verb, to measure a given dimension, in this case time; and 2nd: Time to be spent in prison,a sentence which may be handed down by a judge.
13 Weapon discovered in Catalan cemetery (5)
LANCE : Hidden in(discovered in) cataLAN CEMetery.
14 Order to conceal Channel Islands’ public disturbance (8)
INCIDENT : INDENT(an order for a goods item) containing(to conceal) CI(abbrev. for Channel Islands).
Answer: A bland euphemism for a “public disturbance”.
16 Nicholson embraces the right to cheer up (8)
BRIGHTEN : BEN(Nicholson, British abstract painter) containing(embraces) RIGHT.
18 Trouble riding mount (5)
UPSET : UP(riding,up on a horse) + SET(to fix,mount eg. a gem in a ring, or a picture in a frame).
20 Henry has time for divinity (4)
HERA : H(abbrev. for Henry) plus(has) ERA(a long period of time).
Answer: Ancient Greek goddess,divinity,a divine being, wife and sister of Zeus – who’s to stop him from doing what he likes?
21 Former pupil’s able to read, write and rub out (10)
OBLITERATE : OB(abbrev. for old boy,former pupil) + LITERATE(able to read,write).
Answer: To erase,rub out.
23 Tourist sees peak when touring Italy (7)
VISITOR : VISOR(the projecting front piece,peak of a cap to shade your eyes) containing(when touring) IT(the ISO code, and the Internet domain code, for Italy)
24 Question an Anglican with suspicion (7)
ASKANCE : ASK(question) + AN + CE(abbrev. for Church of England,Anglican).
25 Utter nonsense about king in tower (6)
TURRET : Anagram of(nonsense) UTTER containing(about) R(abbrev. for Latin Rex,king)
26 Resolved to be under canvas (6)
INTENT : IN (a) TENT(to be under canvas,tent material).
Answer: Being determined,resolved.
Down
1 Father’s new hooter (5)
SIREN : SIRE(father) + N(new).
2 Notice director is overseeing nuclear researchers (7)
DISCERN : D(abbrev. for director) + IS placed above(overseeing, in a down clue) CERN(originally Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire – French for European Council for Nuclear Research, but now Organisation Européenne pour la Recherche Nucléaire – European Organization for Nuclear Research, but retaining the old acronym. Those scientists who accelerate atomic particles to smash into one another to discover even smaller particles, amongst other things.)
3 Sober and satisfied when outside batting (9)
CONTINENT : CONTENT(satisfied) containing(when outside) IN(in cricket, descriptive of the team that is batting).
Answer: Exercising control and moderation in one’s desires, especially with alcohol and sex, which presumably means that you’re sober … and vice versa.
5 Big cat’s sudden swoop lacks power (5)
OUNCE : “pounce”(sudden swoop,surprise attack) minus(lacks) “p”(abbrev. for power, in physics).
Answer: The snow leopard,a big cat.
6 Bound to put small amount in hat (7)
LIMITED : MITE(a small amount of money) contained in(put…in) LID(slang for a hat).
7 I meet Stan dancing in the bistro (9)
ESTAMINET : Anagram of(dancing) I MEET STAN.
10 Reasons for putting drink under control (9)
RATIONALE : [RATION ALE](regulating,putting under control, the giving out of beer,drink).
13 Thief damaged clarinets (9)
LARCENIST : Anagram of(damaged) CLARINETS.
Answer: One who commits thievery.
15 No curates should get mixed up with her (9)
COURTESAN : Anagram of(should get mixed up) NO CURATES.
Answer: From Italian, literally, a woman of the court, but meaning a prostitute or mistress of a nobleman or a wealthy man. Certainly not suitable company for men of the cloth, including curates. A nice WIWD (wordplay intertwined with defninition) clue – my COD.
17 Worker finds group leader more idle (7)
GLAZIER : G(initial letter,leader of “group”) + LAZIER(more idle).
Answer: A worker who firs the glass panes in windows.
19 Breakers’ expert is superficial (7)
SURFACE : SURF(waves that break on the shore) + ACE(expert).
Answer: As in “a surface reading of the clue does not give sufficient information.”
21 Australia’s a gas! (5)
OZONE : OZ(what Australians call their country) + ONE(a).
22 Diplomacy surrounding Indian leader is understood (5)
TACIT : TACT(diplomacy) containing(surrounding) I(initial letter,leader of “Indian”)
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