Very straightforward with lots of anagrams – couldn’t explain 9 across
ACROSS
1 IN THE FIRST PLACE double definition
9 AS USUAL
10 CURRENT double definition
11 INDIE [w]INDIE[r]
12 TRAGEDIAN (GRANT IDEA)*
13 NARRATIVE arrival ARR in NATIVE
15 LEADS (DEALS)*
16 EDICT order E[nglish] DICT[ionary]
18 BATTLE-AXE tongue in cheek double definition
20 MALICIOUS catty (MUSICAL I O)*
23 WIPER WI REP<
24 UNCIVIL discourteous [b]UNC[h] [f]IV[e] [v]IL[e]
25 ORINOCO river [ma]ORI NO CO no company
26 HIT BELOW THE BELT act unscrupulously (TELL HOW HE BET BIT)*
DOWN
1 ITALIAN VERMOUTH drink and reference part of New York City
2 THUNDER express anger TH[e] UN French DER German
3 EXUBERANT cheerful (UNTAX BEER)*
4 INLET opening, hidden in [cha]IN LET[ter]
5 SACRAMENT religious ceremony (MAN REACTS)*
6 PURSE funds S in PURE
7 AMERICA (AIR CAME)*
8 EAT ONE’S HEART OUT (AUSTERE THANE TOO)*
14 IMBROGLIO confused situation (OIL RIG MOB)*
15 LILY-WHITE innocent (I TELL WHY I)*
17 ILLICIT hidden in [Church]ILL I CIT[ed]
19 APPROVE give green light A PP a parish priest ROVE travel around
21 CUVEE batch of wine, odd letters from CRUS VIEWED
22 SPORT cheerful guy S[ay] PORT drink
( )* = anagram < = reverse [ ] = omit
Thanks, Jed and gurney.
9ac: two anagrams of USA + L, which foxed me for a while but I’ve just seen is the number of states!
Apologies, Gurney, for decapitalising you. 😉
Thanks to Jed for the blog and to Gurney for a confidence-building solve on a day of rather easy puzzles (Chifonie in the Guardian is similar).
I’m a little bemused by your parsing of 1d. Mine is simply “centre of city” = “it” = “Italian Vermouth” as in “Gin and it” (cocktail of Gin and Italian Vermouth). Which part of New York City were you referring to?
Thanks to Jed and Gurney. Not many problems with this one. Agree with Thomas @3 that the IT is definitely the Vermouth. Turns up very regularly in cryptics.
Many thanks, Jed, for the excellent blog and I can confirm that what was intended for 9A and 1D is as explained by Eileen and Thomas99.
Many thanks to all who commented.