Guardian 26,039 – Pasquale

Found this pretty tough, with 24ac/1dn, 11ac and 14dn all unfamiliar. Favourite clues were 8ac, 10ac and 25ac.

Edit thanks to grandpuzzler

Across
1	ACCRA	Heading west, curve around port (5)
		=”port”. Reversal (“heading west”) of {ARC=”curve” + C[irc]A=”around”}
4	ON COURSE	Moving in the right direction, having several training sessions? (2,6)
		Straight def =”Moving in the right direction” & slightly cryptic def =”having several training sessions?”
8	AND WHAT HAVE YOU	Question asked by someone comparing Christmas presents etc? (3,4,4,3)
		=”etc”. Cryptic def =”Question asked by someone comparing Christmas presents”
10	FRIEDMAN	Economist’s suggestion for a cannibal’s feast? (8)
		The Chicago economist. FRIED MAN=”suggestion for a cannibal’s feast?”
11	LYSTRA	Some holy stranger encountered in place on missionary journey (6)
		=”place on missionary journey” – visited by St Paul on his missions. Hidden in “hoLY STRAnger”
12	LOCKSMITH	Security person with hairy bits at the front of University Hospital (9)
		=”Security person”. LOCKS=”hairy bits” + MIT=”University” + H[ospital]
15	AMATI	Fine instrument dramatist uses (5)
		=”fine instrument”. Hidden in “drAMATIst”.
17	LASKI	Liberal request made by independent political theorist, once (5)
		=”political theorist, once”. L[iberal] ASK=”request” I[ndependent]
18	MANNERING	Guy of 7 in short-staffed group (9)
		Guy Mannering is a novel by [Sir Walter] Scott. MANNE[d]=”short-staffed” + RING=”group”
19	CASH IN	Make a killing, maybe, as murderer keeping quiet (4,2)
		=”Make a killing”. CAIN=”murderer” around SH=”quiet”
21	HIERARCH	High priest’s casual greeting, unusual around church (8)
		=”High priest”. HI=”casual greeting” + rev(RARE)=”unusual around” + CH[urch]
24,1down	GREAT GOD THIS IS AN AWFUL PLACE	Message from 7 undone by a plod, a graft with sun, gales, ice (5,3,4,2,2,5,5)
		Captain Scott’s description of the Antarctic. (plod a graft with sun gales ice)*
25	CAPTAINS	Cooks of now and yesteryear? (8)
		Captain James Cook the 18th century explorer; Alistair Cook the current England cricket captain.
26	BASIN	Hollow bishop with a thing to be confessed? (5)
		=”Hollow”. B[ishop] + A SIN=”a thing to be confessed”
Down
1		See 24
		See 24
2	CODPIECES	Portions from the chippy? Lunch boxes no longer have them! (9)
		Two crypic defs: COD PIECES might come from the chippy; “Lunch box” is slang for the male genitals, which are rarely covered by CODPIECES these days.
3	APHID	Pest starting off fast, hard to catch (5)
		=”Pest”. [r]APID=”starting off fast” around H[ard]
4	OSTRACISM	Exclusion of drunken sot with display of unacceptable bigotry (9)
		=”Exclusion”. (sot)* + RACISM=”…bigotry”
5	CHAT	Bird to sing, missing note (4)
		=”Bird”. CHA[n]T=”sing” missing N[ote]
6	USE-BY DATE	See ad and buy product, finally to be cooked now? (3-2,4)
		=”finally to be cooked now”. (See ad buy [produc]t)*
7	SCOTT	Explorer beginning to suffer with cold, excessively (5)
		=”Explorer”. S[uffer] + C[old] + O[ver] T[he] T[op]=”excessively”
9	TAKING THE SUN	Enjoying fine weather? Something our readers probably won’t be doing! (6,3,3)
		=”Enjoying fine weather”; Guardian readers probably won’t be buying The Sun.
13	SOI-DISANT	Reliable but losing heart — is worker, in terms of self-image? (3-6)
		=”in terms of self-image”. SO[l]ID=”Reliable but losing heart” + IS + ANT=”worker”
14	HENDIADYS	Sidney had curled up nice and warm, maybe (9)
		A figure of speech exemplified by “nice and warm”. (Sidney had)*
16	APIARISTS	It’s not just the workers they look after (9)
		Cryptic def – APIARISTS look after drone and queen bees, as well as the workers.
20	SYRIA	Casual society set up in the country (5)
		=”country”. rev{AIRY=”Casual” + S[ociety]}
22	REHAB	Therapy that could come from a herb (5)
		=”Therapy”. (a herb)*
23	UGLI	Fruit not looking so good, a third wasted (4)
		=”Fruit”. UGLI[er]=”not looking so good, a third wasted”