Guardian Quiptic 1139 Carpathian

Thank you to Carpathian. Definitions are underlined in the clues.

Carpathian has achieved one-word definitions in all the across clues and in all but 3 of the down ones.

Across

1. Second wine is grim (6)

MOROSE : MO(short for “moment”/a short period of time/a second) + ROSÉ(a kind of wine, named after its pinkish colour).

4. Judges applying seriously exacting sanctions initially to leaderless hordes (8)

ASSESSES : 1st letters, respectively, of(… initially) “seriously exacting sanctions” placed after(applying … to) “masses”(hordes/crowds) minus its 1st letter(leaderless …).

9. Skeletal pub in space (6)

SKINNY : INN(pub/an establishment selling drinks) contained in(in) SKY(everything/all the space that is above the earth, as seen from its surface, including the atmosphere and outer space).

10. Decorated head of show horse with diamonds (8)

SEQUINED : 1st letter of(head of) “show” + EQUINE(a horse) plus(with) D(abbrev. for the suit of diamonds in a deck of playing cards).

A sequined Equine and a sequined Beauty:

11. Oracles foretell unrest developing (7-7)

FORTUNE TELLERS : Anagram of(… developing) FORETELL UNREST.

13. Separate dance numbers getting shocking treatment (10)

DISCONNECT : DISCO(a party/a dance with people dancing to music that was particularly popular in the late 70s) + N,N(2 x abbrev. for “number”) plus(getting) ECT(abbrev. for “electroconvulsive therapy”, a mental health treatment in which small electric currents are passed through the brain, literally shocking the patient).

Defn: …/to sever links/connections with.

14. Laze round holding nothing (4)

ZERO : Hidden in(… holding) “Laze round“.

16. Liberal extracted from dark side (4)

BACK : “L”(abbrev. for a member of the Liberal Party) deleted from(extracted from) “black”(dark/unlit).

Defn: … at the rear, as opposed to the front side.

18. Old priest is suppressing alien oaths (10)

EXPLETIVES : EX-(prefix denoting “old”/former) + P(abbrev. for “priest”) + LIVES(is/exists) containing(suppressing) ET(abbrev. for “extra-terrestrial”/an alien/one not from this earth).

21. Petrified, X covers up mistakes with deception (6-8)

TERROR-STRICKEN : TEN(number equivalent to the Roman numeral, X) containing(covers up) [ ERRORS(mistakes/blunders) plus(with) TRICK(a deception/a swindle) ].

23. Bag first of berths in ship (3,5)

BIN LINER : 1st letter of(first of) “berths” + IN + LINER(a large luxurious passenger ship).

Dress down in trashion:

24. Connected gangster fibbed (6)

ALLIED : AL(Capone, a former American gangster popular with crossword setters) + LIED(told fibs).

25. Rocket delayed after case redesigned (8)

ESCALATE : LATE(delayed/past the time due) placed after(after) anagram of(… redesigned) CASE.

Defn: …/to increase rapidly and suddenly.

26. Horror of battle across river (6)

FRIGHT : FIGHT(a battle/a conflict) containing(across) R(abbrev. for “river”).

Down

1. Essential element of returned contract summarised in part (4)

MUST : Hidden in(… in part) reversal of(returned) “contract summarised“.

2. Short road in Paris, one we French find disastrous (7)

RUINOUS : “rue”(French for “road”, as found in Paris) minus its last letter(Short …) + I(Roman numeral for “one”) + NOUS(“we” in French).

3. Small operation involving new countenance (8)

SANCTION : S(abbrev. for “small”) + ACTION(an operation/a thing done) containing(involving) N(abbrev. for “new”).

Defn: …/support or approval.

5. Curate claps wildly for lavish show (11)

SPECTACULAR : Anagram of(… wildly) CURATE CLAPS.

6. Corresponds with peers (6)

EQUALS : Double defn.

7. Frank‘s about to follow after (7)

SINCERE : RE(with reference to/about) placed below(to follow, in a down clue) SINCE(after the time specified, as in “since last year…”).

8. Team reveals secondary activities (9)

SIDESHOWS : SIDE(a team in a competition) + SHOWS(reveals/discloses).

Defn: …/performances.

12. Unconventional text in sonnet not entirely fanciful (3-8)

NON-EXISTENT : Anagram of(Unconventional) [TEXT IN + “sonnet” minus its last letter(not entirely)].

13. Contentious young woman making first appearance on American board (9)

DEBATABLE : DEB(short for “debutante”, a young woman making her first formal appearance in fashionable society) placed above(on, in a down clue) A(abbrev. for “American”) + TABLE(board/ regular meals provided in a place of accommodation).

15. Perfectionist left in label (8)

STICKLER : L(abbrev. for “left”) contained in(in) STICKER(a label or notice stuck on to something).

17. Persistent customers have registered over ninety individual complaints to start with (7)

CHRONIC : 1st letters, respectively, of(… to start with) “customers have registered over ninety individual complaints“.

19. Compete to get side watching (7)

VIEWING : VIE(to compete with someone to achieve something) plus(to get) WING(a part of a large building to one side of the main building).

20. Jolly little woman with bottle (6)

JOVIAL : JO(March, the second-eldest sister and the main character in the novel, Little Women) plus(with) VIAL(a small glass bottle).

22. Change poor diet (4)

EDIT : Anagram of(poor) DIET.