Solving time, 18 mins
* = anagram < = reversed
ACROSS
1 M UMBO J UMBO
8 B (R) ITTEN
9 EX PERT
11 TOOTHACHE Cryptic definition
12 RI OJ A (A Jo Ir)< From book ‘Little Women’
13 D (I’M) E Ed< Jokingly referring to the rate paid for the puzzle, perhaps…
14 TOP SPIN (nips pot)<
17 BEN I SON
18 CA(R)P
20 Terence STAMP actor
22 WEEKENDER Sat = Saturday
24 F (IN) ISH
25 C ROESUS (so sure)*
26 ENGAGEMENT match = wedding
DOWN
1MATCHLESS
2 MON A CO Mon = Monday
3 O MELE (TT) E
4 UPPER Part of shoe
5 BIRD OF PARADISE (be sad if airdrop)*
6 ABET cf BETA
7 DISORIENTATION (is not editor in a)*
10 Thomas MANN “Man”
15 PICKED OUT “Pict”
16 SNOWSHOE (Whose son)*
17 BA SH AB<
19 F (r)ESCUE
21 PA IS A
23 ROSE cf EROS
I didn’t quite get 1 across, “mumbo jumbo”. Clue is “Japan restricted by male bosses ? Nonsense !”. Obviously nonsense is mumbo jumbo and Japan is probably a J but I don’t get the stuff about male bosses.
Umbo = boss Something I’ve learnt from crosswords – dicts confirm M = male