Excellent as usual
Across
1 Chance instant, mostly noticed by touch HAPTIC
HAP (chance) TIC[K] (instant mostly)
5 Crazy officer brought into plan MADCAP
DC (officer – detective constable) in MAP (plan) A (not accounted for)
10 A new row about roughened explosive stuff? ANTIMATTER
MATT (roughened) in A N (new) TIER (row)
11 Articles about logic circuit are produced immediately THEN AND THERE
NAND (computer logic circuit) in THE THE (articles) RE (are)
14 Last to be taken in by navigation device seller VENDOR
END (last) in VOR (very high frequency omni-directional range)
15 Soothing girl that is involved in medical speciality EMOLLIENT
MOLL (girl) IE (that is) in ENT (ear nose and throat)
17 Religious group in old church had hidden OCCULTED
CULT (religious group) in O CE (old church) D (had)
18 Some Latin? About to accept version of usual Latin CLAUSULA
(USUAL)* L (Latin) in CA (about)
21 Stinky regions in nasty tiresome area OSMETERIA (of caterpillar)
(TIRESOME)* A (area)
22 Expression of disgust and laughing cut short in describing certain languages
UGRIAN UG (expression of disgust) RIAN[t] (laughing)
23 Neat Nineties beat in French city SAINT-ETIENNE (NEAT NINETIES)*
24 Capitol I rubbished almost entirely, being this? APOLITICAL &Lit
(CAPITOL I)* AL[l] (almost entirely)
25 Occupation? Historic union in support TENURE
NUR (National Union of Railwaymen until 1990) in TEE (support)
26 Guy to hurry for girl CATHIE CAT (guy) HIE (hurry)
Down
1 Dislike headgear presented by Titian HATRED
HAT (headgear) RED (Titian adjective)
2 Reptile rears up on a rock with it PTEROSAURIAN (REARS UP ON A IT)*
3 Excited feeling suggesting letters? Only some of them TINGLE
hidden in [sugges]TING LE[etters]
4 Song and dance with little hesitation supplied by college CANTICUM
C (college) ANTIC (dance?) UM (little hesitation)
6 Cheers up? Cheers up in dress, being thin ATTENUATE
TA< (cheers up) TA< (cheers up) in TENUE (dress)
7 Financial crisis: uncommonly direct about threat to bank by clearing house
CREDIT CRUNCH
CREDIT (DIRECT)* C (about) RUN (overflow – river/bank) CH (clearing house)
8 Architectural ornament: wild creation covering half of roof ACROTERION
RO[of] (half of roof) in (CREATION)*
9 Butterfly identifying where ship stops? PIERID
PIER (where ship stops) ID (identification)
12 Consent to record being included in pipe in house HOMOLOGATE
LOG (record) in OAT (musical pipe) all in HOME (house)
13 One explains destruction encompassed by reptile GLOSSATOR
LOSS (destruction) in GATOR (reptile)
16 Broad City movement following city line ECLECTIC
EC (city) L (line) EC (city) TIC
18 Goldsmith’s pot in vintage collection CRUSET
CRU (vintage) SET (collection)
19 Bound to get upset about church fraud DECEIT
CE (church) in TIED< (bound to get upset)
20 African association to happen to invest in American funds KABELE Ethiopia
BE (happen) in KALE (money US)
( )* = anagram [ ] = omit < = reverse definitions in italics
5a A (not accounted for), how does that work? I got the clue but didn’t think anything of it ’till pointed out on here.
Is it an editorial mistake or a legit crossword abbreviation?
I think it may be ADC (aide-de-camp) in MAP.
Yes, that works. No French indication in clue though !
Would not be needed IMHO, as word is in use in English (both it and its abbrev are in Chambers).
Gotcha. It’s in XWD dictionary, so thats good enough for me. Mystery solved.
My first Beelzebub, I found rather different than the Listener, Mephisto and Azed.
Whoever set it – nice one.
While it may not be explicitly stated in all cases, I think the latest edition of Chambers dictionary is the reference source for all the puzzles mentioned in comment #5.