Times 27,911: Vegan-Unfriendly
A dreaded pink square for me in what wasn't, otherwise, too testing a crossword despite potentially tricky vocab crossing like 6ac/8dn. I bunged "MEALINESS" straight in at 14dn on the assumption that it referred to a mealy-grub, though on more sober reflection it felt like that creature may actually be called a mealy-bug... onwards and upwards eh! It was the flycatcher clue that set me astray, officer, would've been under 7 minutes otherwise.
I liked: the scientific clue at 21ac (which is also the title of a brilliant YA book by Alan Garner), the PDMOTD when I finally cottoned onto "lot deemed odious" at 12dn, but let's say my COD is 18ac as I liked "A BIT RATED", which is broadly descriptive of my place in the crossword community. Thanks setter and heaven forfend the pink square of doom from the rest of you!
ACROSS
1 Experts to keep on retaining old fools (8)
BUFFOONS - BUFFS [experts] to "keep" ON "retaining" O, so BUFF{O{O}N}S
6 Flycatcher’s charge, we hear: insect being picked up (6)
PHOEBE - homophone of FEE + homophone of BEE. One for the twitchers amongst us
9 Repurposing curtains cut up, one uses needles (13)
ACUPUNCTURIST - (CURTAINS CUT UP*). FOI
10 Worker left half abandoned gets to manage (6)
HANDLE - HAND [worker] + LE{ft}
11 Prearrange patient for feature of study? (8)
BOOKCASE - BOOK [prearrange] + CASE [patient]
13 Disciple penning part of Bible with short word of prayer in bit of verse (10)
PENTAMETER - PETER "penning" NT + AME{n}
15 Appearance that is evident in heartless fellow (4)
MIEN - I.E. [that is] "in" M{a}N
16 Nymph gives companion love by edge of lake (4)
ECHO - C.H. 0 by {lak}E
18 Made a judgement not much appreciated about Republican (10)
ARBITRATED - A BIT RATED [not much appreciated] "about" R
21 What may be evident in aura from star in colourful garment (3,5)
RED SHIFT - double def, good Doppler-y science term vs a literal colourful shift/garment.
22 Holy person getting with it at church can be a pain (6)
STITCH - S(ain)T getting with IT at CH(urch)
23 Innocent chaps violently shoved into big vans (13)
PANTECHNICONS - (INNOCENT CHAPS*)
25 Music-makers love being in small groups (6)
CELLOS - 0 being in CELLS
26 Contact team to get best position to watch contest? (8)
RINGSIDE - or RING SIDE [contact | team]
DOWN
2 Ignorant article in Le Monde about a conflict (7)
UNAWARE - UNE [(French) article] "about" A WAR
3 Channels getting discovered for street in structures below ground? (11)
FOUNDATIONS - {st}ATIONS [(radio) channels] becomes {FOUND}ATIONS
4 Nothing put together can be practical (2,3)
OF USE - 0 FUSE [put together]
5 Instrument taken from bag by Aunt Sally, briefly (7)
SACKBUT - SACK [bag] by BUT{t} [Aunt Sally]
6 Rich person in airport town nearly nabbed by copper, despicable type (9)
PLUTOCRAT - LUTO{n} "nabbed by" P.C. + RAT
7 Charm of Japanese attire (3)
OBI - double def; in the Caribbean, ritual magic, in Japan, a kimono sash
8 Fine material is used in sock? Not right (7)
BATISTE - IS "used in" BATTE{r}
12 Lot deemed odious in firm battle to secure foreign capital (11)
COMPARISONS - CO MONS [firm | battle] "secures" PARIS. "Comparisons are odious" according to the old adage, or "odorous", per Dogberry in Much Ado. LOI
14 Quality of some grub in each can brought into dining room (9)
MEATINESS - EA TIN "brought into" MESS
17 Desire heading off to get a bit of food that isn't expensive (7)
CHEAPIE - {a}CHE to get A PIE
19 Killer only dear to the French (7)
BUTCHER - BUT [only] + CHER [dear, in French]
20 Former leader of Conservatives was wont to be forgiven? (7)
EXCUSED - EX [former] + C{onservatives} + USED [was wont]
22 Male of family that's kept in charge, after upsetting heir (5)
SCION - SON that has "kept" reversed I/C
24 In ruin I leave nothing (3)
NIL - hidden in {rui}N I L{eave}
I liked: the scientific clue at 21ac (which is also the title of a brilliant YA book by Alan Garner), the PDMOTD when I finally cottoned onto "lot deemed odious" at 12dn, but let's say my COD is 18ac as I liked "A BIT RATED", which is broadly descriptive of my place in the crossword community. Thanks setter and heaven forfend the pink square of doom from the rest of you!
ACROSS
1 Experts to keep on retaining old fools (8)
BUFFOONS - BUFFS [experts] to "keep" ON "retaining" O, so BUFF{O{O}N}S
6 Flycatcher’s charge, we hear: insect being picked up (6)
PHOEBE - homophone of FEE + homophone of BEE. One for the twitchers amongst us
9 Repurposing curtains cut up, one uses needles (13)
ACUPUNCTURIST - (CURTAINS CUT UP*). FOI
10 Worker left half abandoned gets to manage (6)
HANDLE - HAND [worker] + LE{ft}
11 Prearrange patient for feature of study? (8)
BOOKCASE - BOOK [prearrange] + CASE [patient]
13 Disciple penning part of Bible with short word of prayer in bit of verse (10)
PENTAMETER - PETER "penning" NT + AME{n}
15 Appearance that is evident in heartless fellow (4)
MIEN - I.E. [that is] "in" M{a}N
16 Nymph gives companion love by edge of lake (4)
ECHO - C.H. 0 by {lak}E
18 Made a judgement not much appreciated about Republican (10)
ARBITRATED - A BIT RATED [not much appreciated] "about" R
21 What may be evident in aura from star in colourful garment (3,5)
RED SHIFT - double def, good Doppler-y science term vs a literal colourful shift/garment.
22 Holy person getting with it at church can be a pain (6)
STITCH - S(ain)T getting with IT at CH(urch)
23 Innocent chaps violently shoved into big vans (13)
PANTECHNICONS - (INNOCENT CHAPS*)
25 Music-makers love being in small groups (6)
CELLOS - 0 being in CELLS
26 Contact team to get best position to watch contest? (8)
RINGSIDE - or RING SIDE [contact | team]
DOWN
2 Ignorant article in Le Monde about a conflict (7)
UNAWARE - UNE [(French) article] "about" A WAR
3 Channels getting discovered for street in structures below ground? (11)
FOUNDATIONS - {st}ATIONS [(radio) channels] becomes {FOUND}ATIONS
4 Nothing put together can be practical (2,3)
OF USE - 0 FUSE [put together]
5 Instrument taken from bag by Aunt Sally, briefly (7)
SACKBUT - SACK [bag] by BUT{t} [Aunt Sally]
6 Rich person in airport town nearly nabbed by copper, despicable type (9)
PLUTOCRAT - LUTO{n} "nabbed by" P.C. + RAT
7 Charm of Japanese attire (3)
OBI - double def; in the Caribbean, ritual magic, in Japan, a kimono sash
8 Fine material is used in sock? Not right (7)
BATISTE - IS "used in" BATTE{r}
12 Lot deemed odious in firm battle to secure foreign capital (11)
COMPARISONS - CO MONS [firm | battle] "secures" PARIS. "Comparisons are odious" according to the old adage, or "odorous", per Dogberry in Much Ado. LOI
14 Quality of some grub in each can brought into dining room (9)
MEATINESS - EA TIN "brought into" MESS
17 Desire heading off to get a bit of food that isn't expensive (7)
CHEAPIE - {a}CHE to get A PIE
19 Killer only dear to the French (7)
BUTCHER - BUT [only] + CHER [dear, in French]
20 Former leader of Conservatives was wont to be forgiven? (7)
EXCUSED - EX [former] + C{onservatives} + USED [was wont]
22 Male of family that's kept in charge, after upsetting heir (5)
SCION - SON that has "kept" reversed I/C
24 In ruin I leave nothing (3)
NIL - hidden in {rui}N I L{eave}