Across
1 Cocked up (went wrong) less up = cocked = ready to fire
4 S (son) + potless (having not money) = spotless = clear
9 Mentor (advisor) found in governMENT Organisation
10 Men (chaps) around (holding) sit (model) + op (work) all reversed (back) = nepotism = keeping it in the family
12 Anagram (stirring) of “came on air” = americano = coffee
13 Initial letters (at first) of Had Every Map Annotated Neatlly) = Altas an example of a heman (also Charles Atlas)
14 Anagram (around) of “sailed” + nation (country) = desalination which turns sea water into drinking water
18 More (additional) SA (sex appeal) around the + RTE (our local station) = Mother Teresa = good woman
21 Even letters (regulalry) of jOiNs CaUsE = on cue = when expected
22 Anagram (to be excited about) of “cuban” and “dane” = abundance = plenty
24 Detonate = set off = ET (film) included in donate (present)
25 Bed (sleeping area) around inn (hotel) = binned = got rid of
26 Poo (number two) +l (left) + side (team) = poolside = relaxing holiday spot
27 Senior (superior) replacing i (one) with s (small) = sensor = detector
Down
1 Commando (soldier) if placed after going = going commando = not wearing underwear = debriefed
2 Con (study) + dense (complex) = condense = contract (make smaller)
3 EMoji (sign of how one is feeling) contained in suprEMO Jilted
5 Anagram (prepared) of “poseur” around (accept) poster (bill) = preposterous = crazy
6 Toot (sound horn) + h (hospital) + some (not everyone) = toothsome = sweet
7 Engima (WW2 machine that broke codes) + Enigma Variations (score by Elgar)
8 Central letters of viSIts faMOus carNEgie
11 Anagram (teetering) of “at the far end” + I = faint hearted = nervous
15 Loo (facility) sends (ships off) sounds like (reportedly) loose ends (not finished)
16 Mna (Irish women) inside tears (rents) = remnants = leftovers
17 Calendar girls = famously stripped off; dates refers to what calendars essentially are
19 Triple definition: Hold up (delay - whats’ the hold up); support (hold up something that’s falling); hold up (as in hold up a bank)
20 Act (routine as in comedy turn) + two (couple) = Act two, the central act in the conventional three act play
23 Derive (extract) less e (energy) = drive = thrust