Solved in 11 minutes, 30 seconds, after a long drive back after Memorial Day weekend. No time for a larger writeup, but feel free to ask questions in the comments and I'll be happy to respond.
Order of solving
Across: 9, 18, 21
Down: 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 16, 17, 19, 22
Across: 24, 1, 10, 11, 14, 20
Down: 5, 7
Across: 12
Down: 13, 15
Across: 23
| Across | |
| 1 | Flying mammal healthy cricketer observed, disturbed by game (5,3) |
| FRUIT BAT - A healthy cricketer would be a FIT BAT, insert RU the game. | |
| 5 | Diamond is article giant bird’s swallowed (6) |
| TROCHE - THE swallows ROC the fabulous bird. A troche is a diamond shaped lozenge or pill, EDIT even though it can be / should be circular from its etymology, see comments below. | |
| 9 | Castigator denied swapping sides (9) |
| DENOUNCER - Denied = RENOUNCED, swap the first and last letters round. | |
| 11 | Performer meddling in movie at first with little hesitation (5) |
| MIMER - M eddling I n M ovie then ER. | |
| 12 | Conflict dividing city mostly on the sheltered side (7) |
| LEEWARD - LEED(S) has WAR inserted. | |
| 13 | Prognostication connected with terribly bad stomach (7) |
| ABDOMEN - (BAD)* then OMEN = prognostication. | |
| 14 | Cap charges for clothing new son, a royal (5,8) |
| CROWN PRINCESS - cap = CROWN, charges = PRICES, insert N, add S(on). | |
| 16 | Reporter’s right to interrupt person cited in divorce case (13) |
| CORRESPONDENT - Person in divorce case = CO-RESPONDENT, insert an R. | |
| 20 | Draw game? He painted frescoes and altarpieces (7) |
| TIEPOLO - TIE = draw, POLO a game. Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, b. Venice 1696, d. 1770. | |
| 21 | Letter and old poem about Islamic territory (7) |
| EMIRATE - All reversed; ETA Greek letter, RIME old word for rhyme. | |
| 23 | In retrospect it heralded support for the church (5) |
| TITHE - IT in retrospect = TI, THE. &lit. EDIT: and / or parsed as a hidden, RETROSPEC(T IT HE)RALDED | |
| 24 | Conductor’s chosen way to be announced (9) |
| ELECTRODE - ELECT = chosen, RODE sounds like road = way. | |
| 25 | Wild dog old Yankee kept in small shelter (6) |
| COYOTE - COTE = small shelter, insert O and Y. | |
| 26 | Woman associated with revolutionary king (8) |
| ETHELRED - ETHEL is associated with RED revolutionary. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Scam exposed by theologian dipping into dossier (6) |
| FIDDLE - DD (doctor of divinity) goes into FILE = dossier. | |
| 2 | Bones a girl finally broke grabbing end of wall (5) |
| ULNAE - UNA a girl, E end of broke, insert L end letter of wall. Plural of ulna. | |
| 3 | Travel firm covering area producing crested bird (7) |
| TOURACO - TOUR = travel, CO = firm, insert A for area. African bird more interesting than some, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turaco | |
| 4 | Liable to mishaps, confounded doc with recent pain (8-5) |
| ACCIDENT-PRONE - (DOC RECENT PAIN)*. | |
| 6 | Graduate in drama school gaining name fast? (7) |
| RAMADAN - RADA = drama school, insert MA, add N for name. | |
| 7 | Source of protein politician fed to pet? (9) |
| CAMEMBERT - MEMBER = politician (not MP for once), insert into CAT a pet. Seems an odd choice of definition as camembert is 20% protein and 36% fat. | |
| 8 | Ghostly atmosphere always hanging over island loch (8) |
| ` | EERINESS - E'ER = always, I = island, NESS a loch. |
| New layout of back row designed to exclude centre (13) | |
| REARRANGEMENT - REAR = back, RANGE = row, ME(A)NT = designed with centre A excluded. | |
| 14 | Better access securing backing for woodworker’s craft (9) |
| CARPENTRY - CAP = better, verb; ENTRY = access, insert R being the backing of foR. Or as below, the def. is just 'Craft' and the R is from the end of woodworker. | |
| 15 | Rapturous new sect — Greek, by the sound of it (8) |
| ECSTATIC - (SECT)* then ATIC sounds like ATTIC, for Greek. | |
| 17 | Dashed over to save animal shelter wearing away (7) |
| ERODENT - TORE = dashed, reverse it and insert DEN = animal shelter. | |
| 18 | Communication left in European skiing area (7) |
| EPISTLE - E(uropean), PISTE = skiing area, insert L. | |
| 19 | Nymph originally nameless before getting identification (6) |
| NEREID - N, ERE = before, ID = identification. | |
| 22 | University lecturer’s back after a second affair (5) |
| AMOUR - A, MO = second, U(niversity), R = last letter of lecturer. | |
