Across:
8 Central to family (central to ‘faMIly’ = MI-) story (-LIE-) with unusual, extreme (‘Unusual’ extreme = -U) (MILIEU) background (MILIEU),
9 It’s not right (IMPROPER) or wrong? (IMPROPER),
10 Raised (= reverse indicator) in São José dos Campo (in ‘são joSÉ DOs campo’ = sedo = ODES) by a linesman presumably? (ODES are by a linesman/poet),
11 Criminal (= anagram indicator) sent heroin (sent heroin = RHINESTONE) in fake jewellery (RHINESTONE),
12 Cured (HEALED) that man (HE-) of drink- (-ALE-) -driving primarily (‘Driving’ primarily = -D) (HEALED),
14 Sales rep (sales rep) drunkenly (= anagram indicator) (sales rep = RELAPSES) falls off the wagon (RELAPSES),
15 Holiday home (COTTAGE) in sturdy (in sturdy) complex (= anagram indicator) (in sturdy = INDUSTRY) (COTTAGE INDUSTRY) selling homemade products (COTTAGE INDUSTRY),
18 German (OTTO-) chap (-MAN-) with the last of the clowns’ (the last of the ‘clownS’ = -S) (OTTOMANS) parlour pieces (OTTOMANS),
20 A type of toast (FRENCH toast), in a manner of speaking (FRENCH),
22 What the mimic is capable of (IMPRESSION) or that’s the feeling? (IMPRESSION),
24 Sounds like (= homophone indicator) two-thirds of those in 12 across (two-thirds of ‘healed’ = ‘heal’ = ‘HEEL’) could be from the bottom of Wellington (HEEL of wellington boot),
25 Second sight (PROPHESY) of something Jeremiah said (PROPHESY of Jeremiah, the prophet),
26 They’d swallow anything (EATERS) to cure (= anagram indicator) Teresa (Teresa = EATERS).
Down:
1 It’s difficult to figure out (RIDDLE) what this might be (RIDDLE),
2 Fail to catch (MISS) what borders on midsummer madness (what borders on ‘MIdsummer madneSS’ = MISS),
3 Mouthy type in Ring offers protection (mouth GUARD worn in boxing ring) to American bully (American Bully = breed of DOG) (GUARD DOG) working on a lead in the security business (GUARD DOG),
4 Horrified losing order (‘horrified’ losing ‘order’ = hifi = HI-FI) for sound system (HI-FI),
5 Attraction (APPEAL) of remuneration leaving European Parliament (‘remuneration’ leaving ‘European Parliament’ = paplae = APPEAL),
6 Tate photos (Tate photos) twisted (= anagram indicator) (Tate photos = TOOTHPASTE) in a tube might save you a filling? (TOOTHPASTE),
7 Check (check/control = REIN-) with Buck (-DEER) (REINDEER) or dancer’s partner (Santa’s REINDEER Dancer),
13 Lost (L-) interest from the start (‘Interest’ from the start = -I-) with principal protagonist (principal ‘Protagonist’ = -P-) in Hogarth (Hogarth) novel (= anagram indicator) (Hogarth = -THOGRA-H) (LITHOGRAPH) out of print (print = LITHOGRAPH),
14 Holds up (RAIDS) with end of finger (end of ‘fingeR’ = R-) for shots in the arm (-AIDS) (RAIDS),
16 Run rings around (OUTSMART) fool (OUTSMART),
17 Fed (fed = DEF-) up (= reverse indicator) with Dunne (Dunne) report (= homophone indicator) (‘Dunne’ = ‘done’ = -ENDED) (DEFENDED) or guarded? (DEFENDED),
19 Solution (ANSWER) for getting Noel out of New Orleans (‘Noel’ out of ‘New Orleans’ = wreans = ANSWER),
21 Pleasure (CHEER-) getting last takeaway (last ‘takeawaY’ = -Y) (CHEERY) from Chipper (chipper/jolly = CHEERY),
23 Pass off displays (‘pass’ off ‘displays’ = dily = IDYL) as a pastoral view of America (US spelling IDYL / idyll),
24 Rains blow down on (HITS) banks of high voltage circuits (banks of ‘HIgh voltage circuiTS’ = HITS).