ACROSS

 1  Not to act too eager, but stick around a while and give support. (4,4)

 5  In bad rainstorms, these let the water down. (6)

 9  A couple of treys, for example, make a pretty sad couple. (3,4)

10  By Jove, you have the equivalent! (7)

11  Look at what might give you a licking! It’s not all that far above your nose! (7)

12  If you’re looking for a scoop, here’s a big one! (The medico right around the corner?) (7)

13  Steinbrenner’s confused, true as the master of pointillism. (7,6)

15  Those gunmen in the movies? Heavens, that’s where you see them! (8,5)

21  Camera I take all over to reveal one country. (7)

22  The Greatest, with two degrees, is a hero of Arabian fiction. (3,4)

23  Sometimes rung by ringers. (Chan gestures in plain sight to make a switch.) (7)

24  Starts as a controversy over some burning issue–and I ingest with some difficulty! (7)

25  They provide wood for craftsmen, as you can see in Calder sculptures. (6)

26  In a state of confusion, Tracy sat… to find a homeless kitty! (5,3)

DOWN

 1  Divides into two equal measures what some call heroin, leading a deranged slave. (6)

 2  Sounds like it isn’t the same old town where you get a way to cook lobster. (7)

 3  Support for a good many, with five at a big party, which shows a swaggering display of courage. (7)

 4  Primitive transportation to an old witch and Indians (minus 50) being early Phoenicians. (13)

 6  A sort of peer let inside, and abundantly supplied. (7)

 7  A number get up in a sort of rein. (7)

 8  Where you’ll find a lot of girls with an advisor, or it yields the answer. (6)

10  Classic betrayer. (5,8)

14   A CIA nest destroyed to make a cattle ranch in Spanish America! (8)

16  Twisted rope, and a quantity changed by a mathematical process. (7)

17  What the cowboy sometimes had to pull, with his famous horse. (7)

18  Contrarian native takes in political web publisher, speaking informally. (7)

19  Jerky, fuzzy cats sip this. (7)

20  Place a wager around a stupid person, and you’ll find a real dog! (6)