Instructions: Guess the words defined by the cryptic clues (answers vary in length from four to eleven letters, and six are capitalized) then enter them in the grid one after another in the same order as their clues, starting in the upper left corner. Across words that don't end at the right continue on the next row, and down words that don't end at the bottom continue in the next column. Eleven across words and ten down words won't fit in the grid unless one of their letters is omitted. Those twenty-one letters, taken in order as they occur in across and down words, spell a seven-word message related to the mystery entry. Thanks to Kevin Wald for test-solving and editing this puzzle. (If you are having trouble printing these puzzles, you can download an Adobe Acrobat version of the puzzle and grid). [Want to see some hints?]

1. Start to swill wine for fun
2. Head of government held in check by rule
3. Daniel fired, dropping one antelope
4. Rex in motel ordered wine
5. Crap time in prison
6. Wizened prophet is heard
7. Studied geography around boundary
8. Kind of bass or trout
9. Executive action started in box
10. Cheese, in short, isn't finished
11. Mombassa's beast of burden
12. Put last of change in plate for one piece of furniture
13. In Paris, nothing about shilling being up
14. Theater has a kind of energy
15. Steadily inhaling marijuana
16. Food from dandelions
17. Celebrated in Costa Rica
18. Pretend to own a network
19. Small speck gets zapped
20. Reportedly a place to go shopping for a hammer
21. City in Castile
22. Opposed to 99 having a geometrical shape
23. Irish immigrant holding a wedge
24. Attack a small waterfall
25. Good Mandarin primarily spoken
26. Elsie's place is dark at first, then light

1. Muck led Gus astray
2. Sign of true competition
3. Sudden feeling of deep angst
4. Fastest rusher takes heat
5. One who trades egg for head of ax in trough
6. Kingfish under part of ship
7. Many hors de combat
8. Snake finally got cat, perhaps
9. Tree eventually started to burn
10. No time to drive for heath
11. April 13 - Perhaps an unfinished thought finishes at last
12. Sea horse
13. Senior's unfinished, unstrung racket
14. Base runner lacks energy and is not as fresh
15. "Get ready," Rob said
16. Film is damaged, exposed at the top, and put in the wrong place
17. Mom gets cash back for cassava
18. Truss a goose stuffed with starch
19. Reckless multitude
20. Guests to assemble around portico
21. Strong perfume's color changes to violet finally
22. Term for "officeholder" is neuter, oddly
23. Heedless substitution of 500 for 50 at top of page
24. Clan to travel about a mile