Really enjoyable smooth solve
Across
1 GASBAG (chatterbox) ASB[o] (brief restriction) in GAG (joke)
4 ACHILLES (hero) CHILL (cold) in SEA< (ocean returning)
9 ASTERN (behind) like AS TERN (bird with long forked tail)
10 ANGELINA (girl) GEL I (set one) in ANNA (money and/or girl)
12 HOLD WATER (stand up to scrutiny) ‘There’s a hole in my bucket, dear Eliza’
13 SHUTE (novelist) sounds like SHOOT (thrust forward)
14 MERCHANT BANKER (financial specialist) (A BENCHMARK RENT)*
17 BROAD IN THE BEAM (ANDREA THE BIMBO)*
21 CLASS (first rate) C (3rd rate) LASS (girl)
22 GOOSANDER (large duck) GOO (sticky stuff) SANDER (smoother)
24 AGITATOR (A RIOT AT G[8])* (eight off)
25 MARVEL (wonder) Andrew MARVEL[l] metaphysical poet 1621-1678
26 SEED TIME (spring) (MEET SIDE)*
27 FIESTA (holiday) F (female) [s]IESTA (rest minus S[on])
Down
1 GRAPHEME (letters) HEM (border) in GRAPE (fruit)
2 SETTLER (decisive blow) L (50) in SETTER
3 ARROW (put down marker) [h]ARROW (school minus H)
5 CONTRIBUTION (grant) BU (British uni) in CONTRITION (remorse)
6 IN ESSENCE (basically) (NICENESS)* E
7 LEISURE (casual wear) LEI (garland) SURE (certainly)
8 SHAKEN (disturbed) HAKE (fish) in SN (tin – element)
11 STANDING ROOM (nowhere to sit) STAND-IN GROOM
15 HEAD START (initial advantage) AD (notice) ST (saint) in HEART (spirit)
16 UMBRELLA (covering) (MARE BULL)*
18 REALISE (understand) (ISREAL)* [palestin]E
19 ENDIVES (plants) END (die) IVIES (climbers) minus middle letter
20 SCRAPS double definition
23 ACARI (mites) CAR (vehicle) in A1 (road)
( )* = anagram [ ] = omit < = reverse
Another fine puzzle from Bradman with (I thought) one or two tricky clues in the NW corner. In the SW, the ‘& lit.’ at 24ac is a cracker.
Thanks Don and Jed.
&lit?
loved 18dn! beautiful surface!
Hello, Paul B.
In 24ac, I took ‘Organiser of’ as the anagram indicator for “a riot at G” after the remaining part of the clue has removed the 8.
Reading again, I’d say the whole clue defines AGITATOR quite well.
Why is 24ac not ‘& lit.’?
Mike