A very gentle (though mildly Shakespeare-flavoured) offering this morning from Falcon, which is just fine by this blogger, as no-one, least of all me, needs to have their brain over-taxed before breakfast on a drizzly Thursday. All good stuff, and I learned something, so thank-you, Falcon.
ACROSS
1. SLOUGH S(ail) + lough [Irish lake]
4. CONVINCE C [Conservative] + vin [French wine] within once
9. ORION O [old] + reversal of noir [black]
10. ALIGNMENT Anagram of lamenting
11. OREGANO Regan [sister of Cordelia in King Lear] within o o [two zeros, ducks]
12. NO SWEAT Anagram (just!) of now seat
13. EARN Double definition
14. SCREENED NE [New England] within screed [long written piece]
17. BARDOLPH Bar [public house] + anagram of old + PH [public house]
19. TWEE Twee(t) [message]
22. ARCHAIC Arch [curved structure] + i [one] within ac [account]
24. EMBARGO Embar(k) [take ship] + go [travel]
25. THE RIVALS Anagram of Ravel this
26. EAGLE (B)eagle [dog]
27. TREATISE Anagram of setter I
28. STATUE U [university] within state [say]
DOWN
1. STOPOVER Stop [bar] + over [forgotten]
2. OLIVE DRAB Cryptic definition
3. GENIAL Gen [information] + a [indefinite article] within i [one] + l [left]
5. ORIENT EXPRESS Ie [id est, that is] within anagram of torn + express [state]
6. VENISON Anagram of oven is
7. NIECE E [Eastern] within nice [pleasant]
8. ESTATE Hidden in forEST AT Epping
10. A TOUCH OF CLASS Anagram of such a fool acts
15. DOWNRIGHT Down [at a disadvantage] + right [the Conservatives]
16. VERONESE One [individual] within verse [poetry]
18. REALIST Re [about] + A-list [description of top celebrities]
20. PAST IT A + St [saint, good man] within pit [mine]
21. OBJECT Double definition
23. CREPE Rep [commercial traveller] within ce [French for ‘this’]
Its a bit sad that not many people seem to solve the FT puzzle, especially as its free, and/or comment here when they have done so.
I don’t mind a straightforward puzzle and this one was very enjoyable. Thanks to Falcon and Ringo.
As Ringo says, a nice companion to a cup of coffee on a driech Scottish day. Now there’s a word. Thanks, Falcon
I’ll leave a comment with the aim of raising crypticsue’s spirits 🙂
As others have observed, this was enjoyable but not too taxing — 12ac, in fact. I learned that BARDOLPH was Falstaff’s companion, and that GENIAL means relating to the chin (I’d only known it to mean friendly). 25ac appears in another recent puzzle, but as it hasn’t been blogged, I’ll refrain from saying which.