A gentle start to the week from ARMONIE…
All very straightforward today, though MORAINE was new to us.
The use of E for force in 18a was odd, but we suppose it refers to electromotive force.
Thanks ARMONIE!
Across
1 To economise, Frenchman is introduced to bonus shares (6)
SCRIMP
M (Frenchman, monsieur) is introduced to SCRIP (bonus shares)
4 Priest gets clear compound in gift-wrap (6)
PARCEL
P (priest) gets (CLEAR)* (*compound)
8 Light lunch initially before the service (7)
LANTERN
L[unch] (initially) + ANTE (before) + RN (service, royal navy)
9 Gold deposited in leading English bank (7)
MORAINE
OR (gold) deposited in MAIN (leading) + E (English)
11 Possibly die in Roman instrument of torture (4,6)
IRON MAIDEN
(DIE IN ROMAN)* (*possibly)
12 College trunk or hamper (4)
CLOG
C (college) + LOG (trunk)
13 Finished one’s food (5)
PASTA
PAST (finished) + A (one)
14 Take stock – ship is free of corrosion (8)
RUSTLESS
RUSTLE (take stock) + SS (ship)
16 Ridicule people in newspaper piece (8)
FRAGMENT
(RAG (ridicule) + MEN (people)) in FT (newspaper)
18 Police force in wood (5)
COPSE
COPS (police) + E (force)
20 Steering gear made of hardwood? (4)
HELM
H (hard) + ELM (wood)
21 Oddballs, about to take a beating, stand together (5,5)
CLOSE RANKS
CRANKS (oddballs) about LOSE (to take a beating)
23 Everyone in favour? That’s swell! (7)
BALLOON
ALL (everyone) in BOON (favour)
24 Runs through articles (7)
PIERCES
R (runs) through PIECES (articles) &lit
25 Severn disaster produces anxiety (6)
NERVES
(SEVERN)* (*disaster)
26 Tinned incorrectly? That’s mean! (6)
INTEND
(TINNED)* (*incorrectly)
Down
1 Place to rest when on a flight (5)
STAIR
Cryptic definition
2 Crew programme statistics (7)
RATINGS
Double definition
3 Horse carries mother and boy in preserve (9)
MARMALADE
MARE (horse) carries MA (mother) and LAD (boy)
5 Fruit for a company nurse (5)
ACORN
A + CO (company) + RN (nurse, registered nurse)
6 Opening left in church (7)
CHANCEL
CHANCE (opening) + L (left)
7 Seafood is good to throw out, in a way (9)
LANGOUSTE
(G (good) + OUST (to throw out)) in a LANE (way)
10 Love Bill’s speech (9)
ADORATION
AD (bill) + ORATION (speech)
13 Cop in real mess in China (9)
PORCELAIN
(COP IN REAL)* (*mess)
15 Discharge soldier in division (9)
SECRETION
RE (soldier) in SECTION (division)
17 German stroller is better (7)
GAMBLER
G (German) + AMBLER (stroller)
19 Plain tart takes in Romeo’s look (7)
PRAIRIE
PIE (tart) takes in R (Romeo) + AIR (look)
21 Rent initially cost nothing (5)
CLOVE
C[ost] (initially) + LOVE (nothing)
22 Pronounced requirement for massage (5)
KNEAD
Sounds like “NEED” (requirement)
Thanks to Teacow and Armonie
I suppose it’s about time we had another “e” indicator to look out for.
I think you have inadvertently underlined “Ridicule” at 16a
A nice crossword but try as I might I cannot find a way to discount the “‘s” in 19a
Sorry, 19d
Dansar @2 – thank you. I have corrected the rogue underline.
Thanks Armonie and Teacow
A neat start to the week with his typical economic and tight clues. Hadn’t seen E equal to ‘force’ before and think that it is a bit of a stretch and thought that the GAMBLER was a ‘bettor’ rather than a ‘better’.
Did like RATINGS, HELM and PIERCES.
Finished with PRAIRIE and CLOG.
Thanks A & T.
Prairie and clog were my LOI’s also. “e” stands for erg which is a unit of force equal to one 10 millionth of a joule.
Thanks to Armonie and Teacow. Enjoyable. I too wondered about the E in COPSE but I did remember MORAINE. My LOI was CLOVE where the parsing was clear but I did not recognize that past tense of the verb.
Sorry John, but E is electromotive force, as Teacow says in her intro. Erg is a unit of energy/work not force.
Easier than Brendan’s but enjoyable. LOI CLOVE after staring at C-O-E for some time only to realise it means ‘cleaved’
More than a little double duty going on “pierces.” Harumph!
Sorry for very late comment but I knew Armonie had used “moraine” to mean “bank” (of glacial debris) in a previous FT crossword – No 15959 on 10 September. As a very occasional FT crossword solver I only had a small pile of past ones to check. I’m still puzzled about the E to mean force as I don’t find any of the explanations convincing. Perhaps only Armonie knows…