ARMONIE kicks off the week…
This took me way longer than usual due to being obsessed with "FOX" as Quaker in 2d. Apart from that, there was nothing too taxing here, except 24a who I'd never heard of.
Thanks, ARMONIE!
1 Fidget can be masterly (6)
GIFTED
4 One time lover has been put out (3,5)
OLD FLAME
9 Midday flight is restricted (6)
NARROW
N (midday, noon) + ARROW (flight)
10 Diplomat’s daughter married (8)
ATTACHED
ATTACHE (diplomat) + D (daughter)
12 Remains calm (4)
REST
13 The Guardian gets Albert a decoration (5,5)
PAPER CHAIN
PAPER (the Guardian) gets CHAIN (Albert)
15 On the whole and taking everything together (5,3,4)
FIRST AND LAST
18 Dunce on a golf break for innocent pleasure (4,5,3)
GOOD CLEAN FUN
(DUNCE ON A GOLF)* (*break)
21 Youth finds benefit in climbing (10)
ADOLESCENT
DOLE (benefit) in ASCENT (climbing)
22 Leave a sovereign in charge (4)
FLEE
L (a sovereign) in FEE (charge)
24 Ale brewed to be incorporated in menus for the king of Sparta (8)
MENELAUS
(ALE)* (*brewed) to be incorporated in MENUS
25 Bind the officer’s present (6)
COHERE
CO (officer) + HERE (present)
26 Edward returned to the vaults finding cracks (8)
DECRYPTS
(ED (Edward))< (<returned) to the CRYPTS (vaults)
27 Gather round shelter and keep quiet (4,2)
SHUT IT
SIT (gather) round HUT (shelter)
1 Man provided inside track to better accommodation (8)
GENTRIFY
GENT (man) + (IF (provided) inside RY (track))
2 Quaker gets no sleep in the woods (8)
FORESTRY
FRY (Quaker) gets (O (no) + REST (sleep))
3 School report overturned (4)
ETON
(NOTE (report))< (<overturned)
5 Tell one all we arranged and stop interfering (3,4,5)
LET WELL ALONE
(TELL ONE ALL WE)* (*arranged)
6 Foreign money I examine from mendicant friar (10)
FRANCISCAN
FRANC (foreign money) + I SCAN (examine)
7 Redhead enters a make- believe retreat (6)
ASHRAM
R[ed] (head) enters A SHAM (make-believe)
8 Inclined to lose time in the denouement (6)
ENDING
[t]ENDING (inclined, to lose T (time))
11 Serious about attorney and creditor who united and made a living (6,1,5)
EARNED A CRUST
EARNEST (serious) about (DA (attorney) and CR (creditor) + U (united))
14 Pat’s drama demonstrates scoring system (6,4)
STROKE PLAY
STROKE (pat) + PLAY (drama)
16 A fellow well-versed and exuberant (8)
AFFLUENT
A F (fellow) + FLUENT (well-versed)
17 Church in request that’s improper (8)
INDECENT
CE (church) in INDENT (request)
19 Conflict on the sea, briefly gave enthusiasm (6)
WARMED
WAR (conflict) on MED (the sea, briefly)
20 Strong drink may go over to college (6)
COGNAC
(CAN (may) + GO + C (college))< (<over)
23 Drama about a biblical character (4)
NOAH
I enjoyed Armonie’s puzzle as usual. However, please could someone explain how CHAIN corresponds to ALBERT? Thanks to Armonie and Teacow
Hornbeam @1 – An Albert is a pocket watch chain. I only know this because it came up in some other crossword.
Thanks, Teacow. I’ll file it mentally alongside Hunter.
Maybe VAR needed on def in 16d.
Hornbeam @3 – Ha! I’ll add a hunter next to my half-hunter in a display case alongside my stuffed ounce, who’s native habitat appears to be the cryptic crossword.
Copmus @4 – Yeah… it is a bit of a stretch I agree!
Not great. 16dn has a dodgy definition, as does 12
Thanks Armonie and Teacow
Found this one a little harder than usual from this setter with a few terms that I wasn’t familiar with – ‘flight arrow’, INDENT (to mean request) and SHUT IT.
Began and finished in the NW corner with the gimme ETON at for a quick starter and that NARROW and REST (which took ages to see why it was a synonym of ‘remains’) the last couple in.