A relatively straightforward puzzle by Cinephile standards with a legal theme in a number clues. I rather liked ‘cave’ in 19d being indicated by ‘old people’s home’ and one or two other clues made me smile.
However, I’m not sure that ‘two pounds in gold’ to give ‘lor lor’ in 3,21 actually works since it would surely give ‘olr olr’. Perhaps ‘two pounds of gold’ would have been a better option.
Across
1 DEARLY D (number) EARLY (coming too soon)
4 LAUNCHER LA UN (articles, in French) CHER (expensive, in French)
9 SATIRE SAT (settled) IRE (anger)
10 CHAMBERS cd
12 RARE dd
13 BLUE STREAK BLUE (sky) STREAK (some lightning) and *(RESULT) in BEAK (magistrate)
15 CLEVER-CLEVER CLE[a]VER CLE[a]VER (aces leaving choppers)
18 PAIR OF TIGHTS cd
22,7 WELL-HEELED cd&d
24 ADVOCATE [ha]VOC in A DATE (a romantic encounter)
25 BISTRO hidden in ‘lamB IS TROtted’
26 EVANESCE AVE (greeting) reversed *(SCENE)
27 SKINNY INN (bar) in SKY (heaven)
Down
1,2 DISTRICT ATTORNEY DIS (hell) *(ROTTEN ACT I TRY)
3,21 LORD CHANCELLOR D (died) CHANCE (fortune) L (left) in LOR LOR (two pounds in gold)
5 ATHLETE’S FOOT *(TOTAL OF SHEET)
6 NOMOTHETIC NO (refusal) MOTH (flier) CITE (summon) reversed
8 RUSSKY d&cd
11 ELECTROLYTIC *(O LET TRICYCLE)
14 PEDAL CYCLE homophone of ‘peddle’ (try to sell) CYCLE (series)
16 THREATEN T (time) HR (time) EATEN (disposed of)
17 PSALMODY SALMO[n] (endless fish) in PD (paid) Y (unknown)
19 OCTAVE O (love) T (model) in CAVE (old people’s home)
20 SALVIA SAL (little girl) VIA (through)
23 SILK dd
Cheers Gaufrid.
15ac was my favorite minus the ‘A’s
I didn’t manage to complete it all, however – Lawyers dictionary? as ‘chambers’
was rather cool also.
Thanks for the info Sir.
Jake.