No 14668, Thursday 18 Dec 2025, Arden

Solution to 21D has been deliberately left unsolved and is to be answered by a non-regular/novice commenter, with proper annotation. Those who have answered earlier in the week, please give others a chance.

Open for anyone to answer, if not solved by 1 PM.

ACROSS

1   Revise possible action leading to clash (11) ALTERCATION {ALTER}{ACTION*}

7   Woman starts speaking of women (3) SOW Acrostic

9   So long for a gold plated cube (5) ADIEU {A{DIE}U}

10 Move to permit one in ten, perhaps (2,7) EN PASSANT {PASS}{AN} in {TEN}*

11 Psychological baggage of one pound - like accepting separate review (9) ALBATROSS {A}{LB}{A{SORT<=}S}

12 Senseless when an invitation is rejected partly (5) INANE [T<=]

13 A pitch to remove nail polish (7) ACETONE {ACE}{TONE}

15 Here and there - again they all end in paradise (4) EDEN Tail Acrostic

18 Crazy over knock out (4) STUN<=

20 Indian army during regular patrols hides weapons (7) ARSENAL {pAtRo{SENA}L}

23 Subject revised within a month (5) OMANI [T<=]

24 Flyer's Irish, wearing old hat (9) PASSERINE {PASS{ERIN}E}

26 Changed mind to take part in club game (9) BADMINTON {BA{MIND*}TON}

27 Small part of golf course in New York (5) TEENY {TEE}{NY}

28 Noise from God dispensing love (3) DIN oDIN

29 Free to recall name - police department retains head (11) EMANCIPATED {NAME<=}{CI{PATE}D}

DOWN

1   Indian politician repeatedly picks up Chinese grass (4-4) AGAR-AGAR {RAGA}{RAGA}<=

2   Strives to save one pound as they go over people's heads (8) TRILBIES {TR{1}{LB}IES}

3   French writer had no power to force people off their slumber (5) ROUST {pROUST} 

4   One on either side - allowing me to raise a plant (7) ANEMONE {AN}{ME<=}{ONE}

5   Stop self confession of an old-fashioned person (7) IMPASSE {I'M}{PASSE}

6   New wine overhead shows bad quality (9) NASTINESS {N}{ASTI}{NESS}

7   Healer is a fake one (6) SHAMAN {SHAM}{AN}

8   Disappear after accompanying the Queen (6) WITHER {WITH}{ER}

14 Nothing good about slight intrusion - it's a precarious situation (2,4,3) ON THIN ICE {O}{N{THIN}ICE}

16 It comes to grip with tragic ending of the poor and destitute (8) INDIGENT {I{ENDING*}T}

17 Favourite looked sad to begin with (4-4) BLUE-EYED {EYED}<=>{BLUE}

19 It's highly inflammable - sleep over with hard hat, perhaps (7) NAPHTHA {NAP}{H}{HAT*}

20 As nice as fantastic run through (7) ARSENIC {NICE+AS}* over {R}

21 Can swing both ways in bar - stop it (6) ?O?B?D (Addendum - FORBID {FOR{BI}D} - See comments)

22 Agree music is uplifting - come again? (6) PARDON {NOD}{RAP}<=

25 Best opening line inside bar (5) ESTOP [T]

Reference List

Cube = DIE, Head = PATE, Power = P, New = N, Head = NESS, Queen = ER, Hard = H, Run = R

No 14667, Wednesday 17 Dec 2025, Arden

Solution to 2D has been deliberately left unsolved and is to be answered by a non-regular/novice commenter, with proper annotation. Those who have answered earlier in the week, please give others a chance.

Open for anyone to answer, if not solved by 1 PM.

ACROSS

6   A short distance to a new capital (5) AMMAN {A}{MM}{A}{N}

7   West averts calamity with change in leadership (8) OCCIDENT (-a+o)OCCIDENT

10 Nobility's bid to acquire jewelry occasionally (7) PEERAGE {P{jEwElRy}AGE}

11 Discharge private detective finally (7) SECRETE {SECRET}{d...vE}

12 Almost in hostile region of central Tuscany (7) CHIANTI {CHIc}{ANTI}

13 College study, within one metre (7) CADENCE {C}{A{DEN}CE}

14 Source, in other words for a rapid, intense training (5,6) CRASH COURSE {SOURCE}* [RA]

19 Team refused, sorry to reject a novice (7) AMATEUR {TEAM}*{RUE<=} Error in fodder

21 Choose to block river? One follows (7) DEVOTEE {DE{VOTE}E}

23 Fail to incorporate law on milk product (7) LACTOSE {L{ACT}OSE}

25 Take it and you would be upset (7) UMBRAGE [CD]

26 Proceed before one finally leaves - they make you laugh (8) COMEDIES {COME}{DIES}

27 Deadly, not able to sustain (5) INCUR INCURable

DOWN

1   One doesn't remember the middle name, in case lost (8) AMNESIAC {nAMe}{IN+CASE}*

2   Harry relocates to skip national service, to no avail (2,4) ?N ?A?N (Addendum - IN VAIN {IN+VAIN+RELOCATES}* = NATIONAL SERVICE - See comments)

3   Invitation to success - she is flirtatious (4-6) COME-HITHER {COME}{HIT}{HER}

4   Book on laws (4) ACTS [DD]

5   Hotel accommodating not even their trainee (6) INTERN {IN{ThEiR}N}

6   For a cap, lady came up with some wool (6) ALPACA [T<=]

8   He makes sense of animal eating fish (7) DECODER {DE{COD}ER}

9   It's safe to taper off (5) PETER [DD]

13 Could be a sudden downpour (10) CLOUDBURST {COULD}* [RA]

15 One came up like a needle (7) ACEROSE {ACE}{ROSE}

16 Transport at the door (8) ENTRANCE [DD]

17 Bird bit off dog's head (5) EAGLE bEAGLE

18 Space traveller's remote adjustment (6) METEOR*

20 Discontented with Anglican Church, our host (6) ANCHOR {An...aN}{Ch..cH}{OuR}

22 Infection causing bacteria gets energy after six (6) VIBRIO {BRIO}<=>{VI}

24 Not good to stay up (4) EVIL<=

Reference List

Short distance = MM< New = N, College = C