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

No 14666, Tuesday 16 Dec 2025, Crossant

Solution to 5D 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

8   City's popular event primarily for Chinese martial art (6) TAIPEI TAI(-ch+PE}PEI

9   Novel about a girl in love (8) ORIGINAL {A+GIRL+IN+O}*

10 Tailender finally dismissed, that's a comprehensive defeat (4) ROUT {t...eR}{OUT}

11 Behind bars post essentially nasty criminal activities (6,4) INSIDE JOBS {INSIDE}{JOB}{naSty}

12 Outline of America's stupid tariff (9) ADUMBRATE {A}{DUMB}{RATE}

14 Restless in Seattle perhaps, about to leave without child (5) ITCHY {cIT{CH}Y}

16 Resource for training module? (9,6) REFRESHER COURSE [CD]

19 Not a method of flushing out unknown adversary (5) ENEMY {ENEMa}{Y}

21 Notes about technocrats needing finances from the centre (9) CROTCHETS TECHnOCRaTS*

24 Careful - online criminals ensnaring old men in cybercrime basically (10) ECONOMICAL {E}{CON}{AL} over {Old}{Men}{In}{Cy...e}AL 

26 Nothing is obvious in the beginning perhaps (4) ZERO Anno not clear (Addendum - 0b...s - See comments)

27 Accept role and participate (4,4) TAKE PART {TAKE}{PART}

28 Country's right to occupy? Certainly not. (6) NORWAY {R} in {NO WAY}

DOWN

1   Boat transporting old injured pet (8) CANOODLE {CANO{OLD*}E}

2   Something expressed orally? (6) SPUTUM [CD]

3   Confusion about one new, fancy, red outfit (9) MINIDRESS {M{1}{N}I{RED*}SS} Wordplay doesn't work. See comments.

4   Chuck Norris agrees to act, at last making a comeback (4) TOSS [Tail acrostic<=]

5   Nervous in a city like Chicago perhaps (5) ?I?D? (Addendum - WINDY [DD] - See comments)

6   One female leaving Fuji entertained by just extravagant martial art (3-5) JIU-JITSU {1}{fUJI} in {JUST}*

7   Money to get boy a castle in North Africa (6) CASBAH {CAS{B}{A}H}

13 What belonged to them finally went to the next in line (5) THEIR {wenT}{HEIR}

15 Expert tensely working to disconnect lead from strapped explosive material (9) ACETYLENE {ACE}{TENsELY}*

17 Note - America is exiting. What's left? (8) REMINDER REMaINDER

18 Weekend stay duration cut by half unfortunately (8) SATURDAY {STAY+DURAtion}*

20 Money mostly kept back by sailor for drink (6) NECTAR {CENt<=}{TAR}

22 Difficult to control an unknown danger (6)  HAZARD {H{A}{Z}ARD}{

23 Mark's wearing brown coat (5) SMEAR {S{M}EAR}

25 Name of place is mentioned (4) CITE (~site)

Reference List

Chinese = CH, Child = CH, Unknown = Y, Online = E, Criminals = CON,AL, Right = R, New = N, Female = F, Boy = B, America = A, Sailor = TAR, Unknown = Z, Mark = M