No 14140, Thursday 04 Apr 2024, Arden

Solution to 5D has been deliberately left unsolved and is to be answered only 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   Criminal aim to involve police state (6) MALAWI {MA{LAW}I*}

4   Let husband first, greatly honoured (8) HALLOWED {ALLOWED}<=>{H}

9   Delight as gunners want to be heard (6) RAVISH {RA}{(~wish)VISH}

10 Arms dealer's own involvement in land (8) BROWNING {BR{OWN}ING}

12 Girl embracing star in US city (3,5) LAS VEGAS {LAS{VEGA}S}

13 Ridicules make women in the family get tense to start with (6) TAUNTS {AUNTS}<=>{T}

15 Stood moaning, refused capital (5,7) SANTO DOMINGO*

18 What you will say for this romantic comedy? (7,5) TWELFTH NIGHT [CD]

21 Give in when on fast (6) RELENT {RE}{LENT}

22 "Went into dock"- a complaint from the very beginning (5,3) CLEFT LIP {C{LEFT}LIP}

24 Fire noticed from the east of the mountain range (8) PYRENEES {PYRE}{SEEN<=}

25 Call amount comes shortly a day after (6) SUMMON {SUM}{MON}

26 At home dividing a country (8) ASTATINE {A}{STAT{IN}E}

27 Penicillin shot, it is to stop inflammation (6) OTITIS*

DOWN

1   Test stopped, limited visibility - he says it's the right thing (8) MORALIST {M{ORAL}IST}

2   People like to listen to it, but there is nothing on air (4-4) LOVE-SONG {LOVE}{SONG}

3   Saw two tenants shifting into a town, perhaps (5,3,4,3) WASTE NOT WANT NOT {TWO+TENANTS}* in {A+TOWN}*

5   One's sardonic and crooked (4) A?R? (Addendum - AWRY {A}{WRY} - See comments)

6   Unfailing growth, ridiculously easy picking (3,7,5) LOW HANGING FRUIT*

7   Question about a boozer, it come's straight from the horse's mouth (6) WHINNY {WH{INN}Y}

8   Changing tides gather force, understand that (6) DIGEST {DI{G}EST*}

11 Display collection (7) PANOPLY [E]

14 Paid regularly with pilfered gold coin (7) PISTOLE {PaId}{STOLE}

16 Timely restriction can become enigmatical (3,5)  AGE LIMIT {age+limit+can=enigmatical} [CA]

17 Small suggestions, getting close to regular payments (8) STIPENDS {S}{TIP{END}S}

19 Short legal document, taking blame for booze? (6) GRAPPA {G{RAP}PA}

20 Extremely colourful, another extract from grapes? (6) CLARET {Co...uL}{An...eR}{Ex...cT}

23 Some of these make engineers cry (4) KEEN [T]

Reference List

Husband = H, Gunners = RA(Royal Artillery), Tense = T, On = RE, Home = IN, Force = G, Small = S