No 14504, Friday 06 Jun 2025, Arden

RULES FOR POSTING COMMENTS FOR FRIDAY ONLY

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Thanks for the response, here's the regular blog.

ACROSS 

1   Place next to monkey grabbing lollipop back (6) APPOSE {AP{SOP<=}E}

4   Fancy chairs placed around over-exposed records (8) ARCHIVES {ARCHI{oVEr}S*}

9   Very big duck is bony (6) OSTEAL {OS}{TEAL}

10 Living intent to get liberal fixing (8) CLAMPING {C{L}AMPING}

12 Guard rail is part of raillery (8) BANISTER {BAN{IS}TER}

13 Outskirts of Seattle, remote, nice and peaceful (6) SERENE {Se...lE}{Re..tE}{NicE}

15 Represent China - all come out like one depressed (12) MELANCHOLIAC*

18 Old batteries become part of solar system (8,4) ASTEROID BELT*

21 The vegetable has it for speed (6) CELERY CELERitY

22 Islanders stand around painter (8)  BALINESE {BA{LINE}SE}

24 Covers apes hiding - many exposed (8) CANOPIES {C{mANy}OPIES}

25 Jokes about political leader's entry inside capital (6) SKOPJE {SKO{Po...l}JE*}

26 Well, it's near a building (8) ARTESIAN*

27 Navy's presence in part of the ship forms the core (6) KERNEL {KE{RN}EL}

DOWN

1   Starts burrowing out mud inside a grave - find a fat man, perhaps (4-4) ATOM-BOMB {Bu...g}{Out}{Mud} in {A}{BOMB}

2   Many drinking wine in a forceful way (8) POTENTLY {PO{TENT}LY}

3   Standard artists and press all over the place (5,3,7) STARS AND STRIPES*

5   Bother to take a month off, if feverish (4) RILE febRILE

6   Unravel dark mechanism with the French standard (6,3,6) HAMMER AND SICKLE {DARK+MECHANISM}*{LE}

7   "Church in an empty space", it is said (6) VOICED {VOI{CE}D}

8   Agreement in Madrid to get around northern ring (6) SIGNET {SI}{G{N}ET}

11 Beer drinking - maybe she will curse (7) BESHREW {B{SHE*}REW}

14 Has been a part of royals or anarchists (4-3) ALSO-RAN [T]

16 Fade away quietly before an immature fellow (5,3) PETER PAN {PETER}{P}{AN}

17 Exquisite taste - ultimately, the money supports (8) ETHEREAL {t..tE}{THE}{REAL}

19 Carrying back pack, bias to expose all of them trees (6) ACACIA {bACk}{pACk}{bIAs}

20 Way to check patient's temperature with Mercury, say (6) PLANET {P}{LANE}{T} Patient/P?

23 With great effort picked up some cheese (4) FETA [T<=]

Reference List

Very big = OS, Liberal = L, Painter = LONE, Navy = RN(Ryal Navy), Wine = TENT, The in French = LE, Church = CE, Agreement in Spanish = SI, Northern = N, Quietly = P, Patient = P, Temperature = T