[This is actually courtesy of loonapick who due to technical difficulties asked me to post... so please direct all compliments to him and complaints to me about the formatting]

Gordius is a regular Guardian compiler who tends to throw up the occasional unusual word or obscure reference.  Today’s puzzle was no exception.  I started slowly and then struggled to complete the SW corner of the puzzle.  Two of the four long down lights were easy enough.  Of the other two, I can’t work out the wordplay in one, and I’m not sure that the other is a valid phrase. 

Across

1.  OVERCAST SKY - Took a while to get this, but eventually had to look up Minack.  It is an open-air theatre on the Cornish coast.

12.   PRESS – “reported lack of ease” leads to removing the consecutive Es in peeress i.e. P(ee)RESS

16.   SCHERZANDO – anagram of DOZEN CHARS (I = one removed)

19.   ACRE – easy but don’t think the surface reads well.

20.   GATES – as in Bill Gates

23.   ABADDON – poetic name for Hell, as in “In all her gates, Abaddon rules Thy bold attempt”, a quote from Milton.

24.   TRIDENT – some publishers would frown on “intent” being used to indicate that a word or letters have to be placed in “tent” to get the answer.

25.   EARL MARSHAL – hereditary court officer, the post is normally held by the Duke of Norfolk since 1672.

Down

2.  ECLAT = electroconvulsive therapy = “shock treatment”

3.  CASH BOX = C (“bit of cash”)+ASHBOX (“under the boiler?).  Never heard of an ash box, but then I’m too young to remember boilers that produced ashes.

4.  SUPREME – REME stands for Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, a corps of the British Army

7.  ENGAGED SIGNAL – surface and crosschecks lead to answer, but not sure of the wordplay involved.  Anyone else have any idea?

8.   GNASH THE TEETH – GNAS (“sang up first)+HTHETEETH (anagram of “the” three times).  Is that a valid phrase?  ‘Gnash ones teeth’ or ‘gnasj your teeth’ are fine, but ‘the teeth’?

15.  CRUSADER – RU (“game”) invested in anagram of “sacred” with operation as the anagrind.  Don’t remember coming across that indicator before. 

17.   ACRONYM – CRONY in AM, but not sure how the wordplay fits. 22.  REITH – Lord Reith, BBC pioneer, sounds like wreath (“floral tribute”)

Some of you may have seen this post appear, disappear and reappear. That’s because I posted on the wrong day after looking at last week’s schedule and then removed it while I found out what today’s planned contributor wanted to do. Do not adjust your browser!

Solving time 8:40

Two Bedfordshire place names here, plus a couple of other British things. I wonder how Ilan Caron will get on …