ARTEXLEN kicks off the week…
A couple of things I’d not come across before (17a and 14d), but gettable nevertheless. A fun Monday morning puzzle.
Thanks ARTEXLEN!
ACROSS
1. Prefer a vino initially in square (6)
FAVOUR
(A + V[ino] (initially)) in FOUR (square)
5. Fast food from kebab shop includes a wrap regularly (8)
SHARPISH
SHISH (food from kebab shop) includes (A + [w]R[a]P (regularly))
9. Chose food Pret prepared (5,3)
OPTED FOR
10. Mate shortened very large trousers (6)
CHINOS
CHIN[a] (mate, shortened) + OS (very large)
11. Get together to understand (6)
GATHER
12. Friend eventually carries case for aunt (8)
INTIMATE
IN TIME (eventually) carries A[un]T (case for)
13. Easily negotiates small troubles, nevertheless maintaining resistance (5,7)
SAILS THROUGH
S (small) + AILS (troubles) + THOUGH (nevertheless) maintaining R (resistance)
17. Spray cologne around pipe-inspecting tool (12)
LARYNGOSCOPE
(SPRAY COLOGNE)* (*around)
20. Restricts criminal associate before offence (6,2)
FENCES IN
FENCE (criminal associate) before SIN (offence)
23. Beginning to shave, picks up clippers (6)
SHEARS
S[have] (beginning to) + HEARS (picks up)
24. Commend Napoleon’s third advance (6)
PRAISE
[na]P[oleon] (third) + RAISE (advance)
25. Allowing some vagrant in garden (8)
GRANTING
[va]GRANT IN G[arden] (some)
26. Stand untangling pet’s lead (8)
PEDESTAL
(PETS LEAD)* (*untangling)
27. Station American enters somewhere near Windsor (6)
EUSTON
US (American) enters ETON (somewhere near Windsor)
DOWN
2. Rise of climber planted in April (6)
APPEAR
PEA (climber) planted in APR (April)
3. Extremely rash having bears in open yard (9)
OVERHASTY
HAS (bears) in OVERT (open) + Y (yard)
4. Overhauling online class, perhaps, taken in group (9)
REFORMING
(E-FORM (online class, perhaps)) taken in RING (group)
5. Raids store is to resolve (7)
SORTIES
(STORE IS)* (*to resolve)
6. Neckwear son found in crumpled coat (5)
ASCOT
S (son) found in (COAT)* (*crumpled)
7. Legendary leader, Prime Minister possesses elevated demeanour (5)
PRIAM
PM (Prime Minister) possesses (AIR)< (demeanour, <elevated)
8. In coastal area, identify poverty (8)
SHORTAGE
in SHORE (coastal area), TAG (identify)
14. Reptile circles plain endlessly (4-5)
HOOP-SNAKE
HOOPS (circles) + NAKE[d] (plain, endlessly)
15. Dramatic works poet rates poorly (9)
OPERETTAS
16. Having no worries about heartless official (8)
CAREFREE
CA (about) + REF[e]REE (official, heartless)
18. Commando receives information about foreign land (7)
SENEGAL
SEAL (commando) receives (GEN)< (information, <about)
19. Pair working almost too quickly (6)
PRONTO
PR (pair) + ON (working) + TO[o] (almost)
21. Name of fellow with nasty cold returning (5)
CLIVE
(EVIL (nasty) + C (cold))< (<returning)
22. Small amount of money for the French perfume (5)
SCENT
S (small) + CENT (amount of money for the French)
Good fun. I felt sure that 3d was FOOLHARDY, and was delayed somewhat until I disabused myself.
GDU #1 – Likewise till I got the SAILS part of 13A.
But I was hoist by 24A, which I was convinced was PREFER, which messed with that whole corner.
Thanks for the blog , good set of clues , very neat and mainly concise .
Mostly straightforward although we had slight problems with 17ac and 14dn; we thought at first the latter might be ‘ring-snake’ (is there such a creature?) but 13ac and 17ac soon put us right. And in 17ac we were thinking of the wrong sort of pipe till we got some crossing letters. We liked CHINOS and FENCES IN.
One minor grumble about 18dn – no indication that the commando is American.
Thanks, Artexlen and Teacow.
Thanks Artexlen and Teacow
Big Al@4 raises an interesting point about SEAL. If it were an American term for a commando, I would agree that an indication would be necessary, but if it is the correct term in UK English for an American commando, I am not so sure. We routinely accept “soldier” for GI, as for example by Steerpike in FT 18,403 last month (clue and link below). Does not the same principle apply to SEAL?
13 down: Thugs ultimately rough soldier up in dodgy saloon (9)
https://fifteensquared.net/2026/06/18/financial-times-18403-by-steerpike/
Incidentally SOED 2007 p 2586 has ring snake any of various snakes with bands of colour around the body.
Thanks Artexlen for the Monday entertainment. SHEARS, OVERHASTY, SHORTAGE, PRONTO, and CAREFREE were my top picks. Thanks Teacow for the blog.
Another terrific puzzle from Artexlen.
We had HELEN, POSEIDON and MEDUSA last week, and PRIAM today. I wonder if the Odyssey movie is influencing solutions. Perhaps Aphrodite or the cyclops will appear in tomorrow’s puzzle.
What happened to FT 18,435?
Sorry. Found it!!