Financial Times 12,965 by Mudd

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Weekend FT Prize Puzzle from January 3
This puzzle was moderately tough for me and there is one clue (20A) that I fail to completely understand.

Across
1. TIGHT-FISTED – double definition
7. SAC – SA (“it” – i.e. sex appeal) + C (caught). I did not understand this at first. (See comments below.)
9. PANEL – double definition
10. COHERENCE – double definition
11. EYE-OPENER – EYE (I say) + OPENER (cricketer)
12. BRACE – double definition
13. VOLTAGE – TAG (name) in VOLE (rodent)
15. NOAH – “no ah”
16. STAR – double definition?
20. PUDDING – is this also a double definition? Pudding is the only word I can find that fits the crossing letters and has any relevance to the clue, that is as a synonym for sweet. But where does “little child” come in? Is a little child called a pudding? I can find no reference to confirm this.
23. INTER – as in Inter-Milan
24. COMMON LAW – OM + MO (order [of merit] either way) + N (N) in CLAW (scrabble)
26. BARCAROLE – CAROL (girl) in BARE (nude)
27. ALIBI – [Mohammed] ALI (he hardly hit) + BI[ke]
28. RUE – double definition (“way” in French)
29. HANG IN THERE – hidden phrase. Wow! The surface is not sterling but still this is quite a feat of hiding.

Down
1. TOP HEAVY – TOP (spinner) + HEAVY (bouncer)
2. GINGERLY – cryptic definition
3. TULIP – TU[rn] + LIP (cheek)
4. INCENSE – double definition
5. TEHERAN – anagram of THREE + AN (an)
6. DART BOARD – ART (cunning) + BOAR (swine) in D[eutschlan]D
7. SUNDAE – homophone (“Sunday”)
8. CLEVER – C (constant) + LEVER (force)
14. AFTERMATH – MA (mother) in anagram of FATHER
16. HILLSIDE – ILLS (problems) in HIDE (thick skin)
17. EGG-WHITE – EGG (encourage) + anagram of WITH + E (energy)
19. RACCOON – C (cold) + COO (I say) in RAN (managed). (See comments below.)
20. POMPEII – POMP (ceremony) + IE (that is) backwards + I (one)
21. TIMBER – M (mark) in TIBER (Italian flower)
22. STARVE – R (reading) in STAVE (lines of music)
25. OP ART – O (zero) + PART (go)

8 comments on “Financial Times 12,965 by Mudd”

  1. It is sex appeal or SA and caught in cricket is denoted by C

    Pudding may well be a British term of endearment for a sweet child. In the Chinese language, a dear one is lovingly called “My heart, my liver”
    That sound offal 🙂

    Animal managed to catch cold, I say (7) Insertion of C (catch) COO (sounds like cold) in RAN (managed)

  2. Pete
    7a As U.Y. has said, SA (it) C (caught)

    20a I have heard a little child referred to as a ‘pudding’ but I agree there is no confirmation for this in any dictionary, the usual definition being ‘a fat, dull or heavy-witted person’ (Chambers).

    19d C (cold) COO (I say!) in RAN (managed).

  3. >> It is sex appeal or SA and caught in cricket is denoted by C

    I am familiar with SA for sex appeal and, now I come to think of it, “bags of SA” is an expression I have heard, but I still do not see what clues “sex appeal” here.

    >> Animal managed to catch cold, I say (7) Insertion of C (catch) COO (sounds like cold) in RAN (managed)

    Actually I think it is a little different: C is cold and COO is “I say!”.

    Thanks, Uncle Yap.

  5. Pete
    “….. but I still do not see what clues “sex appeal” here.”

    ‘it’ is defined in Chambers as ‘personal magnetism; sex appeal, sexual intercourse or activity’.

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