Financial Times 13,658 by Cincinnus

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Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of April 2

Here’s another elegant puzzle from Cincinnus. My favourite clues this time are 1A (SYBARITIC), 11A (LEGISLATOR), 20A (ANTI), 21D (TWERP) and 24D (HAUL). 13D (COSTA BRAVA) is also very cleverly constructed.

Across
1. SYBARITIC – anagram of CITY BAR IS. In case you don’t know, Chicago is known as the Windy City.
6. AZTEC – Z (last letter) in A (ace) + TEC (investigator)
9. SAUDI – S (small) + AUDI (car)
10. EAST ENDER – END (finale) in EASTER (festival)
11. LEGISLATOR – anagram of RIOTS LEGAL
12. EROS – SORE (aching) backwards
14. CHAGALL – CHA (tea) + GALL (annoy)
15. FLOTSAM – F (female) + LOT (group) + SAM (man)
17. MISLEAD – ISLE (Jersey, for example) in MAD (crazy)
19. MOTIVES – MOT (witty remark) + IVES (composer)
20. ANTI – ANTI[ques] (old things — not half)
22. FLORIBUNDA – anagram of FIND LABOUR
25. ALEXANDRA – ALEXANDR[i]A (one taken from city where Cleopatra was)
26. ABEAM – A (a) + BEAM (light)
27. NEPAL – hidden word
28. SUSTAINED – US (American) reversed + STAINED (with marks)

Down
1. SISAL – hidden word
2. BLUEGRASS – BLUE (dirty) + GRASS (rat)
3. REINSTATED – REIN (control) + STATED (set out)
4. TOENAIL – ENA (this woman) in TOIL (labour). I cannot recall coming across a single Ena except for Ena Sharples.
5. CAST-OFF – double definition
6. ABED – ABE (Lincoln) + D (would shortly)
7. TUDOR – DO (party) in TUR[ks]
8. CHRISTMAS – anagram of CHARTISMS
13. COSTA BRAVA – B (born) in COSTAR (one of the leads) + AVA (Miss Gardner)
14. COME AGAIN – double definition
16. SEVENTEEN – EVENT (contest) in SEEN (understood)
18. DELUDES – EL (the Spanish) in DUDES (guys)
19. MYRIADS – anagram of SID MARY
21. TWERP – [an]TWERP (Belgian city getting rid of an)
23. ARMED – M (spymaster) in anagram of READ
24. HAUL – homophone (“hall”)