Financial Times 13,912 by Falcon

A fine puzzle

 

 

 

ACROSS

1 PUGILISTS boxers LIST in PUG IS (list is selvage fabric border)

6 LURID  U uncle R rex in LID hat

9 STICKER   S spades TICKER heart

10 TRANSIT transmit  = broadcast minus M millions

11 OSAKA   AK a king in OSA outsized American

12 TOWCESTER anagram (mad and cobbled) of (COW STREET)

14 EYE  double definition

15 HAND IN GLOVE tongue-in-cheek definition

17 BEAUTY SLEEP loose tongue-in-cheek

19 POT  TOP reversed = returning most important

20 WOMANISER wolf  OMAN desert state in WISER

22 YEARN  E (Spain, Espana) in YARN

24 OCARINA musical instrument C around in OAR blade IN A

26 APOSTLE  A POST a job LE the in French

27 MIDGE gnat-like fly D departs in MIG E (erks initially)

28 DISCHARGE double definition of verb

DOWN

1 PESTO hidden answer reciPES Tomato

2 GRIMACE  IM in GRACE favour

3 LIKE A SHOT witty double definition

4 SCRUTINISES anagram (resolved) of CRISES UNITS

5 SOT habitual drinker SO extremely + last letter of iT

6 LEASE rent, first letter of landladies L EASE reduce

7 RISOTTO  anagram (complicated) of R ITS TOO

8 DETERGENT cleaner DETER put off GENT

13 WHITE FRIARS  welsh W anagram (reformed) of AFTER IRISH

14 ELBOW ROOM  ELBOW reject ROOM opportunity

16 GYPSY MOTH  anagram (baked) of  PYGMYS HOT

18 ARMBAND sign of mourning ARM member first BAND group

21 NOISE row, I one in  NOSE beak

23 NIECE relative, homophone (reportedly) of NICE French resort

25 ADD include, A article DD Doctor of Divinity