Financial Times 14,352 by Mudd

Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of June 29, 2013

I found this puzzle to be a mixture of very easy clues (4A, 19A, 25A, 30A, 5D, etc.) and very tricky ones (10A, 16A, 23A, et al). I gather other people did too. My favourites are 1A (TICKER) and 5D (ARMENIA).

ACROSS
1 One not crossing one’s heart (6)
TICKER – double/cryptic definition. “One not crossing” suggests someone marking papers and ticking all answers as correct.
4 Hard to appear in extraordinary diorama for amateur broadcaster (5,3)
RADIO HAM – H (hard) in anagram oF DIORAMA. I suspect some radio amateurs might object to being termed broadcasters but I think the definition is perfectly fair.
10 Money taken with last of chips in stylish achievement at the table (5,4)
GRAND SLAM – RAND (money) + [chip]S together in GLAM (stylish)
11 Mollusc old, starter thrown away (5)
ORMER – [f]ORMER (old, starter thrown away). An ormer is a type of sea snail and a word I have encountered in crossword puzzles before.
12 Kind to write (4)
TYPE – double definition
13 Counterfeit currency – my one, it’s suggested? (5,5)
FUNNY MONEY – reverse anagram (MY ONE)
15 Translation of single paragraph’s ending – as these words? (7)
ENGLISH – anagram of SINGLE + [paragrap]H
16 Each dish one consumes (6)
APIECE – PIE (dish) in ACE (one)
19 Cry about trouble in field (6)
MEADOW – ADO (trouble) in MEW (cry)
21 The last sort of secrecy (7)
STEALTH – anagram of THE LAST
23 Bird dislikes two-hundred snakes (10)
DICKCISSEL – anagram of DISLIKES CC (two-hundred). I had never heard of a dickcissel and had to use tools to find this answer. The Dickcissel, it turns out, is a small American seed-eating bird in the family Cardinalidae.
25 Fruit for bird (4)
KIWI – double definition
27 Perfectly outstanding small breakfast (5)
TOAST – S (small) in TO A T (perfectly)
28 Old dog in midst of battle, a showoff (9)
EXTROVERT – EX (old) + ROVER (dog) in [ba]TT[le]
29 Liver torn around the edge (8)
RESIDENT – SIDE (edge) in RENT (torn)
30 Business employin’ relative (6)
CO (business) + USIN[g] (employin’)

DOWN
1 Married, old gentleman initially wearing tie (8)
TOGETHER – O[ld] G[entleman] in TETHER (tie)
2 So-called agony, they say, the stuff of success? (9)
CHAMPAGNE – homophone (“sham pain”)
3 Current boy ripping head from cuddly toy (4)
EDDY – [t]EDDY. With two definitions! While rarely seen, there is nothing wrong with a clue’s having two straight definitions (even when it is not a double definition, that is). Here it makes for a decent surface reading and some pleasant variation from the norm.
5 Country folk breaking into song (7)
ARMENIA – MEN (folk) in ARIA (song)
6 Metal girl’s metal band (4,6)
IRON MAIDEN – IRON (metal) + MAIDEN (girl)
7 Virile chap mother brands a chicken (2-3)
HE-MAN – MA (mother) in HEN (chicken)
8 One suffering as railway vehicle flips over (6)
MARTYR – RY (railway) + TRAM (vehicle) all backwards
9 Shed in Berkshire town (6)
SLOUGH – double definition
14 A small number shown to be justified (10)
VINDICATED – V (a small number) + INDICATED (shown to be justified)
17 Those ringing round one piano, measuring instrument (9)
CALLIPERS – I (one) + P (piano) in CALLERS (those ringing)
18 Snitcher’s false name (8)
CHRISTEN – anagram of SNITCHER
20 Film we back (7)
WESTERN – WE (we) + STERN (back)
21 Cold and wet, finding shelter in farm building (6)
SLEETY – LEE (shelter) in STY (farm building)
22 Journalist tried craftily to ensnare leader of opposition (6)
EDITOR – O[pposition] in anagram of TRIED
24 Fine form (5)
CLASS – double definition
26 Twice execute bird long dead (4)
DODO – DO (execute) + DO (execute, a second time)