Financial Times 14,358 by Cincinnus

Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of July 6, 2013

And there has been great rejoicing throughout cruciverbia because Cincinnus is back in this slot after an interval of nearly three months. For me, it is an unexplained absence. I do hope all is well with you, Mr. Curl.

And a fine puzzle this is. My top clues are 1A (BEWILDER), 9A (BESOTTED), 13A (AXMINSTER), 4D (EYEWASH) and 21D (RETSINA).

ACROSS
1 Let your hair down for fox? (8)
BEWILDER – BE WILDER (let your hair down)
5 Overhauled Porsche not right for ages (6)
EPOCHS – anagram of PO[r]SCHE
9 Doting cooks dote best (8)
BESOTTED – anagram of DOTE BEST
10 Arrive unexpectedly – when seeds have germinated? (4,2)
CROP UP – double definition
12 Arsenic taken by writer somewhere in Colorado (5)
ASPEN – AS (arsenic) + PEN (writer)
13 Entering a church, kiss the carpet (9)
AXMINSTER – X (kiss) in A (a) MINSTER (church). This was the first clue I solved. The answer jumped out at me because my mother was born in Axminster.
14 Capital city regularly breaking hard ground (6)
RIYADH – [c]I[t]Y in anagram of HARD. And this was the last answer I wrote in.
16 Drummer in Guadalajara and Saltillo starts finding English-speakers (7)
GRINGOS – RINGO (drummer) in G[uadalajara] S[altillo]
19 Off-white colour that’s to be expected (7)
NATURAL – double definition
21 Soldier in corps co-ordinated programme (6)
REGIME – GI (soldier) in REME (corps)
23 Accommodating grouse one brought forward (9)
COMPLIANT – COMPLAINT (grouse) with I brought one place to the left
25 Odd letters from dear friends have gone astray? Gone astray! (5)
ERRED – [d]E[a]R [f]R[i]E[n]D[s]
26 Bloody wound, my dear chap! (3,3)
OLD BOY – anagram of BLOODY
27 Red conspirator in Rome meets obstacle (8)
CINNABAR – CINNA (conspirator in Rome — in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, that is) + BAR (obstacle)
28 Coffee blend somewhat lacking in strength (6)
FEEBLE – hidden word
29 Arrangements of points in space and time in elastic form (8)
LATTICES – T (time) in anagram of ELASTIC

DOWN
1 Wild animal 26 caught in club (6)
BOBCAT – OB (26, i.e. old boy) + C (caught) together in BAT (club)
2 I spent two bits in academy (4,5)
WEST POINT – anagram of I SPENT TWO
3 Reveal information from head of law school (3,2)
LET ON – L[aw] + ETON (school)
4 Scrooge’s last trees? Humbug! (7)
EYEWASH – [scroog]E + YEW (one tree) + ASH (another tree)
6 Pop not buying mom and pop art? (9)
PARENTING – PA (pop) + RENTING (not buying)
7 Get into trouble with Christian skirting centre of Cairo (3,2)
COP IT – [ca]I[ro] in COPT (Christian)
8 Put down drink on cupboard (8)
SUPPRESS – SUP (drink) + PRESS (cupboard). ‘Press’ is an old word for cupboard that I have encountered in crosswords before.
11 Try writing about air pollution (4)
SMOG – GO (try) + MS (writing) all backwards
15 One’s caught playing polo with flair (5,4)
APRIL FOOL – anagram of POLO FLAIR
17 Fool around with language for sticker (3,6)
GUM ARABIC – MUG (fool) reversed + ARABIC (language)
18 Stop work to steal or kill (5,3)
KNOCK OFF – double definition
20 Metal spearhead (4)
LEAD – double definition
21 Tea’s in order after last of summer wine (7)
RETSINA – [summe]R + anagram of TEAS IN. I happen to like retsina very much and, by curious coincidence, happened to drink my first glass of it in years on the day this puzzle was published. (And before I solved this clue.)
22 In a tizzy, so dear holds dear (6)
ADORES – anagram of SO DEAR
24 Prepared to embrace good little girl (5)
MADGE – G (good) in MADE (prepared)
25 Painter back on ship when saint goes down (5)
ERNST – STERN (back on ship) with ST (saint) moved to end