This was tricky in parts – quite a few red-herrings posing as indicators. Got it in the end, and thanks to Tuesday regular Armonie. Definitions are underlined in the clues. [[The pictures at the bottom have unidentified links to the puzzle. Please enclose any comments on them in double brackets. Thank you.]]
Across
1 Clergyman has a time in treatment (6)
CURATE : [ A + T(abbrev. for “time”) ] contained in(in) CURE(a treatment).
4 English queen with a Latin temper (6)
ANNEAL : ANNE(18C English queen) plus(with) A + L(abbrev. for “Latin”).
Defn. and Answer: To toughen steel or glass by heat treatment.
8 Axe plot with Ethiopian leaders (7)
HATCHET : HATCH(to plot;to devise a scheme, thus you could “hatch a plot”) plus(with) first 2 letters of(… leaders) “Ethiopian “.
9 Popular celebrity first meets girl with eyes popping out (7)
STARING : IN(fashionable) placed after(… first) STAR(a celebrity) plus(meets) G(abbrev. for “girl”).
11 American woman’s promise is a dangerous thing (10)
BROADSWORD : BROAD(American slang for a woman) ‘S + WORD(a promise;an assurance given by one).
12 Nobleman with yen to leave before time (4)
EARL : “y”(abbrev. for the yen, Japanese currency unit) deleted from(to leave) “early”(before the appointed or expected time).
13 Crazier after decapitation of snake (5)
ADDER : “madder”(crazier) minus its first letter(after decapitation).
14 Drink absorbed in smart fabric (8)
SKIRTING : KIR(a drink made from dry white wine flavoured with cassis, a blackcurrant cordial) contained in(absorbed in) STING(to smart;to feel a pain, as from a bee sting).
Answer: Material suitable for making, well, skirts.
16 Think of son being corrupted in drink (8)
CONSIDER : Anagram of(being corrupted) SON contained in(in) CIDER(an alcoholic drink made from apples).
18 Collection of valuables allows Tory leader to gallivant (5)
TROVE : First letter of(leader) “Tory ” + ROVE(to gallivant;to wander).
20 Would-be fratricide tucked into bolognese sauce (4)
ESAU : Hidden in(tucked into) “bolognese sauce “.
Answer: The biblical character who vowed to kill his younger brother, Jacob – only a wannabe fratricide, unlike his ancestor Cain.
21 Alcohol in science fiction always gives beastly sickness (5,5)
SWINE FEVER : WINE(alcoholic liquid) contained in(in) SF(abbrev. for “science fiction”) + EVER(always, in “forever and ever”).
Answer: A highly contagious viral disease amongst pigs and wild boars.
23 Sharp point found hidden in reed-beds (7)
BITTERN : BITTER(having a sharp, unpleasant taste) + N(abbrev. for “north”, a compass point).
Answer: A secretive wading bird usually found hidden in reed-beds.
24 Animal catching public transport is weird (7)
MACABRE : MARE(a female adult horse) containing(catching) CAB(a taxi or a light horse-drawn vehicle for public hire).
25 Phrase misused in Asian language (6)
SHERPA : Anagram of(misused) PHRASE.
Answer: The language spoken by, well, the Sherpas, an ethnic group in eastern Nepal and neighbouring areas.
26 Order tinned stew (6)
INDENT : Anagram of(stew) TINNED.
Answer: To order goods through a purchase order or a requisition.
Down
1 Charlie locks office (5)
CHAIR : C(the letter represented by “Charlie” in the phonetic alphabet) + HAIR(what the locks on one’s head is made of).
Answer: A position of authority, eg. the office of president;the presidency.
2 King free to eat fish (7)
RICHARD : RID(to free from;to relieve from, usually something unpleasant) containing(to eat) CHAR(a troutlike food fish).
Answer: Any one of the 3 King Richards in English history.
3 Walk round stable that’s highly thought of (9)
TREASURED : TREAD(to walk on, over or across something) containing(round) SURE(stable;firm, as in “sure footing”).
5 Message on top of desk is prominent (5)
NOTED : NOTE(a short written message) placed above(on, in a down clue) first letter of(top of) “desk “.
6 Peculiar rat seen in grave (7)
EARNEST : Anagram of(Peculiar) RAT SEEN.
Answer: Seriously important;grave.
7 Student on farm is going far (4-5)
LONG-RANGE : L(symbol exhibited by a learner driver) + ON + GRANGE(a farm, specifically, a farmhouse and its outbuildings).
10 Spies entrap working-class associations (9)
CONSORTIA : CIA(abbrev. for the Central Intelligence Agency, the collection of US spies) + ON(working, eg. an appliance that’s switched on) + SORT(a class;a category).
Answer: Associations of commercial firms, investors, etc. formed for a particular purpose.
13 Stucco is a puzzle to science (9)
ACOUSTICS : Anagram of(puzzle) STUCCO IS A.
Answer: The science of sound and sound waves.
15 Almost entirely at sea? (2,3,4)
IN THE MAIN : Double defn: 2nd: Out in the main, the poetic word for “sea”.
17 Rush for fuel container (7)
SCUTTLE : Double defn: 1st: To scuttle;to scamper; and 2nd: A metal pail to contain coal (or logs).
19 Manage lecture about gymnastics (7)
OPERATE : ORATE(to lecture;to give a speech) containing( about ) PE(abbrev. for “physical education”;the practice of physical exercises;gymnastics)
21 Tie leaves up (5)
STRAP : Reversal of(up) PARTS(leaves;goes from someone or some place).
22 Feel sorry for decapitated bird (5)
EGRET : “regret”(to feel sorry for;to be remorseful) minus its first letter(decapitated).
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Thanks scchua and Armonie,
BITTERN, SKIRTING and SCUTTLE required some considerable thought by me.
[[Pic 2 could refer to CONSORTIA in Star Wars, Pic 9 might be a SCUTTLE butt]]
[[Muffyword, SCUTTLEbutt is indeed right. And, interestingly, scuttlebutt for gossip and rumour is derived from sailors gathering round the scuttlebutt for a drink of water and exchanging scuttlebutt – a parallel to the watercooler in the modern day office.]]
The other two dailies blogg ed here had question-marsks everywhere, so good to see a real simple job in the FT. Good stuff! Some odd operations as at 22 down, but pretty okay.
[[Pic 2 is Darth Vader, whose voice was provided by James EARL Jones. Pic 3 is Edwina Currie, but I can’t make the connection to the crossword. Pic 4 is Punch magazine, whose masthead was designed by artist RICHARD Doyle. Pic 5 is the 4464 BITTERN. Pic 6 is Johnny Depp, who played John Wilmot, EARL of Rochester, in The Libertine. (Also, he has had a few MACABRE roles.) Pic 8 is Oscar Wilde, aka The ___ on the Crag, who wrote The Importance of Being EARNEST. No ideas for 1 and 7.]]
Thanks Armonie and scchua – I also found some of this a bit trickier than usual for Armonie/FT Tuesday.
[[Pic 1 is Brian Blessed who was King Richard IV in Black Adder. I also can’t see what the Edwina Currie connection is unless it’s to scuttle(butt) – there was plenty of that surrounding her affair with John Major! Pic 7 shows the Dublin statue of Oscar Wilde (in the background!).]]
[[Keeper and Steve, pic1: Blessed/RICHARD IV, BlackADDER, pic2 Darth Vader/James EARL Jones, pic5 BITTERN, pic8 Wilde/EARNEST. Well done (to Muffyword as well). Hints: pics3 & 4 link to the same answer (one via the other), pic6 (look no further), pic7’s answer has already been mentioned (but not linked to the right pic.]]
[[Punch gave us the phrase CURATE’s egg; Edwina Currie warned about salmonella in British eggs.]]