Financial Times 14,433 by Cinephile

This is a super puzzle, varied and interesting all the way through.  I would hesitate to say whether this was easy or difficult.  I suspect that if you are on Cinephile’s wavelength today then the solutions will come easily, if not then it could be a hard slog to get to the finish.

The asterisked clues are all energy saving measures.  Thank you Cinephile.

Across

1, 25, 6 * Start of wrestling with no holds barred forced out snail after guinea pig has eaten it (6,4,10)
CAVITY WALL INSULATION
Wrestling (start of) with ALL IN (no holds barred) (OUT SNAIL)* anagram=forced following (after) CAVY (guinea pig) containing (having eaten) IT

4 Childless doppelgänger’s dog (8)
SPRINGER
SP (sin prole, childless) RINGER (doppelganger) – a type of spaniel

10 The missing old tranquilliser in pleasant amount of old money (9)
NINEPENCE
NEPENthe (old tranquiliser, drug for sorrow in ancient Greece) missing THE in NICE (pleasant) – an old coin worth nine pennies and “to be as nice as ninepence”.

11 Don’t be thorough – read page quickly (5)
SKIMP
SKIM P (read page quickly) – definition is ‘don’t be thorough’.  A slight liberty with the ordering of the words here but does anyone really care?

12 Count piece of corn left (4)
EARL
EAR (piece of corn) L (left) – a nobleman

13 Go-ahead for environmentalist not serious? (5,5)
GREEN LIGHT
GREEN (environmentalist) LIGHT (not serious)

15 Lack of consideration for unoccupied post (7)
VACANCY
cryptic/double definition – to be vacant is to not be thinking, not to be considering anything

16 Can’t stand notes on trial (6)
DETEST
D E (notes of the scale) on TEST (trial)

19 Was receiver protected? (6)
FENCED
cryptic/double definition – a reciever of stolen goods

21 Stupidly hope for nothing from the Firebird (7)
PHOENIX
HOPE* stupidly=anagram NIX (nothing)

23 Fast 31 days by order (5,5)
QUICK MARCH
QUICK (fast) MARCH (31 days) – a military order

25 See 1

27 Bass performer in one of his flms (5)
ALFIE
actor Alfred (Alfie) Bass who plays Harry Clamacraft in the 1966 film ALFIE

28 Autumnal plant to leave left private space for punishment (9)
GOLDENROD
GO (to leave) L (left) DEN (private space) with (for) ROD (punishment) – a yellow-flowering plant traditionally hailing the arrival of autumn

29 At this point heartless song shows genetic factor (8)
HEREDITY
HERE (at this point) DItTY (song, heartless)

30 Jacket on fre? (6)
BLAZER
double definition

Down

1, 9 * Rabbit about to be useful to Green organisation (8,6)
CONSERVE ENEGRY
CONY containing (about) SERVE (to be useful) to GREEN* oraganisation=anagram

2 Chamber to make nit clever (9)
VENTRICLE
(NIT CLEVER)*

3 Superior individual takes cover in the heat (4)
TOPI
TOP (superior) I (first person, individual) – a sun hat

5 Make out the French ready to stop (7)
PRETEND
PRET (ready in French) to END (stop)

6 See 1 across

7 State of turf on the way out (5)
GOING
double definition – horse racing term

8 Fame in the theatre with two notes (6)
REPUTE
REP (the theatre) with UT and E (two notes of the musical scale)

9 See 1 across

should read 1 down

14 Number 100 in the Klan with requirement to be far from bow-legged (5-5)
KNOCK KNEED
NO (number) C (100, Roman numeral) in KKK (the Klan) with NEED (requirement)

17 Czar’s aunt translated to holy place? (5,4)
SANTA CRUZ
(CZAR’S AUNT)* anagram=translated – one of may towns (places) of that name around the world.  Santa Cruz also translates to Holy Cross, which is a holy place.

18 See 20

20, 18 * The crux – drug deal – disaster (7,8)
DRAUGHT EXCLUDER
draught excluder (THE CRUX DRUG DEAL)* disaster=anagram

21 Preserve imp (6)
PICKLE
double definition – preserved food or a naughty child

22 Court vegetable? (6)
SQUASH
double definition by example – type of court (sports) and type of vegatable

24 Gather from hell? No! No! (5)
INFER
INFERno (hell) with no NO (ie ‘no’ is missing)

26 Duck liquid at its opening (4)
TEAL
TEA (a liquid) with L (the opening letter of liquid) – a type of duck

*anagram