Financial Times 14,535 by Bradman

Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of February 1, 2014

I found this easier than most Bradman puzzles although it still presented a decent challenge. My choice clues are 9a (EXEMPLIFIED) and 26a (DAG HAMMARSKJOLD). And I wonder about 21a (WOODSCREW); the clue seems lacking.

ACROSS
9 Page inside income tax file I amended for instance (15)
EXEMPLIFICATION – P (page) in anagram of INCOME TAX FILE I
10 System of principles? This falls short in the City (5)
ETHIC – THI[s] in EC (City)
11 Ask to go to a session of baseball that’s starting (9)
BEGINNING – BEG (ask) + INNING (a session of baseball)
12 One gives account in sprawling screed with inadequate biro (9)
DESCRIBER – anagram of SCREED BIR[o]
14 Instrument that starts pupil off briefly (5)
PIANO – double definition
16 Dean led adherent astray? They must patch things up (6,3,6)
NEEDLE AND THREAD – anagram of DEAN LED ADHERENT. A nice find!
19 Card player to exclaim when hearts get played out of order (5)
SOUTH – SHOUT (exclaim) with H moved to the end
21 One shouldn’t be driven to the wall (9)
WOODSCREW – ???. This seems like an off-beat but hardly cryptic definition. Am I missing something?
23 Like sort of sound from snake, I deemed (9)
ASPIRATED – ASP (snake) + I (I) + RATED (deemed)
25 Cushioned very happily? (2,3)
ON AIR – double definition
26 Diplomat serving out dark gold jams with meat to be eaten (3,12)
DAG HAMMARSKJOLD – HAM (meat) in anagram of DARK GOLD JAMS

DOWN
1 Upset editor and writers getting over depression – they rely on others (10)
DEPENDENTS – ED (editor) backwards + DENT (depression) in PENS (writers)
2 Goddess the solver’s once seen in educational paper (6)
TETHYS – THY (solver’s) in TES (education paper). TES refers to the Times Education Supplement.
3 Like a colourful band in supernatural guise? (8)
SPECTRAL – double definition
4 Member in uncertain state deprived of love (4)
LIMB – LIMB[o] (uncertain state deprived of love)
5 Awful dirge I do repeatedly as musical instrument (10)
DIDGERIDOO – anagram of DIRGE I DO DO
6 Worker rolling up in hat gets a little snooze (6)
CATNAP – ANT (worker) backwards in CAP (hat)
7 Dispute puts Italian in bind (8)
LITIGATE – IT (Italian) in LIGATE (bind)
8 Arms raised to get comfortable (4)
SNUG – GUNS (arms) backwards
13 Beast leading women’s group has troubled them? Don’t worry, I’ll sort it! (4,4,2)
BEAR WITH ME – BEAR (beast) + WI (women’s group, i.e. Women’s Institute) + anagram of THEM
15 Quaintly dated and not American, needing extra inputs of energy (4,6)
OLDE WORLDE – E and E (energy) inserted into OLD WORLD (not American)
17 English Queen has one servant? This suggests a whole lot more (8)
EQUIPAGE – E (English) + QU (Queen) + I (one) + PAGE (servant)
18 Keeps items in bedroom drawer maybe – things for church (8)
HASSOCKS – HAS (keeps) + SOCKS (items in bedroom drawer maybe)
20 Ace in race gets cheer (6)
HURRAY – A (ace) in HURRY (race)
22 Offence against state gets a beheading? Justification needed (6)
REASON – [t]REASON (offence against state gets a beheading)
23 Supports what’s uttered, first to last (4)
AIDS – SAID (uttered) with first letter moved to the end
24 Fish and egg – what’s not exciting about that? (4)
DORY – O (egg) in DRY (not exciting)