Financial Times 14,547 by Falcon

Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of February 15, 2014

I find this an okay but lacklustre puzzle. It has a few clever clues: 20a (ROSENTHAL), 28a (MISCREANT) and 19d (CANASTA). But I also find a few weak ones, such as 9a (NETBALL) and 4d (PULL THROUGH).

ACROSS
1 One may go off fruit (9)
PINEAPPLE – double definition. ‘Pineapple’ can refer to a hand grenade.
6 Headless ghosts in the underworld (5)
HADES – [s]HADES (headless ghosts)
9 Team game using table tennis items (7)
NETBALL – NET BALL (table tennis items)
10 A rheumatic pain? Penny has to leave plant (7)
LUMBAGO – [p]LUMBAGO (penny has to leave plant)
11 Girl concealing black snake (5)
COBRA – B (black) in CORA (girl)
12 Plane – this one has brightly coloured wings (5,4)
TIGER MOTH – double definition
14 Set eyes on tailless sow (3)
SEE – SEE[d] (tailless sow)
15 Mainstay goes round the bend by pitch (11)
CORNERSTONE – CORNERS (goes round the bend) + TONE (pitch)
17 Not bad, male friend of Cinderella almost exactly right (2,3,6)
ON THE BUTTON – anagram of NOT + HE (male) + BUTTON[s] (friend of Cinderella almost)
19 Restrain, for the most part, aggressive mongrel (3)
CUR – CUR[b] (restrain, for the most part)
20 Role hasn’t changed dramatist (9)
ROSENTHAL – anagram of ROLE HASNT. I was unaware of the fellow but I guess this refers to Jack Rosenthal, who is best known for writing for television (including early episodes of Coronation Street) and also did the screenplay for Chicken Run.
22 Punter initially enthusiastic about horse (5)
PINTO – P[unter] + INTO (enthusiastic about)
24 Ignorant, one female in Paris describing a state of conflict (7)
UNAWARE – A (a) + WAR (state of conflict) together in UNE (one female in Paris)
26 I am no longer fashionable in cul-de-sac (7)
IMPASSE – I’M PASSÉ (I am no longer fashionable)
27 Clean clothes (5)
DRESS – double definition
28 Terrible crimes – social worker exposes culprit (9)
MISCREANT – anagram of CRIMES + ANT (social worker)

DOWN
1 Grass, an informant originally employed by policeman (5)
PANIC – AN (an) + I[nformant] together in PC (policeman). I had not known that ‘grass’ could mean panic.
2 Striking little number heading chart (7)
NOTABLE – NO (little number) + TABLE (chart)
3 Run from farm in a dell in flood (9)
AVALANCHE – [r]ANCH (run from farm) in A VALE (a dell)
4 Survive in tug all the way across (4,7)
PULL THROUGH – PULL (tug) + THROUGH (all the way across)
5 The Spanish catching English fish (3)
EEL – E (English ) in EL (the Spanis)
6 Pigeon in front in race (5)
HOMER – HOME (in) + R[ace]
7 Top game (7)
DIABOLO – cryptic definition. By the way, I originally entered DIAVOLO as the answer and called it a double definition having forgotten the proper spelling for the spinning top and after ascertaining that there is a board game called Diavolo.
8 Son unwilling to carry animal (5,4)
SLOTH BEAR – S (son) + LOTH (unwilling) + BEAR (carry)
13 Simple to enter honours course in vast parts of North America (5,6)
GREAT PLAINS – PLAIN (simple) in GREATS (honours course)
14 Give one a tour of large display site, gallons having been drained off (4,5)
SHOW ROUND – SHOW [g]GROUND (large display site, gallons having been drained off)
16 Make smoother using piece of soap and rag (9)
SANDPAPER – S[oap] + AND (and) + PAPER (rag)
18 A model may be in a Puccini opera with Spoletta (central part) (2,5)
TO SCALE – TOSCA (a Puccini opera) + [spo]LE[tta]. (Spoletta is a character in Tosca.)
19 All the players holding an ace in card game (7)
CANASTA – AN (an) + A (ace) together in CAST (all the players)
21 Approaches tight sort of bend (5)
NEARS – NEAR (tight) + S (sort of bend)
23 Finished first in tight Open (5)
OVERT – OVER (finished) + T[ight]
25 Some squirrel monkeys in wood (3)
ELM – hidden word