One of us – either me or the FT crossword – was a bit zestless this morning. No real complaints, but not Sleuth’s most dazzling performance.
The clueing was a bit samey for my liking and, while one or two clues did give me pause for thought (in parsing, if not in solving) – the misdirection at 12ac was cunning bordering on cruel – I didn’t feel there was much to really get my teeth into. Still, a decent work-out, so thank-you, Sleuth.
| Across | ||
| 1 | RECOUP | Make good wine endlessly? Masterstroke (6) |
| Re(d) [wine] coup [masterstroke] | ||
| 5 | TEST TUBE | Sporting encounter set to produce item of scientific use? (4,4) |
| Test [sporting encounter] tube [(TV) set] | ||
| 9 | WATER-SKI | To do this, there could be a wet risk? (5-3) |
| Anagram of a wet risk | ||
| 10 | URANUS | Artist in global organisation meeting American space traveller (6) |
| RA [Royal Academy, artist] within UN [United Nations, global organisation] US [American] | ||
| 11 | PERNOD | Businessman overturning approval for aperitif (6) |
| Reversal of Rep [businessman] nod [approval] | ||
| 12 | KATMANDU | Source of money pocketed by knight – plus refined capital (8) |
| ATM [source of money] within K [knight] and [plus] u [refined] | ||
| 14 | GO BY THE BOARD | Trap set by unknown corporate group to be ignored (2,2,3,5) |
| Gob [trap, mouth] Y [algebraic unknown] the board [corporate group] | ||
| 18 | OBSTREPEROUS | Noisy old transport carrying poster designed to include queen (12) |
| O [old] ER [queen] within anagram of poster within bus [transport] | ||
| 22 | PUT-UP JOB | Accommodate post in dishonest scheme (3-2,3) |
| Put up [accommodate] job [post] | ||
| 25 | OPAQUE | Work by one that in Costa del Sol is shady (6) |
| Op [opus, work] a [one] que [‘that’ in Spanish] | ||
| 26 | MILIEU | Position on course behind road, university setting (6) |
| MI [M1, road] lie [position on course, in golf] u [university] | ||
| 27 | SKIN DEEP | Look at page about sort that’s superficial (4-4) |
| Kind [sort] within see [look at] p [page] | ||
| 28 | ANCESTRY | People on top of a tree? (8) |
| Cryptic definition, alluding to a family tree | ||
| 29 | TRYING | What could be witnessed in court is tiresome (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| Down | ||
| 2 | ENAMEL | English celebrity put on large glossy coat (6) |
| E [English] name [celebrity] l [large] | ||
| 3 | OVERNIGHT | Set of deliveries reportedly one dubbed sudden (9) |
| Over [set of deliveries, in cricket] night [sounds like knight, one dubbed] | ||
| 4 | PASO DOBLE | Old man alone interrupted by time of arrival for dance (4,5) |
| Pa [old man, father] DOB [Date Of Birth, time of arrival] within sole [alone] | ||
| 5 | THICKET | Note around country type source of tremendously dense shrubs (7) |
| Hick [country type] within te [note] t(remendously) | ||
| 6 | STUNT | Check attention-seeker’s turn? (5) |
| Double definition | ||
| 7 | TIARA | Headwear, one carried by sailor over area (5) |
| I [one] within tar [sailor] A [area] | ||
| 8 | BOUNDARY | Four, perhaps, obliged to be on a transport network (8) |
| Bound [obliged] a ry [railway, transport network] | ||
| 13 | MOB | Male passed unruly crowd (3) |
| M [male] ob [died, passed] | ||
| 15 | ECONOMIST | Smith, perhaps, wrecked one sitcom (9) |
| Anagram of one sitcom [the allusion is to Adam Smith] | ||
| 16 | ON STAND-BY | Like some doctors getting stressed and by tons (2,5-2) |
| Anagram of and by tons | ||
| 17 | ABLUTION | A bachelor, one in Bedfordshire place doing washing (8) |
| A B [bachelor] I [one] within Luton [Bedfordshire place] | ||
| 19 | RIP | Tear in parting message (3) |
| RIP [Rest In Peace, parting message] | ||
| 20 | EMBASSY | European singer entering my diplomatic venue (7) |
| E [European] bass [singer] within my | ||
| 21 | TUREEN | Figure keeping flower in large dish (6) |
| Ure [river, flower] within ten [figure] | ||
| 23 | UNITE | Group of workers from part of the UK boarding pick-up truck (5) |
| NI [Northern Ireland, part of UK] within ute [utility vehicle, pick-up truck] | ||
| 24 | JAUNT | Trip beginning to jade member of family (5) |
| J(ade) aunt [member of family] | ||