Financial Times 14,600 by Rosa Klebb

Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of April 19, 2014

I found this to be a fine but difficult puzzle. The smoothness of the surface readings is especially impressive. My top clues are 13a (NIGHT OWL), 2d (PETUNIAS), 8d (RANKLE), 23d (KEEPER) and 25d (HAUNCH) — all splendid.

ACROSS
1 G7 finally release statement after 30 days (6)
SEPTET – SEPT (30 days, i.e. September) + [releas]E [statemen]T
4 Setter’s really rude (8)
IMPROPER – IM (setter’s) + PROPER (really)
9 Over time northern folk work things out instinctively (6)
INTUIT – T (time) in INUIT (northern folk)
10 Leader of Taliban in Teheran cast as menace (8)
THREATEN – T[aliban] in anagram of TEHERAN
11 God unhappy about endangered animals (6)
PANDAS – PAN (god) + SAD (unhappy) backwards
13 Light now breaking, he may go to bed at last (5,3)
NIGHT OWL – anagram of LIGHT NOW
14 Pedestrian former president taking part in “60 Minutes” (5)
HIKER – IKE (former president) in HR (60 Minutes)
15 Reagan as his friends knew him – astride a horse (4)
ROAN – A (a) in RON (Reagan as his friends knew him)
17 Pub eschewing break with tradition? Cheers! (7)
OVATION – [inn]OVATION
20 Slightly contrary information (4)
DATA – A TAD (slightly) backwards
24 Told about hard grind (5)
GNASH – SANG (told) backwards + H (hard)
26 See you pocketing thorium in passing (2,3,3)
BY THE BYE – TH (thorium) in BYE BYE (see you)
27 Getting money off people is hard work (6)
TAXING – double definition
28 Not quite twenty, Joanna shortly celebrating autumn birthday (8)
SCORPIAN – SCOR[e] (not quite twenty) + PIAN[o] (Joanna shortly). ‘Joanna’ is Cockney rhyming slang for piano. This was the hardest clue for me, partly because I know very little of this rhyming slang. ‘Scorpian’ characterizes those born in the astrological house of Scorpio.
29 Unlimited suspension, a pain in the neck (6)
ANGINA – [h]ANGIN[g] (unlimited suspension) + A (a)
30 Drunken heiress ringing Ram’s Head for wines (8)
SHERRIES – R[am] in anagram of HEIRESS. Reminds me of my student days when my local was a Ram’s Head!
31 Will’s Kate ultimately described as “canny” (6)
SHREWD – SHREW (Will’s Kate) + [describe]D. No, not Prince William but Shakespeare!

DOWN
1 Unreliable, like a mule? (8)
SLIPPERY – double/cryptic definition
2 Exotic posh panties – or bloomers? (8)
PETUNIAS – anagram of U (posh) PANTIES
3 Pilgrim uplifted and overcome by last third of Handel oratorio (6)
ELIJAH – [hand]EL + HAJI (pilgrim) backwards
5 Second husband to publish yarn (6)
MOHAIR – MO (second) + H (husband) + AIR (publish)
6 Repeatedly copy screech of bear (2-4)
RE-ECHO – hidden word. Not a perfect hidden-word indicator, surely?
7 Tragic air of quiet musketeer (6)
PATHOS – P (quiet) + ATHOS (musketeer – one the The Three)
8 Offensive clues regularly get up your nose (6)
RANKLE – RANK (offensive) + [c]L[u]E[s]
12 Riddle of early human is about to be raised (5)
SIEVE – IS (is) backwards + EVE (early human). ‘Riddle’ can mean ‘sieve’. Used most often perhaps in a phrase such as “riddled with bullets.”
13 One wept boundlessly over melody, part of Planets Suite (7)
NEPTUNE – [o]N[e] [w]EP[t] + TUNE (melody)
16 Attempt to frighten gutless scaredy-cat in lift (5)
BOOST – BOO (attempt to frighten) + S[caredy-ca]T
18 In embrace of courtesan it is easy to block out unpleasant things (8)
SANITISE – hidden word
19 Get individual rubbed out, source of adrenaline perhaps in underworld (8)
GANGLAND – GA[i]N (get individual rubbed out) + GLAND (source of adrenaline perhaps)
21 Deep rifts originally announced via text message (6)
ABYSMS – A[nnounced] + BY (via) + SMS (text message)
22 In heaven at first, engrossed in a book (2,4)
AT HOME – H[eaven] in A TOME (a book)
23 Banks could be retrieving reputation in US, I’m afraid (6)
KEEPER – REP (reputation in US) + EEK (I’m afraid) all backwards. The definition here, ‘Banks’, refers to Gordon Banks who is probably England’s greatest ever goalkeeper.
24 Dance wildly with judge after sex party, half-cut (6)
GYRATE – [or]GY (sex party, half-cut) + RATE (judge)
25 A pricking feeling in gut, buttock and thigh (6)
HAUNCH – A (a) in HUNCH (feeling in gut)