Financial Times 14,650 GURNEY

Thanks to Gaufrid for the opportunity to blog this puzzle. I was apprehensive about what I was going to get for my first post, but GURNEY ensured that there would be no problems. This was a fun outing with a variety of clue types thrown in.

Most of the answers fell in place as soon as I read the clue. Owing to the crisp and unambiguous cryptic instructions, I was not in any doubt once I had the answers. Liked the lovely surface stories and especially the clues for PERUSE, TETHER, METTLE, NEPOTISM, ENCAMP, KID CARESS and PATROL. Thank you GURNEY. If  you see something in the puzzle that I didn’t or have any other comments, pitch in.

All definitions are bold and italicised in the clue.
* anagram, + charade, – deletion, ~ sounds like, <= reversal, H hidden, DD double definition, CD cryptic definition

ACROSS
1 Attractive hairstyle seen from behind at French 22 (6) NUBILE [BUN<= + ILE]
4 A call for help when bringing in top quality heat-resistant material (8) ASBESTOS [A SOS outside BEST]
9 Study foreign country’s English (6) PERUSE [PERU’S + E]
10 Footwear scam (con) I smashed (8) MOCCASIN [SCAM CON I]*
11 Tie up brute the riders captured (6) TETHER [H]
12 Rush pets made, barking (8) STAMPEDE [PETS MADE]*
13 Dad with variable remuneration (3) PAY [PA + Y]
14 Sent us off for final stage (6) SUNSET [SENT US]*
17 Unemotional mug given notice edging off (7) ROBOTIC [ROB + nOTICe]
21 Discussion upset a Bedouin some recalled (6) DEBATE [H<=]
25 Girl’s letter (eleventh) (3) KAY [DD]
26 One travelling prophet keeps at a distance (8) SEAFARER [SEER outside AFAR]
27 Norseman, very independent ruler (6) VIKING [V + I + KING]
28 Sailor, European, with resistance to tirade departing from standards (8) ABERRANT [AB + E + R + RANT]
29 Colmar, in Alsace, has boating facility (6) MARINA [H]
30 Reveal detective’s nearby (8) DISCLOSE [DI’S CLOSE]
31 Copper, say, reportedly shows resilience (6) METTLE [~METAL]

DOWN
1 Relatively favourable employment practice? (8) NEPOTISM [CD]
2 Somewhere to drink, Italian, with unique singer (8) BARITONE [BAR + IT + ONE]
3 He heeds false statement about gun right (8) LISTENER [LIE outside STEN + R]
5 Like some cars coming from harbour in Seychelles (6) SPORTY [PORT inside SY – IVR code for Seychelles]
6 Ignoring outsiders, wench and a politician set up home? (6) ENCAMP [wENCh + A + MP]
7 Rising group posed revealing preferences (6) TASTES [SET + SAT]<=
8 Boy with clear writing following pattern (6) SONNET [SON + NET]
12 Uncle eggs on rector to provide tea maker (7) SAMOVAR [SAM + OVA + R]
15 One of ten nailed (3) TOE [CD]
16 Playfully deceive // child (3) KID [DD]
18 Avoiding relations, Liberal visits church at start of Eastertide (8) CELIBATE [CE + LIB + AT + E]
19 One to ridicule corrupt star, is it? (8) SATIRIST [STAR IS IT]*
20 Glad to be associated with beer supply in City (8) BELGRADE [GLAD BEER]*
22 Awkward lads in Ibiza maybe? (6) ISLAND [LADS IN]*
23 Embrace beginning to soothe worries for a start (6) CARESS [CARES + S]
24 Sponsor’s left for new reconnaissance expedition (6) PATROL [PATRON with L for N]
25 Economist, important one, missing nothing, succeeded (6) KEYNES [KEY + oNE + S]