Financial Times 14740 Neo

(Please click here for this same blog but with a picture quiz added. Please do NOT post hereinbelow any comment relating to the picture quiz. Thank you.)    It’s been some time since I blogged Neo.  Thanks for the renewed acquaintance.  And what’s with the dogs (and a couple of gods/goddess)?  Definitions are underlined in the clues.

Across

1    Husband engaged in parking say finds place for top gear (6)

HATPEG : H(abbrev. for “husband”) + AT(to be engaged in an activity) + P(abbrev. for “parking”) + EG(abbrev. for “exempli gratia”;for example;say).

Defn: …, ie. where to hang your hat.

5    Arab lord at sea discovers Canadian coast (8)

LABRADOR : Anagram of(… at sea) ARAB LORD.

9    Sit one Oxbridge staffer in capsized ship (8)

POSEIDON : POSE(to sit for, say, an artist) + I(Roman numeral for “one”) + DON(one of the lecturing staff at the colleges in Oxbridge).

Defn: … in the action-adventure disaster film, The Poseidon Adventure, and its sequel.

10    Woman hiding information makes plan (6)

AGENDA : ADA(a woman’s name) containing(hiding) GEN(information;dope) .

Defn: … for attending to a number of matters.

11    Completely hot dog sent to Oz (2,4)

IN TOTO : IN(hot;currently popular) + TOTO(Dorothy’s dog that followed her to the magical land of Oz).

12    Making strides in Berkshire town after time (8)

TREADING : READING(town in Berkshire, England) placed after(after) T(abbrev. for “time”).

14    Sound sources agree with the dictionary (4,8)

ECHO CHAMBERS : ECHO(to agree with;to be the same as the original) CHAMBERS(the English red-covered dictionary).

18    Quarrel denigrates me, which is bad (12)

DISAGREEMENT : Anagram of(…, which is bad) DENIGRATES ME.

22    Show less restraint in puzzle (8)

BEWILDER : [BE WILDER](to show less restraint, more abandon).

25    Current NKVD leader in old European place (6)

IBERIA : I(the symbol for an electrical current in physics) + BERIA(Lavrentiy, Stalin’s man, chief of the NKVD, the Soviet police and secret police organisation).

Defn: An ancient region corresponding roughly to present-day Georgia.

26    Secretary with wine gets government grant (6)

PATENT : PA(abbrev. for “personal assistant”;a secretary) plus(with) TENT(a red table wine from Alicante, Spain).

Defn: … that confers on an inventor the sole right to make, use and sell his/her invention for a limited period.

27    Greek festival in ring makes you cross (8)

DIAGONAL : AGON(an Ancient Greek festival in which competitors vied for prizes, eg. the Olympic Games) contained in(in) DIAL(to ring on the telephone).

Defn:  A line you would use to cross out part of text.

28    Terrier wants assurance given unknown meat (8)

SEALYHAM : SEAL(a mark of assurance or guarantee of authenticity or quality) plus(given) Y(symbol for an unknown quantity in mathematics) + HAM(meat from a pig, especially when salted or smoked).

29    Relationship just beyond alpha female (6)

AFFAIR : FAIR(just;equitable) placed after(beyond) [ A(abbrev. for “alpha”) + F(abbrev. for “female”) ].

Down

2    Come close to Isthmia on horse (6)

AMOUNT : The last letter of(close to) “Isthmia ” placed above(on, in a down clue) MOUNT(a horse to be ridden).

Defn: … to, as in “All those measures come to nothing”.

3    Formless poem, Anne Hathaway’s first, observed events (9)

PHENOMENA : Anagram of(Formless) [ POEM, ANNE + the 1st letter of(…’s first) “Hathaway“].

4    Kindly guardian Carmela Corleone? (9)

GODMOTHER : Cryptic defn: Reference to Carmela, the wife of Don Vito Corleone, the Godfather in Mario Puzo’s novel.

5    Moonstruck in a cult after processing (7)

LUNATIC : Anagram of(… after processing) IN A CULT.

6    Artist uses black and red dye (5)

BLAKE : B(abbrev. for “black”) plus(and) LAKE(a red dye consisting partly of lac).

Answer: William, 18-19C English painter, and poet.

7    Forward gets up (5)

AHEAD : Double defn: 2nd: As when your team is 2 goals up.

8    Such shares will take gold over two currencies (8)

ORDINARY : OR(in heraldry, the colour of gold) placed above(over, in a down clue) [ DINAR(the currency unit of many Arab countries) + Y(abbrev. for “yen”, the Japanese currency unit).

Answer: A class of shares or stocks in an incorporated company.

13    Steel limb (3)

ARM : Double defn: 1st: A sword, an example of a weapon.

15    Traditional music an answer to conflict in Crimea (9)

AMERICANA : [ AN + A(abbrev. for “answer”) ] placed below(to, in a down clue) anagram of(conflict in) CRIMEA.

Answer: In popular music, all forms of traditional music indigenous to America, and their modern variants.

16    Gambler leaving in happier financial circumstances (6,3)

BETTER OFF : BETTER(a gambler) OFF(leaving, as in “I’m leaving, goodbye!”).

17    Barker‘s excellent ginger beer (8)

AIREDALE : AI(excellent represented by A1, written with a Roman numeral) + RED(adjective for ginger hair, of a reddish-brown colour) + ALE(beer).

Answer: A large terrier.

19    Lubricant good on the railway (3)

GEL : G(abbrev. for “good”) placed above(on, in a down clue) EL(an American short form for “elevated railway or railroad”).

Defn: … for personal or medical purposes.

20    Mark, joining Liberal Party, under consideration for title (7)

EARLDOM : { M(abbrev. for “mark”, once the German currency unit) placed below(joining, in a down clue) [ L(abbrev. for “Liberal”) + DO(a party;a social function) ] } placed below(under, in a down clue) EAR(favourable or sympathetic attention;consideration, as in “she has the ear of the boss” – how she’s got it is a different story).

21    Savage goddess imprisons soldier raised in Rwandan capital (6)

KIGALI : KALI(in Hinduism, the fearsome goddess of destruction, not only savage but cannibalistic) containing(imprisons) reversal of(… raised) GI(an American soldier).

Answer: Capital city of Rwanda.

23    I work as croupier and model (5)

IDEAL : I + DEAL(to distribute cards, part of a croupier’s work).

24    Daughters desire Chuck (5)

DITCH : D(abbrev. for “daughters”) + ITCH(a desire waiting to be scratched).

Defn: To discard;to abandon.

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