Financial Times 14,900 by BRADMAN

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Today we learned that an indris is a long-tailed lemur from Madagascar. It was a fun and straightforward crossword, with some neat clues and references to a couple of heroes. Thanks, Mr B.

completed grid
Across
1 BLEEDS
British city’s drains (6)

B for British plus LEEDS, a city
4 BRACED
Geared-up bishop was in marathon maybe (6)

B (this time for bishop) plus RACED (was in marathon) gives BRACED, as in braced for a storm.
8 MONARCH
After one short day chief becomes king? (7)

MON (short for Monday) plus ARCH (chief – as in archbishop or arch-enemy).
9 TOO MUCH
Old maiden in tactile experience gets more than is wanted (3,4)

O for old and M for maiden (as in cricket) inserted into TOUCH, a tactile experience
11 MYSTERIOUS
Puzzle misery to us puzzling (10)

An anagram (puzzle) of “misery to us”
12 AGIN
Opposing battle without court’s backing (4)

Agincourt (500 years ago this October) minus court gives AGIN, a dialect word for against. It’s the sort of word Mrs Thatcher might use.
13 BENIN
Yesteryear’s Tony enthralling one country (5)

Tony Benn with an I in the middle.
14 WYCLIFFE
Theologian takes rock face into river (8)

The River WYE, with CLIFF (a rock face)  inserted, gives WYCLIFFE. John Wycliffe was a fourteenth-century theologian.
16 JEWELLER
Sneer about fine shopkeeper with expensive goods? (8)

WELL (fine) surrounded by JEER (sneer) gives jeweller, a retailer of luxury products.
18 NOBEL
Chemist illustrious but ultimately a bit twisted (5)

NOBLE (illustrious) with the final two letters swapped (ultimately a bit twisted) gives NOBEL, the chemist and arms manufacturer. Nice clue on several levels.
20 SKUA
One sort of bird driving other sorts back (4)

Auks are birds. Reversing (driving back) the letters  gives SKUA, a family of seabirds.
21 QUESTIONER
Search by one remarkable person who wants an answer? (10)

QUEST (search) plus I (one) plus ONER (an archaic term for a remarkable person or thing) gives QUESTIONER, who wants an answe.
23 NUDISTS
Daughter is among crazy people who make an exhibition of themselves? (7)

NUTS (crazy) with D for daughter and IS in the middle gives NUDISTS
24 CAPTIVE
Prisoner in awful pit, in hollowed- out space (7)

Ana anagram (awful) of PIT in the middle of CAVE, a hollowed-out space.
25 SHERRY
Go wrong in attempt to provide drink before meal? (6)

ERR (go wrong) in the middle of SHY (attempt) provides SHERRY, often drunk as an aperitif
26 INDRIS
Animal home is beyond road going west (6)

IN (home as in “Is he in?”) plus IS after (beyond) DR (the abbreviation for road reversed, or going west) gives INDRIS, a large arboreal lemur (Indri indri) of eastern Madagascar. It’s a new one to us. Some dictionaries have the singular form as Indri, and some as Indris.
Down
1 BOOZY
Show disapproval for two unknown characters inclined to tipple (5)

BOO (show disapproval) plus Z plus Y (characters commonly used to denote unknown values in maths). Apparently Descartes was the first to use them, in 1637.
2 ELASTIN
Bodily substance of England’s opener and No. 11? (7)

E for England’s opener plus LAST IN, number eleven in the batting order in a cricket team, otherwise known as the last man in.  Together they give ELASTIN,  a major protein component of tissues that require elasticity such as arteries, lungs, bladder, skin and elastic ligaments and cartilage
3 DOCTRINAL
Like something studied by vicar travelling in cold train? (9)

An anagram of “cold train”. One supposes that vicars are interested in doctrinal matters.
5 ROOMS
Accommodation using basic cleaning devices first off (5)

BROOMS for basic cleaning devices minus the first letter B.
6 CAMPARI
Paramedic working with journalist rejected drink (7)

An anagram (working) of PARAMEDIC, with ED for journalist rejected.
7 DECEITFUL
Exceptionally deft clue I made up (9)

An anagram of deft, clue and I.
10 FORWARDER
One sending on a message supporting prison employee (9)

FOR used to mean supporting followed by WARDER, a prison employee.
13 BREAKOUTS
Naughty saboteur seen around end of park escapes (9)

An anagram of SABOTEUR together with K, the end of park. BREAKOUTS is a slang term for escapes from a prison environment.
15 CONSTRAIN
Force prisoners on to vehicle at station? (9)

CONS for prisoners plus TRAIN, vehicle at station. To constrain somebody is to compel or force them to follow a particular course of action.
17 EXAMINE
Survey quarry after fire upset (7)

MINE (quarry) placed after a reversal  or “upset” of AXE as in to “axe” or “fire” someone from their employment.
19 BLOATER
Someone using vessel to cross lake for fish (7)

BOATER, someone using a “vessel” (ie a boat) across L for lake.  A bloater is a smoked, salted herring.
21 QATAR
Sporting venue where cards were played right: Queen, Ace and Jack (5)

Q for queen plus A for ace plus TAR for jack, “jack” and “tar” both being slang terms for a sailor.  Qatar is the controversial venue for the 2022 football World Cup. The Qataris clearly played their cards right in order to win the bid. A good clue. We’d done the across clues and it gave us a moment’s doubt when we saw a Q followed by a space (where you would normally expect there to be a U) followed by a consonant.
22 ELVIS
Silver forged without letter to indicate Queen or King (5)

An anagram of SILVER minus the R to “indicate Queen”.  Elvis was known as the King of Rock and Roll.  Rather liked this one!
*anagram

6 comments on “Financial Times 14,900 by BRADMAN”

  1. Usual very good, quality puzzle from Bradman. Thanks for the blog D & L, but could you refrain from giving an answer in the first line of your preamble? I like to go to 15squared to see what is on offer, and it spoils it a little bit.

  2. Thanks Bradman and David & Linda

    Could I echo jmac’s request please. I too wanted to find out who was in the FT & Indy today, and was disappointed to be given one of the solutions on the home page.

  5. Hi David @ 3. I know how to find the puzzles, but by coming to this site I might read something that makes me think it would be fun to do a particular puzzle, rather than another. For instance PeeDee wrote yesterday “Another super puzzle from Gozo, interesting all the way through.” It’s rare that I have time to look at more than one crossword per day and a bit of a heads up from an experienced solver is always of value.

  6. Thanks Bradman and D&L

    I also earlier seen the reference to IDRIS in the previews section of the blog … but because I’m usually late in doing the puzzles, I’d forgotten that it was for this one when I started it … and thankfully wasn’t really affected. Was more initially concerned whether the Don had made a mistake with the plurality (or not) of this word – but see that it is interchangeable. As it turns out, it was one of my last words in.

    Found it a little easier than normal for the setter and was able to finish it in two short sessions with none of the characteristic unusual words as is his wont.

    Originally had an unparsed (apart from the reversed ED at the end) LIMEADE in at 6 until getting the BRACED crosser and then spotting the compound anagram for CAMPARI.

    JEWELLER was my last in – and only then, after seeing the J and W, recognised that it was a pangram

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