Financial Times 14,948 by SLEUTH

A very pleasant and fairly-clued start to the day. Thanks, Sleuth, if you’re reading this.

completed grid
Across
1 FACETIOUS
Waggish fellow, one with crumpled suit with old contents (9)

F for fellow, ACE for one plus SUIT plus O for old

6 GLOSS
Explain away superficial appearance (5)

Double definition. Gloss over.

9 TRAMP
Immoral woman, snare to catch male (5)

TRAP with M for male inserted

10 ELABORATE
Complicated spread of Ebola with speed (9)

An anagram of EBOLA and RATE (speed)

11 HELLESPONT
Nightmarish place, eastern location bordering northern strait once (10)

HELL plus E for eastern plus SPOT (location) with N for northern inserted. Hellespont is the ancient name of the narrow passage between the Aegean Sea and the Sea of Marmara. These days it is known as the Dardanelles.

12 FIRM
Constant concern (4)

Double definition

14 GANGWAY
Organised group consider for discussion ship’s opening? (7)

GANG (organised group) plus WAY (homophone – hence “for discussion” – of weigh, or consider)

15 HARBOUR
Rickety bar in time offering shelter (7)

HOUR (time) with ARB (an anagram of BAR) inserted

17 THEOREM
Proposition in article about to probe award (7)

THE (definite article) OM (Order of Merit, an award) with RE (about) inserted

19 RUFFIAN
Supporter embracing one sport after another, violent figure (7)

FAN (supporter) with an I inserted (embracing one) plus RUF (rugby union and football)

20 URGE
Drive in powerful movement son ignored (4)

Surge is the powerful movement. Delete S for son and you have URGE

22 BRASSINESS
Neck support shown by guards in European ship (10)

BRA (support) plus SS (guards – Schutzstaffel) plus IN plus E for European plus SS (this time for ship)

25 KARLSRUHE
Marx perhaps converted usher in German city (9)

KARL Marx plus an anagram of usher

26 JUROR
One of twelve seeing action? (5)

Cryptic definition. There was a majority verdict in one of yesterday’s crosswords

27 TEENY
Insignificant place to drive by US city (5)

TEE (from which some people drive a golf ball) plus NY for New York

28 ESTIMABLE
Valued times possibly lecturer had in Lincoln (9)

An anagram of TIMES, ABE for Lincoln and L for lecturer.

Down
1 FETCH
Bring cheese without a companion (5)

Feta cheese without the A plus CH for Companion of Honour. Where would compilers be without the honours system?

2 CHALLENGE
Object to dining room, English, in church (9)

HALL (dining room) plus ENG (English) in CE for Church of England

3 TUPPERWARE
Drug found in water analysed in containers (10)

UPPER (a type of drug) in an anagram of water

4 OVERPAY
Settle too much? (7)

Cryptic definition

5 STAUNCH
Trusty means to check bleeding (7)

Double definition

6 GOOF
Largely cease to be fond of stupid person (4)

GO OFf (cease to be fond of) minus the final letter

7 OMANI
Arab detained in Romania (5)

R-OMANI-A

8 STEAM IRON
Most are in ground? It’s used for evening out (5,4)

An anagram (ground is the indicator) of Most are in

13 TRAFFIC JAM
Symptom of arterial blockage? (7,3)

Cryptic definition. Roads are sometimes referred to as arteries.

14 GUTBUCKET
One with outstanding pot? (9)

We liked this. Pot is a belly (or corporation in crosswordese).

16 OLIVE DRAB
Colour as it happens found in unconventional board (5,4)

LIVE (as it happens, not recorded) in an anagram of board

18 MARQUEE
Brand start of event in large tent (7)

Marque (brand) plus E (first letter of event)

19 RESPECT
Particular appreciation (7)

Double definition

21 GORGE
US environmentalist touring grand valley (5)

G for grand inserted into GORE the American politician and environmentalist.

23 SPREE
Merry outing on German river (5)

Double definition. This time next week we’ll be on one beside it.

24 I SPY
Child’s game is pretty devoid of substance (1-3)

IS plus the first and last letters of pretty

*anagram

4 comments on “Financial Times 14,948 by SLEUTH”

  1. Very entertaining. Thanks Sleuth and D & L.

    18 ac. I parsed this as RU + F1 (formula one) within fan.

  2. Thanks to S & B. Enjoyed this but puzzled about the parsing of 18ac. I think jmac’s nailed it.

  3. Thanks D&L and Sleuth.

    A straightforward puzzle this. Good precision clueing and no quibbles.

    I parsed 19ac in the same way as jmac and MikeC – so I’d call that a majority vote (even though we don’t have 12 26s).

    Ages since I’ve seen the word gutbucket. Not quite sure if I can slip it in to my next project award recommendation though!

  4. Thanks Sleuth and D&L

    Late to this, as I often am. Found it not all of that hard – out on a train-ride plus one other short session to mop up the SW corner.

    Lots to like here, although there were a couple that I either parsed wrongly – GANGWAY (didn’t get the ‘weigh’ bit) or just didn’t finish it off – RUFFIAN (had the RU and FAN bit, and didn’t twig to the Formula One (FI) bit ) – so thanks jmac for that.

    Didn’t know the German city of KARLSRUHE, the German river SPREE or the British term GUTBUCKET. Liked TEENY and TRAFFIC JAM.

    Last few in were – KARLSRUHE, GUTBUCKET and GORGE the last in

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