Financial Times 15544 Sleuth

Thanks Sleuth, for an enjoyable puzzle. Definitions are underlined in the clues.

Across

1 Menial sort after day taking goods by ground (8)

DOGSBODY : D(abbrev. for “day”) plus(after … taking) anagram of(… ground) GOODS BY.

5 Drains American and European drink (4,2)

USES UP : US(abbrev. for things American) plus(and) E(abbrev. for “European”) + SUP(to drink by sips or spoonfuls).

10 Style in signalling light, it’s said (5)

FLAIR : Homophone of(…, it’s said) “flare”(device producing a bright flame used as a signal).

11 Scope on page for empty comment (9)

PLATITUDE : LATITUDE(scope;room for freedom of action or thought) placed after(on) P(abbrev. for “page”).

12 Greek character getting stick on railway for sharp practice (9)

CHICANERY : CHI(the 22nd letter of the Greek alphabet) plus(getting) CANE(a stick, used as an aid to walking) plus(on) RY(abbrev. for “railway”).

13 Waste parts from Irish county mainly (5)

OFFAL : “Offaly”(a county of Ireland) minus its last letter(mainly).

Defn: Waste material.

14 Position held by finest ancestors (6)

STANCE : Hidden in(held by) “finest ancestors“.

15 Accessory useful for writer and poet possibly (4-3)

NOTE-PAD : Anagram of(… possibly) AND POET.

18 Trouble besetting Irish scholar in old-fashioned communication (7)

AIRMAIL : AIL(to trouble;to afflict) containing(besetting) [ IR(abbrev. for “Irish”) + MA(abbrev. for Master or Arts, a scholar) ].

20 Woman serving companion has painful separation (6)

WRENCH : WREN(nickname for one serving in the British Women’s Royal Naval Service) + CH(post-nominal letters used by one awarded the British Commonwealth Companion of Honour).

22 Long for end to nationalistic party (5)

CRAVE : The last letter of(end to) “nationalistic” + RAVE(a party involving dancing and drinking).

24 Add imaginary detail to what one with needle does? (9)

EMBROIDER : Double defn: 1st: … to an account to make it more interesting.

25 Topping financial product for a working individual primarily (9)

PEPPERONI : PEP(abbrev. for “Personal Equity Plan”, an investment scheme;financial product in the UK) + PER(for each;for a, as in “$ per day”) + ON(working, as in “he’s on tomorrow, even though it’s Sunday”) + the 1st letter of(… primarily) “individual“.

Defn: … for your pizza.

26 Flash Gordon’s principal dressing material (5)

GLINT : The 1st letter of(…’s principal) + LINT(material for dressing a wound).

27 Degree of precision seen in cornice typically (6)

NICETY : Hidden in(seen in) “cornice typically“.

28 One in spirit of party always backed line on the French Resistance (8)

REVELLER : Reversal of(… backed) EVER(always;at all times) + L(abbrev. for “line”) + LE(French for “the”) + R(symbol for electric resistance in physics).

Defn: A party animal.

Down

1 Flaw in two notes on city in paper (6)

DEFECT : D,E(two notes in the sol-fa musical scale) + [ EC(postcode area which includes almost all of the City of London) contained in(in) FT(abbrev. for the Financial Times newspaper) ].

2 Fierce debater, performer in Rome (9)

GLADIATOR : 1st: One who supports and fights publicly for a cause, including taking part in debates; and 2nd: In Ancient Rome, one trained to fight for the entertainment of spectators.

3 Pub with profit over time entered by lowly chaps – it offers great deals? (7-8)

BARGAIN-BASEMENT : [ BAR(a pub;a drinking place) plus(with) GAIN(profit) placed above(over, in a down clue) T(abbrev. for “time”) ] containing(entered by) [ BASE(lowly;morally low) + MEN(chaps) ].

4 Empty department left over summer in Paris (7)

DEPLETE : DEP(abbrev. for “department”) + L(abbrev. for “left”) placed above(over, in a down clue) ETE(French for “summer”, the season).

6 Mistake by speaker? Feel tough points should be altered (4,2,3,6)

SLIP OF THE TONGUE : Anagram of(… should be altered) FEEL TOUGH POINTS.

7 Powdered preparation? It’s adequate commonly (5)

SNUFF : ‘S NUFF(“its enough”;adequate in English vernacular;commonly).

Defn: … of tobacco to be, well, snuffed.

8 Rule out terrible creep detaining lord (8)

PRECLUDE : Anagram of(terrible) CREEP containing(detaining) LUD(as in “my lud” or “m’lud”, used to address a judge in an English court of law).

9 Look round some ravine (6)

CANYON : CON(to look over;to examine) containing(round) ANY(some, as in “do you have any money?”).

16 Playing cards with bore is a punitive activity (4-5)

PACK-DRILL : PACK(a set of playing cards) plus
(with) DRILL(to bore a hole).

Defn: … in the military, where the punished is made to march about carrying a full pack of equipment.

17 Cheek to criticise cook’s resource? (8)

SAUCEPAN : SAUCE(cheek;impudence) + PAN(to criticise).

19 Keep quiet source of loot that is vulgar (3,3)

LIE LOW : The 1st letter of(source of) “loot” + IE(abbrev. for “id est”, that is) + LOW(vulgar;coarse).

20 Black model in tiny place linked to hits? (7)

WEBSITE : [ B(abbrev. for “black”) + SIT(to model;to pose for, say, an artist) ] containing(in) WEE(tiny).

Defn: A place on the Internet which is hit;accessed by web-surfers.

21 Hole in ground right behind heap (6)

CRATER : R(abbrev. for “right”) placed below(behind, in a down clue) CRATE(like “heap”, slang for something rickety and dilapidated, especially a car).

23 A characteristic flavour almost in savoury meat (5)

ASPIC : A + “spice”(a characteristic flavour) minus its last letter(almost).

Defn: A savoury jelly made with meat (or fish) used as a relish.