This puzzle can be downloaded at http://im.ft-static.com/content/images/0bb26890-7888-11e7-90c0-90a9d1bc9691.pdf
To be honest, I found this a bit of a slog. The clues were generally fair, with some of them taking a little while to parse satisfactorily, but some of the double definitions were unsatisfying, and the surfaces occasionally clumsy or contrived (15dn, for example). I got there in the end, though.
Thanks, Peto.
| Across | ||
| 1 | EXEMPT | Not liable to find leader leaving phone message implicating European politician (6) |
| (t)EXT (“phone message”, with leader leaving) implicating E(uropean) M.P. (“politician”) | ||
| 4 | TAUGHT | Gave lessons, in time, on anything at all (6) |
| T(ime) + AUGHT (“anything at all”) | ||
| 8 | CONCORD | Swindle duke with my agreement (7) |
| CON (“swindle”) + D(uke) with COR! (“my!”) | ||
| 9 | GETAWAY | Start of leave (7) |
| Double definition | ||
| 11 | BEFOREHAND | Teaching graduate embracing Chinese after a word of warning in advance (10) |
| B. Ed. (“teaching graduate”) embracing HAN (“Chinese”) after FORE (“a word of warning”, on the golf course) | ||
| 12 | OUST | Eject in seconds entering into a state of unconsciousness (4) |
| S(econds) entering OUT (“A state of unconsciousness”) | ||
| 13 | PIECE | A gun for example (5) |
| Double definition | ||
| 14 | DISCREET | Modest support by Catholic party largely withdrawn (8) |
| TEE (“support”, for a golf ball) by R.C. (“Catholic”) + SID(e) (“party”, largely) and then the whole thing reversed (“withdrawn”), so (e)DIS-C.R.-EET | ||
| 16 | COLD FEET | Loss of confidence in court retaining old charge for services (4,4) |
| Ct. (“court”) retaining OLD + FEE (“charge for services”). The setter is generous here, giving us OLD for free, when he could have defined it instead. | ||
| 18 | ALOUD | “Let” uttered for all to hear (5) |
| Homophone of ALLOWED (“let”), indicated by “uttered” | ||
| 20 | BENT | A tendency to be dishonest (4) |
| Double definition | ||
| 21 | SCREEN TEST | Erects set roughly to accommodate Neeson’s first filmed audition (6,4) |
| *(erects set) to accommodate N(eeson) | ||
| 23 | PUT AWAY | Pack up and set off (3,4) |
| PUT (“set”) + AWAY (“off”) | ||
| 24 | SEMINAR | Discussion group for potential marines (7) |
| *(marines) | ||
| 25 | EXTENT | Compass discovered in temporary shelter by former partner (6) |
| TENT (“temporary shelter”) by EX (“former partner”) | ||
| 26 | ASSERT | Insist upon actress performing without cocaine (6) |
| *(atress) (“actress” without the C of cocaine) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | EVOKE | Call up the first lady to obtain approval (5) |
| EVE (“the first lady”) to obtain O.K. (“approval”) | ||
| 2 | ENCLOSE | Extremely naive about secret hold (7) |
| N(aiv)E, about, so EN + CLOSE (“secret”) | ||
| 3 | PERSEVERE | Always feeding essentially to keep going (9) |
| EVER (“always”) feeding PER SE (“essentially”) | ||
| 5 | AHEAD | American to be in charge of forwards (5) |
| A(merican) + HEAD (“to be in charge of”) | ||
| 6 | GLAMOUR | Grand old actress with fascinating beauty (7) |
| G(rand) + (Dorothy) LAMOUR (“old actress”, most famous for the “Road to…” movies with Bob Hope and Bing Crosby) | ||
| 7 | TRANSCEND | Rise above a general tendency to accept answer by Conservative leader (9) |
| TREND (“a general tendency”) to accept ANS + C(onservative) | ||
| 10 | LAUDATORY | Expressing praise for song about a paramilitary group endlessly divided (9) |
| LAY (“song”) about U.D.A. (“paramiltary group”) + TOR(n) (“divided” with no end) | ||
| 13 | PROSECUTE | Practise plain writing before appealing (9) |
| PROSE (“plain writing”) before CUTE (“appealing”) | ||
| 15 | SHAPELESS | Amorphous sulphur underneath rock made from mud is seen around Peru and Sweden (9) |
| S(ulphur) underneath SHALE (“rock made from mud”) seen around .pe (internet country demain for “Peru”) + S(international car registration letter for “Sweden”), so SHA(PE)LE-S-S | ||
| 17 | DETRACT | Take away tons hauled up earlier (7) |
| T(ons) with <+CARTED (“hauled”, up) earlier. | ||
| 19 | OUTSIDE | Unlikely to be dismissed over insolence (7) |
| OUT (“dismissed”, as in cricket) + SIDE (“insolence”). I don’t think I’ve come across “side” meaning “insolence” before, but I checked the dictionary, andf it’s there) | ||
| 21 | STAIN | Colour of satin pants (5) |
| *(satin), indicated by “pants”. An unusual anagrind, but if you think of the phrase “That’s pants” (ie “That’s not good”), then you can see how “pants” = “bad”, so is acceptable as an anagrind. | ||
| 22 | START | Begin with an advantage (5) |
| Double definition, although both are very similar. | ||
*anagram
Thanks Peto and Loonapick. Like you , I found it tough going as well, chipping away at it for a while.
23ac needs a minor correction, you meant to indicate cluing for AWAY instead of the other way around.
Regards,
TL
Thanks, TL.
Now edited.
Thanks Peto and loonapick
Also found this to be very tough with three that I had no idea at all with the parsing of – DISCREET, PUT AWAY (didn’t think to break down ‘set’ and ‘off’) and LAUDATORY (having not heard of the UDA group before).
Those three together with some other harder than normal word plays were quite clever once they are seen, but hard work to get to them, if at all !! Wouldn’t like to be faced with one like this every day, but can appreciate it when they do come from time to time.
Finished in the NE corner with that DISCREET, GLAMOUR (after I was eventually able to combine ‘old’ and ‘actress’ instead of looking for a word starting with GO) and GET AWAY the last few in.