Financial Times 15688 Dante

Unexpectedly, a Dante puzzle on Tuesday, but not unexpectedly, many dds and cds. Thanks to Dante. Definitions are underlined in the clues.

Across

1 Succeed in taking one’s leave (8)

FAREWELL : [FARE WELL](perform well;succeed) .

Defn: An expression used when leaving.

6 Mount and start on a journey (3,3)

SET OFF : Double defn: 1st: “To set off” is to improve or intensify something’s looks by providing a contrast, which might apply, say, to a gem when it is mounted in a frame or setting such as a ring.

9 Wake up artist retired alongside the river (6)

AROUSE : Reversal of(… retired) RA(post-nominal letters for a member of the Royal Academy of Arts;an artist) plus(alongside) OUSE(any one of the rivers in England with the same name).

10 Robed and venerable monk shuffled the deck (8)

BEDECKED : BEDE(the Venerable aka Saint Bede, English monk) + anagram of(shuffled the) DECK.

11 Mid-off on field in repulsive jumper (4)

FLEA : The central letter of(Mid-) “off” plus(on) LEA(a field;an area of grassy land).

12 A smart point of view in a tight corner (5,5)

ACUTE ANGLE : A + CUTE(smart;shrewd) + ANGLE(a point of view when considering an event, situation, problem, etc.).

Defn: … where the angle within is between 0 and 90°.

14 I’d come upset about something commonplace (8)

MEDIOCRE : Anagram of(… upset) I’D COME + RE(about;with reference to).

16 Shut up and write a letter (4)

PENT : PEN(to write) + T(the 20th letter in the English alphabet)

18 Change the course of a revolution (4)

TURN : Double defn: 1st: To divert or deflect; and 2nd: A rotation about a point or axis.

19 It’s instrumental in having wine around (8)

CLARINET : IN contained in (having … around) CLARET(a red wine).

21 They’re responsible for the kids, but not without a nanny (5,5)

BILLY GOATS : Cryptic defn: Refering to families of goats, “billy” for the male parent, “nanny” for the female parent and “kid” for the offspring.

22 Takes things the wrong way? (4)

ROBS : Cryptic defn: “wrong way” being synonymous with “criminally”.

24 The author is not in (8)

FIELDING : Double defn: 1st: Henry, English author; and 2nd: In cricket, descriptive of the team opposed to the one that is in;batting.

26 Garden-flower periodical (6)

ANNUAL : Double defn: 1st: … whose complete life cycle is within a single growing season; and 2nd: A book or magazine that is issued periodically, specifically once every year.

27 A call for repeated effort (6)

ENCORE! : Cryptic defn: What an audience would call out if it wishes for a repeat performance from a performer.

28 Equestrian ability acquired by a large majority (4,4)

SAFE SEAT : Double defn: 1st: An ability a rider should have so that he/she doesn’t fall off the horse; and 2nd: A constituency where a parliamentary representative secures his/her seat with a large majority of votes.

Down

2 A danger out east at this time of the year (5)

APRIL : A + “peril”(a danger) minus(out) “e”(abbrev. for “east”).

3 Academic angrily cautioned a pupil (11)

EDUCATIONAL : Anagram of(angrily) CAUTIONED + A + L(plate displayed by a pupil driver of a vehicle).

Defn: …, as an adjective.

4 Point to member twirling cane with style (8)

ELEGANCE : E(abbrev. for “east”, a compass point) + LEG(a member;limb on one’s body) + anagram of(twirling) CANE.

5 Post-offices? (6,9)

LABOUR EXCHANGES : Cryptic defn: Refering to a job position as a post.

6 Waterlogged turf needs study (6)

SODDEN : SOD(a piece cut from ground covered with turf) plus(needs) DEN(a study;a room for privacy and quiet).

7 Contraction of credit, we hear, can be painful (3)

TIC : Homophone of(…, we hear, …) “tick”(firsly, credit as in “to buy something on tick” and secondly, an insect whose bite can be painful).

Defn: …;spasm of a particular muscle, habitual but painless.

8 Priceless old weapon employed by no-one in particular (9)

FREELANCE : FREE(priceless;without a price attached to it) + LANCE(an old-fashioned hand weapon).

13 They embrace the cloth before grace (6,5)

NAPKIN RINGS : Cryptic defn: Things that hold;embrace cloth items on a table set for a meal until grace is said, after which they are taken off.

15 I had got back into new routine of learning (9)

ERUDITION : Reversal of(… got back) I’D(contraction of “I had”) contained in(into) anagram of(new) ROUTINE.

17 Sir John‘s employees on the river (8)

FALSTAFF : STAFF(collectively, employees in an organisation) placed below(on, in a down clue, if one interprets “on” as “tagged on to”) FAL(river in Cornwall, England).

Defn: …, fictional character in Shakespeare’s plays.

20 Fire when an explosive’s not set? (6)

IGNITE : “gelignite”(a high explosive made from a gel of nitroglycerine and nitrocellulose) minus(…’s not;has not) “gel”(of a liquid, to set or become thicker).

23 Sailor stood up to embrace washed-out master from East Africa (5)

BWANA : Reversal of(… stood up, in a down clue) AB(abbrev. for “able-bodied seaman”;a sailor) containing(to embrace) WAN(of a person, washed-out;pale and tired).

Defn: Derived from Swahili, “master” or boss, often as a term of address corresponding to “Sir”, in East Africa.

25 Sign nothing below the French (3)

LEO : O(letter signifying 0;nothing) placed below(below, in a down clue) LE(“the” in French).

Defn: … in astrology.