Financial Times 16,456 by GURNEY

by

Sorry for late posting – tech probs – but all quite straightforward in the end…

A fairly gentle lock-down work-out, all solidly clued with just enough deviousness to keep it satisfying. Thanks to

image of grid
ACROSS
1 SCRAWL Last to come to the fore, is obsequious – that’s hard to make out (6)
 

CRAWLS ('is obsequious'), last to 1st.
4 RIVALLED Was equal of wine in exotic villa? Quite the opposite (8)
 

Anagram ('exotic') of VILLA in RED ('wine').
9 MUSKET Need to conceal knife outside as weapon (6)
 

MUS.T (a 'need') around outside letters of 'KneE'.
10 CAST-IRON Absolutely reliable cold wine initially ready, or not? (4-4)
 

C[old] + ASTI ('wine') + 1st letters of last 3 words.
12 WOLF Bolt’s smooth progress on return (4)
 

FLOW, reversed. 'Wolf' as verb.
13 LIP SERVICE Don’t expect action to follow this cheek at religious event (3,7)
 

LIP ('cheek') + SERVICE ('religious event ').
15 ASTRONOMICAL Giant sail – can’t moor unfortunately (12)
 

Anagram ('unfortunately') of STILL CANT MOOR.
18 REMINISCENCE Anecdote about cars, churches, entertaining knight (12)
 

RE + MINIS + CEx2 around 'kNight'.
21 DISDAINFUL Scorning girl, immoral, after lawyer intervenes (10)
 

DI ('girl') + S.INFUL including D[istrict] A[ttorney].
22 TEST Trial game (4)
 

Double definition.
24 AMRITSAR City’s aim, after review, to accommodate Republican leader (8)
 

Anagram ('after review') of AIM includes R[epublican} + TSAR ('leader').
25 SODDEN Very wet turf where animal lives (6)
 

SOD ('turf') + DEN.
26 ENTRY FEE Newly housing female, eye rent payment (5,3)
 

Anagram ('newly') of EYE RENT around F[emale].
27 PRAGUE Capital parking – argue slight change needed (6)
 

P[arking] + anagram of ARGUE.
DOWN
1 SOMEWHAT Rather poor show, tame (8)
 

Anagram of SHOW TAME.
2 RESOLUTE Determined work on footwear, extremely urgent, inside (8)
 

RE ('on') + SOL.E ('footwear') containing 1st & last of ('UrgenT'). Not sure that 'work' is necessary.
3 WEEK How mobile phone network ultimately gives period of time (4)
 

Last letters ('ultimately') of 1st 4 words.
5 INAUSPICIOUS Unlucky, questionable, as leader is replaced – popular previously (12)
 

sUSPICIOUS, 1st letter changed, follows IN ('popular').
6 ALTERNANCE Aren’t clean at work? Regular change needed (10)
 

Anagram ('at work') of ARENT CLEAN. Not a word I knew, but gettable and Chambers gives 'Training by alternate periods of theoretical & practical work', so 'at work' helps things along a bit.
7 LARKIN Writer playing a prank? Not entirely (6)
 

"Larkin'" about, course. Philip Larkin, poet, 1922-1985.
8 DUNDEE Daughter and German seen ignoring outsiders in port (6)
 

D[aughter] + UND (German 'and') + inside letters of 'sEEn'.
11 DISORIENTATE As jet leg might see tradition upset (12)
 

'Jet LAG', presumably. Anagram of SEE TRADITION.
14 TOLERANTLY Politician, changing sides, absorbing the French tirade patiently (10)
 

TOrY ('politician'), L[eft] replacing R[ight], surrounds LE RANT.
16 UNDERDOG No drudge at work – little fellow (8)
 

Anagram ('at work') of NO DRUDGE.
17 SENTENCE Punishment? “Offenders will be fined” maybe (8)
 

Double def. Words 2-5 form a 'sentence'.

19 ADWARE Glad war ends bringing ideas for spending? (6)
 

Hidden in 'glADWAR Ends'.
20 ESPRIT Liveliness of sense regularly associated with pair, Italian (6)
 

Alternate letters of 'sEnSe' + P[ai]R + IT[alian].
23 DOOR Party men creating opening (4)
 

DO ('party') + O[ther] R[anks] ('men').

13 comments on “Financial Times 16,456 by GURNEY”

  1. You’re not the only one with tech problems – the crossword isn’t on the FT website and I can’t access my virginmedia e-mail.  Got the Indy OK, though.

  6. Finally got the puzzle, with thanks to Gaufrid – and I see it’s now appeared on the FT site.

    We found this a bit of a challenge and stared at a blank grid for a while.  Then we saw a couple of clues with what were obviously anagrams and managed (with help) to unscramble them to get a start, after which things slowly progressed.

    A lot to like but no real favourite.

    Thanks, Gurney and Grant.

  8. Thanks Gurney abd Grant
    Found it more difficult tgan I ought to, probably because could only grab short times during a busy day to get to it. Took ages to crack the long clues that connected the four quadrants which didn’t help.
    Last in was AMRITSAR, the scene of the Golden Temple incident that put my trip to India at great risk in 1984 – managed to get to the Himalayas in between that and when Indira Gandhi was assassinated … a pretty tense time over there.

  10. Thanks to Gurney and Grant. I struggled with ADWARE and the parsing of SCRAWL, but AMRITSAR defeated me.

  11. Thanks Gurney and GB

    Is it just my ipad that’s showing the blog as very pale blue text on a white background? It’s almost impossible to read.

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