Financial Times 16,626 by NEO

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Today's FT compiler is Neo.

This was mostly straightforward, but the SE corner held me up for a bit until I at last saw APENNINES and the rest came fairly quickly thereafter.

Among some excellent clues (my favourite being that for JUMP THE QUEUE), there were a few chestnuts, which by coincidence included "roasting nuts" at 12 across.

I can't parse 19d to my satisfaction, and it is interesting to see S for "small" in 16d as I came across that in Tuesday's Guardian, which I also blogged. It is in Collins, but not Chambers for some reason, and it is typical of the arbitrariness of which abbreviations are kosher, and which are questionable in crosswords.

Anyway, thanks to Neo for this morning's distraction from the shenanigans across the pond.

ACROSS
1 SHUT IT Pipe down building placed in position (4,2)
 

HUT ("building") placed in SIT ("position")
5 ANACONDA Report of girl deceived by a snake (8)
 

Homophone [report] of (ANNA ("girl") + CONNED ("deceived")) by A
9 ABSOLUTE Rank ratings given by old music-maker (8)
 

ABs (able-bodied (seamen) , so "ratings") given by O (old) + LUTE ("music-maker")
10 OLIVER Duck pâté ingredient for celebrity chef (6)
 

O ("duck" in cricket) + LIVER ("pate ingredient")

Jamie Oliver (aka The Naked Chef) is a celebrity chef.
11 POPLIN Drop round to grab length in material (6)
 

POP IN ("call round") to grab L (length)
12 ORGANIST One pulls out the stops roasting nuts (8)
 

*(roasting) [anag:nuts]
14 PART-EXCHANGE Deal involving organ transplant? (4-8)
 

Cryptic definition
18 JUMP THE QUEUE Dishonestly take position as head waiter? (4,3,5)
 

Cryptic definition
22 SEMOLINA Dish with wheat base is no meal for cooking (8)
 

*(is no meal) [anag:for cooking]
25 AENEID Work that caddie, nearby wheeling bags (6)
 

Hidden backwards [wheeling bags] in "cadDIE NEArly"
26 TOP DOG Champion boxer possibly? (3,3)
 

Cryptic definition
27 TRIANGLE Muddle keeps right one in complex romantic situation (8)
 

TANGLE ("muddle") keeps R (right) + I (one) in
28 GRANDEUR Good coin and currency reduced in splendour (8)
 

G (good) + RAND ("coin") + EUR(o) ("currency", reduced)
29 ROSARY Certain prayers are unfinished in optimistic environment (6)
 

AR(e) [unfinished] in ROSY ("optimistic") environment
DOWN
2 HOBNOB Associate with tramp holding new book (6)
 

HOBO ("tramp") holding N (new) + B (book)
3 TOODLE-PIP Farewell horrendous lepidoptera — none seen for ages? (6-3)
 

*(lepidopto) [anag:horrendous] where the final O has replaced ERA in "lepidoptera" (O ("none") seen for ERA ("ages"))
4 TRUE NORTH Having strayed, turn to her for direction (4,5)
 

*(turn to her) [anag:having strayed]
5 AWESOME Dreaded meow as feline finally moves (7)
 

*(meow as e) [anag:moves] where E is (felin)E [finally]
6 AMONG Silver inscribed with second name between (5)
 

Ag (abbreviation for "silver") inscribed with MO ("second") + N (name)
7 ONION One between legs — potential cause of tears? (5)
 

I (one) between ON + ON ("legs": in cricket the "on side" is also known as the "leg side")
8 DRESSAGE Groom on time as horse moves (8)
 

DRESS ("groom") on AGE ("time")
13 ASH Timber lifting in Noah’s Ark (3)
 

Hidden backwards [lifting in] "noaHS Ark"
15 CHEVALIER Sound cut in shout to encourage knight (9)
 

VALI(d) ("sound", cut short) in CHEER ("shout to encourage")
16 APENNINES Write number appearing within a small range (9)
 

PEN ("write") + NINE (number) appearing within A + S (small)

S for "small" doesn't appear in Chambers, but is in Collins.
17 AU REVOIR Aussie opening pair, having turned, run one extra bye (2,6)
 

AU(ssie) [opening pair] having [turned] (<=R (run) + I (one) + OVER ("extra"))
19 TEL Call for Terence (3)
 

TEL is short for Terence, but I'm not sure about the "call for" but of the clue. TEL. is short for telephone, but as a noun rather than as a verb, so I don't think "telephone" and "call" are synonymous here.
20 QUARTER This could contribute to change in US district (7)
 

Double definition, the first relating to an American coin.
21 TILLER Simple farmer one used to steer (6)
 

Double definition
23 OGDEN Perhaps return to university and study Nash? (5)
 

<=GO ("return to university, perhaps" = GO up) + DEN ("study")

Solution refers to Ogden Nash, a 20th century American poet.
24 INGLE One must extinguish second fire in room (5)
 

(s)INGLE ("one" with S (second) extinguished)

11 comments on “Financial Times 16,626 by NEO”

  1. I had exactly the same issue with 19d, so glad I’m not the only one. I remember seeing an almost identical clue for ONION a few years ago but can’t remember the setter. Had to check POPLIN was a material but, all in all, a quick but pleasant solve. Thanks to Neo and loonapick.

  2. SHUT IT, a favourite, was my FOI and set the tone for the cheekiness often seen with NEO. Indeed, the NE corner seemed filled with innuendo.
    Also liked POPLIN, TOODLE-PIP and JUMP THE QUEUE. TEL was loose, perhaps, but I enjoyed it anyway.
    Thanks both to Neo and Loonapick.

  3. An enjoyable puzzle, as usual from Neo.

    My favourites were OLIVER, JUMP THE QUEUE, and the complementary TOODLE-PIP (for the construction) and AU REVOIR (for the surface).

    Thanks to Neo and loonapick.

  4. Enjoyable and accessible puzzle, without too many hold-ups, except for the barely heard of POPLIN, my last in. Regarding 17d, an ‘Aussie (Victorian) opening pair’ have just put on an opening partnership of 486, the highest ever partnership in our domestic first-class cricket competition.

    I wasn’t quite sure about TEL either. Looking it up now, the OED entry for TEL is: “Obs….2. Deceit; enticement, allurement”. Stretching things just a little, maybe a ‘Call’, as in a siren call or enticement, for someone of the vintage of the Roman playwright ‘Terence’, was a TEL. A bit thin, I admit.

    Thanks to Neo and loonapick

  5. Like others I wasn’t sure about TEL, but interpreted it as a simple cryptic definition – “Call for” as in summon / say the name of; one would call out “Tel!” to get the attention of Terence

    Thanks Neo & loonapick!

  6. The sun’s shining and a Neo puzzle to solve – what more can you ask for in these troubled times?   No-one will be in the least surprised to know that I agree with Eileen’s comment.  I’ve solved a crossword with a very similar clue to 10a recently, I can’t remember where (too many crosswords solved, too little memory) but it could be one I’ve test solved so I’ll say no more

    Thanks to Neo and Loonapick.

  7. A steady and satisfying solve.  Plenty to like, including ANACONDA, SEMOLINA, AENEID, ONION and APENNINES.  Thanks, Neo and loonapick.

  8. Thanks to both. A very pleasant little solve on another wet afternoon. But, for once it was a DNF for me as I and no idea about TEL. Couldn’t find it by google either so I assumed it was some esoteric British reference.

  9. Despite trouble in the SE corner I enjoyed this with ANACONDA, INGLE, and DRESSAGE as particular favourites. Thanks to both.

  10. Thanks Neo and loonapick

    Another quicker than normal solve over a coffee a day late.  Started off by seeing TOODLE-PIP from the definition and enumeration and then having to disentangle the convoluted word play.  Clues steadily fell after that and was able to finish without aids but the same slight query with TEL.  This setter is always precise with his clues and usually drops by, so hopefully he will to explain the logic of it.

    Didn’t twig to the marine AB ratings and had them as exam scores – glad that there was a better option.  With a cricketing batsman’s perspective, the 7d surface made me wince – excellent clue though.  Liked working my way through the other cricketing surface at 17d for the second ‘farewell’ answer.

    Finished in the NW corner with SHUT IT and POPLIN before seeing that had missed the cleverly reverse hidden AENEID at 25a.

  11. After I’d solved 7dn, I was so angered by it that I didn’t attempt to complete this.
    Seeing this helpful blog confirms that I made the right decision.

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