Financial Times 16,890 by FALCON

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A swift solve with a satisfying finish.

Pretty much a write-in for me today, which was handy since I overslept and woke forgetting for half an hour that I was on Tuesday duty. Solid puzzle, anyway. Thanks, Falcon.

picture of the completed grid

ACROSS
1 WRETCHED
Despicable women gagged (8)

W[omen] + RETCHED ('gagged').
6 FRAPPE
Iced drink female, Missy Elliott, say, endlessly required (6)

F[emale] + RAPPEr (performer such as Missy Elliott), shortened.
9 ANSWER
Warns suspect in possession of Ecstasy for a quick fix? (6)

Anagram ('suspect') of WARNS includes E[cstasy].
10 PANTHEON
Page with two articles on Roman temple (8)

P[age] + AN +THE + ON.
11 HEAR
Endless courage may result in try (4)

HEARt ('courage') without last.
12 CROSSPATCH
Bad-tempered type to go over plot (10)

CROSS ('go over') + PATCH (of land, 'plot').
14 CHARISMA
Daily, one’s mother makes personal appeal (8)

CHAR ('daily' cleaner) + 1 + S + MA.
16 PAIR
Duo’s quiet tune (4)

P[iano] + AIR.
18 AMID
Surrounded by papers after American married (4)

A[merican] + M[arried] + ID[entity papers].
19 IMPROPER
Unsuitable, if I’m right (8)

I'M + PROPER ('right').
21 TABERNACLE
Place of worship excited a celebrant (10)

Anagram ('excited') of A CELEBRANT.
22 RIFE
Widespread fire put out (4)

Anagram of 'FIRE'.
24 COURTIER
Messenger saving time for royal attendant (8)

COUR.IER includes T[ime].
26 IN A ROW
One after the other having an argument (2,1,3)

Double definition.
27 NEEDLE
The French behind want to wind up (6)

NEED ('want') + LE (Fr. 'the').
28 SKELETON
Son having to kneel shuffling set of bones (8)

S[on] + anagram ('shuffling') of TO KNEEL.
DOWN
2 RANGE
Intense anger surrounding new series (5)

RA.GE includes N[ew].
3 TOWER BRIDGE
Wrote about game, a fixture between two London boroughs (5,6)

Anagram ('about') of WROTE + BRIDGE (card game).
4 HARD CASH
Coins and banknotes in strong bag brought over here, initially (4,4)

HARD ('strong') + reversal of SAC ('bag') + 1st of 'Here'.
5 DIPLOMATIC CORPS
All those in London embassies, say, do cramp politics, unfortunately (10,5)

Anagram ('unfortunately') of DO CRAMP POLITICS.
6 FINISH
Perfect surface texture (6)

Double definition, a perect surface, and my last in, appropriately Very satisfying conclusion.
7 ASH
Wood, when hard (3)

AS + H[ard].
8 PROSCRIBE
In favour of writer exposing outlaw (9)

PRO ('in favour of') + SCRIBE ('writer').
13 APPROPRIATE
Suitable lift (11)

Double def, 2nd = slang for 'thieve', to 'appropriate'.
15 HOME ALONE
Film a large individual below apartment? (4,5)

HOME (an 'apartment', for example) + A + L[arge] + ONE ('individual').
17 APPETITE
Father rises with very little desire to eat (8)

Reversal of PA + PETITE ('very little').
20 ON FIRE
Number collecting wood for burning (2,4)

ON.E (a 'number') includes FIR ('wood').
23 FRODO
Stick carried by fine old hobbit (5)

F[ine] + O[ld] include ROD ('stick').
25 RED
Visually embarrassed about daughter (3)

RE ('about' + D[aughter].

9 comments on “Financial Times 16,890 by FALCON”

  1. A similar experience to yesterday’s solve in that it was a swift, fair yet enjoyable exercise. A slight delay occurred initially in my determination to enter a clearly too long PARTHENON. Then 6d turned up and all was clear.
    A couple of words have appeared recently, like 14 and 6a but the latter’s surface was better today. Scored 12 thanks to the wordplay but didn’t know this interesting definition.
    Favourite clue was 3d for its gem of a surface. Also liked 19 and 26, my LOI.
    Thanks to Grant and Falcon .

  2. Wondered if 6d was a double or treble def; even if texture and surface are similar, FINISH works for all three individually. In any case, it’s a smooth surface, as Grant says.

  3. FINISH was my LOI, too. I read “perfect” as a verb, but I agree that it doesn’t really matter.
    Not a strenuous puzzle, but all fine – I’d never heard of the rapper, but the definition made the answer clear enough.

  4. 22a was my LOI, because I’d never heard of a crosspatch, but crosshatch didn’t make sense. Otherwise, my experience was similar to Diane’s @1@2. I also liked the double definition at 13d.

  6. Breezed through this today but still failed with CROSSPATCH, a new word for me. I liked the triple definition for FINISH as well as PANTHEON, APPETITE, and DIPLOMATIC CORPS for its anagram “do cramp politics.” Thanks to both.

  7. An enjoyable afternoon exercise where sorting out 5d helped immensely. Thanks Falcon.
    Um, Grant I think you mean a “perfect surface” in 6d. That was my LOI as well. We always talked about the FINISH for a project in wood, or the painting of something. Thanks for the blog Grant.

  8. Thanks Falcon and Grant
    Another quick, but enjoyable solve with some neat plays on definitions and good solid surfaces throughout. j
    Finished in the NE corner with the new term CROSSPATCH, clever triple FINISH and FRAPPE (with the rapper that I had to look up) as the last one.

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