Financial Times 16,925 by SLORMGORM

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A Monday morning SLORMGORM…

Great mix of clues with some lovely surfaces. I particularly liked the conciseness of 5a.

Thanks SLORMGORM!

picture of the completed grid

ACROSS
1. Porky champion has no love for old man (6)
FATHER

FAT (porky) + HER[o] (champion, no O (love))

5. A book you might get someone forgiving (8)
ABSOLVER

A + B (book) + SOLVER (you)

9. Hill over to the east of automobile plant (6)
CARROT

(TOR)< (hill, <over) to the east of CAR

10. Old flame behaving unnaturally is demanding (8)
EXACTING

EX (old flame) + ACTING (behaving unnaturally)

11. Radio set playing space rock (8)
ASTEROID

(RADIO SET)* (*playing)

12. Record-holding tax assistant? (6)
DEPUTY

DUTY (tax) holding EP (record)

13. Party hit (4)
BASH

Double definition

15. Inebriated FT pals in a confused state (4,4)
FLAT SPIN

(FT PALS IN)* (*inebriated)

18. Delirious English vicar about to punch swimmer (8)
FEVERISH

(E (English) + (REV)< (vicar, <about)) to punch FISH (swimmer)

19. Dope found on liberal young woman (4)
LASS

ASS (dope) found on L (liberal)

21. Type of paper close to last edition (6)
TISSUE

[las]T (close to) + ISSUE (edition)

23. Company hit outside medium-sized stockade (8)
COMPOUND

(CO (company) + POUND (hit)) outside M (medium)

25. Wobbling vicar with ale is a courtly gent (8)
CAVALIER

(VICAR with ALE)* (*wobbling)

26. Rebel and British men turned over thief (6)
ROBBER

(REB (rebel) and B (British) + OR (men))< (<turned over)

27. Prisoner at liberty to hug royal brother (8)
CONFRERE

CON (prisoner) + FREE (at liberty) to hug R (royal)

28. Fat head of state in a food store (6)
LARDER

LARD (fat) + ER (head of state)

DOWN
2. A mother with son who was a US president (5)
ADAMS

A + DAM (mother) with S (son)

3. Type of arch seen from Mount Oxford? (9)
HORSESHOE

HORSE (mount) + SHOE (Oxford?)

4. Singer with climbing hit record “Helping” (6)
RATION

RAT (singer, as in informer) with (NO I)< (hit record, <climbing)

5. Where F1 driver breaks before his competition? (5,2,3,5)
AHEAD OF THE CURVE

Double definition

6. Stall Irishman and American refuse to change (5,3)
STAND PAT

STAND (stall) + PAT (Irishman)

7. Large plonk I served up gets you thus (3,2)
LIT UP

L (large) + (PUT (plonk) + I)< (<served up)

8. Super-smart individuals one German mugs (9)
EINSTEINS

EIN (one, German) + STEINS (mugs, also German)

14. Drink with ice a Roman mixed (9)
AMERICANO

(ICE A ROMAN)* (*mixed)

16. South African diver Rod is bit of a boozer (6,3)
SALOON BAR

SA (South African) + LOON (diver, bird) + BAR (rod)

17. Around 82 years? Sadly I feel it around end of swim (8)
LIFETIME

(I FEEL IT)* (*sadly) around [swi]M (end of)

20. A maiden said to be without principles? (6)
AMORAL

A + M (maiden) + ORAL (said)

22. Crook possibly found in workforce (5)
STAFF

Double definition

24. New diamonds worn by English relative (5)
NIECE

(N (new) + ICE (diamonds)) worn by E (English)

16 comments on “Financial Times 16,925 by SLORMGORM”

  1. I enjoyed this straight-forward Monday offering from Slormgorm. FOI was 18a and last one, 5a for which I needed all the crossers to see what in hindsight was so clear. Some very good surfaces, as Teacow says.
    My favourite was the lucky 3d. 5d was a big help in filling the grid but is a question mark enough to cover the ‘break/brake’ homophone for a double def? Just querying – I liked this clue in any case.
    Thanks to Slormgorm and Teacow.

  2. I must be missing something obvious, but shouldn’t it be “brakes”, to make a cryptic def, rather than ‘breaks’ in 5d?

    Apart from the feeling that I’ve completely missed the point of that clue, I enjoyed this as a pleasant start to the week. Favourites were the ‘Wobbling vicar’ at 25a, the typical Slormgorm fare for LIT UP at 7d and the surface for 16d.

    Thanks to Teacow and Slormgorm

  3. When it comes to using slightly different clues, what’s wrong with braking with tradition? 😉
    Gentle and enjoyable puzzle, thank you Slormgorm 🙂 And thanks Teacow.

  4. Diane@1 & WordPlodder@2, 5d was one of my first in, and I assumed the “breaks” was a typo, but then promptly forgot to mention anything about it in the blog! I think it can be either a CD or a DD.

  6. All very straightforward for me except my LOI 15ac where I was left in a state of confusion over the anagram which could only be ‘Flat Spin’ – not a phrase I’d come across before!

    Thanks setter and blogger.

  7. I had the same question about brakes/breaks in 5d as Diane and Teacow. I was unfamiliar with the phrases “flat spin” and “saloon bar”, but they were clear from the cross letters and 15a’s anagram.
    I’ve heard of a saloon and a bar in the US, but not a “saloon bar”. On the other hand, I have seen a sign for a shop in Japan saying that it was a “hair saloon”, causing me to wonder what services it provided.
    Thanks to Slormgorm and Teacow.

  8. I think an F1 driver makes his break (in order to overtake another) ahead of the curve. Thanks Slormgorm and Teacow.

  9. I’m with those who think “breaks” is simply a typo, but it certainly didn’t stop me enjoying this entertaining and witty puzzle – thanks to Slormgorm.

  11. Thanks Slormgorm for a satisfying solve with FATHER, HORSESHOE, LIFETIME, and FEVERISH (funny surface) being favourites. In LIT UP I was surprised to see “up” in the clue and in the answer; I had the same question about “breaks” in 5d as everyone else but I’m accepting the explanation that john @8 provided. Thanks Teacow for the blog.

  12. Thanks for the blog , running late today , will just agree and support everyone who enjoyed this. Many fine clues to savour.

  13. Many thanks to Teacow for the usual great blog and to all who solved and commented.

    My apologies for the break/brake blunder. This error was made all the worse for the fact my late dad – whose what-would’ve-been 80th birthday I am currently marking with my silver-haired mother somewhere in Norf Norf – was a huge F1 fan and so he’s prolly rightly turning in his ash pot just thinking about it.

    Sorry again to him and to all for the slip up and hope to see y’all again next time around. 🙂

  14. Ed@7. In Australia at least, typical small suburban or rural hotel/pubs would have three separate bars. The Public Bar (or Front Bar), for the riff-raff. Then the Saloon Bar, for the gentlemen. And then the Ladies Lounge, which is now most usually The Bistro.

  15. GreginSyd@14: I have family in Sydney and have visited them several times, but I haven’t had a chance to stay in a hotel with the three bars. Thanks for the explanation.

  16. Thanks Slormgorm and Teacow
    A late entry from a few weeks ago and all over in relatively quick time with no real hold ups.
    Puzzled over the ‘breaks’ part of 5d, but it didn’t cause too much alarm – the solution was obvious enough from crossers and most of the context of the clue. Nothing else really of note, just a nice pain free start to the week back then.
    Finished in the SE corner with NIECE, COMPOUND and SALOON BAR.

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