Financial Times 17,413 by SLEUTH

by

An atypical challenge from SLEUTH who generally tends to dish out relatively easy offerings but this one was not cut from that cloth.

FF: 7 DD: 10

ACROSS
1 FIDDLY
First of fixtures, very small with no top and awkward to use (6)

F ( Fixtures, first letter ) dIDDLY ( very small, without first letter )
4 HOBBYIST
This boy is excited to receive book, one for a pastime? (8)

[ THIS BOY ]* containing B ( book )
9 ENSIGN
Standard pair of bridge players with Leo? (6)

EN ( pair of bridge players, East and North ) SIGN ( leo )
10 LYCOPENE
Pigment exposed to view in French school (not English) (8)

OPEN ( exposed to view) in LYCEe ( french school, without E – english )
12 PREMIUMS
Instalments to cover? (8)

cryptic def
13 CHALET
Check a rental property, Alpine residence (6)

CH ( check ) A LET ( rental property )
15 TOOL
Withdraw money for power drill, say (4)

reverse of LOOT ( money )
16 RESTORABLE
Artist in best role for representing characteristic of some heirlooms? (10)

RA ( artist ) in [ BEST ROLE ]*
19 DEFAMATORY
In short, skilful scholar eclipsing a Conservative of a scurrilous nature (10)

{ [ DEFt ( skilful, short ) MA ( scholar ) ] containing A } TORY ( conservative )
20 AGOG
Very impatient Chicago gangster? Not entirely (4)

hidden in "..chicAGO Gangster.."
23 SPARSE
Special society in time given backing? It’s in short supply (6)

SP ( special ) [ S ( society ) in reverse of ERA ( time ) ]
25 PEDESTAL
Support exercise mistakenly slated (8)

PE ( exercise ) [ SLATED ]*
27 ALL PARTY
A line, sadly paltry, describing several parliamentary groups? (3-5)

A L ( line ) [ PALTRY ]*
28 SHELVE
Put aside Victorian novel introducing romance, nothing less (6)

SHE ( victorian novel ) LoVE ( romance, without O – nothing )
29 TAWNY OWL
Member of parliament with an orangey look? (5,3)

cryptic def
30 DEMEAN
Humble writer captivated by academic figure (6)

ME ( writer ) in DEAN ( academic figure )
DOWN
1 FLEAPIT
Pale pants found in appropriate place that’s shabby (7)

[ PALE ]* in FIT ( appropriate )
2 DASHED OFF
Quickly scribbled and hastily left? (6,3)

double def
3 LOGGIA
Record man serving by a gallery in the open (6)

LOG ( record ) GI ( mah serving ) A

5 ONYX
Element of apoplexy noticed after turning over precious stone (4)

hidden, reversed in "..apopleXY NOticed.."
6 BROCHURE
Sibling and children with Yorkshire banker in pamphlet (8)

BRO ( sibling ) CH ( children ) URE ( yorkshire banker; banker here means river )
7 IDEAL
Perfect introduction for a trade negotiator? (5)

cryptic def; read as I DEAL ( introduction for a trade negotiator )
8 TRESTLE
Start of this struggle to get rid of Western framework (7)

T ( This, first letter ) wRESTLE ( struggle, without W – western )
11 AMNESTY
Release time in Washington DC among many at work (7)

EST ( time in washington dc, Eastern Standard Time ) in [ MANY ]*
14 STERNER
One looking hard to seal the end of Conservatism? (7)

?? I could use some help with the solve and the parse. I know stern ~hard but beyond that, dont have a clue.

17 BAGATELLE
Secure order in part of hospital? It’s not worth considering (9)

BAG ( secure ) [ TELL ( order ) in AE ( part of hospital ) ]
18 EMISSARY
Diplomatic representative negligent having ignored queen on a railway (8)

rEMISS ( negligent, without R – queen ) A RY ( railway )
19 DISTANT
Aloof and surprisingly staid group of conservationists (7)

[ STAID ]* NT ( group of conservationists )
21 GALLEON
Bitterness over one at sea in old vessel (7)

GALL ( bitterness ) [ ONE ]*
22 TECHIE
Greek character entertained by support for geeky type (6)

CHI ( greek character ) in TEE ( support )
24 ALLOW
Grant left amid a difficult period? (5)

L ( left ) in [ A LOW ( difficult period ) ]
26 STOW
Lodge in Cornish town overlooking person’s home (4)

padSTOW ( cornish town, without PAD – person's home ); if you didnt know the cornish town, you cant parse the clue so i did need google help for this

12 comments on “Financial Times 17,413 by SLEUTH”

  1. 14d is STARMER
    Referring to Keir Starmer
    STARER one looking hard
    M the last of conservatisM
    STARER to seal M
    &lit

  3. Like Turbolegs, I was surprised at how difficult this Sleuth crossword was. Quite a battle but enjoyable on the whole

    Thanks to setter and blogger

  4. What about tIDDLY?
    Found all the harder clues clustered in the SE corner. Liked them all. In order of solution:
    GALLEON, AGOG, BAGATELLE, SHELVE, TECHIE, DEMEAN.

  6. Thanks Sleuth and Turbolegs

    I’m another who decapitated Tiddly, and also found the SE trickiest.

  8. Thanks Sleuth. For some reason I found this on the easy side; maybe my struggle with yesterday’s Bobcat had something to do with my experience. I had a little problem in the NW corner because I had “rushed off” instead of DASHED OFF but when I corrected my error I was able to get FIDDLY, my LOI. (I too decapitated piddly.) Favourites included the &lit STARMER, the simple TOOL for its surface, and RESTORABLE. Thanks Turbolegs for the blog.

  10. Diddly/piddly/tiddly – what does it matter so kong as it leads to FIDDLY? (We went for tiddly). We didn’t find this too difficult, although we were held up trying to decide if the French school was école or lycée. Favourites were TAWNY OWL and STARMER.
    Thanks, Sleuth and Turbolegs.

  12. Thought diddly was wrong – most dictionaries have it as a noun and we need an adjective, but this one allows it…
    https://greensdictofslang.com/entry/ld7kv2y
    …citing Kerouac and George V. Higgins.
    Collins gives…
    https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/piddly
    ‘piddly British English adjective an informal Australian variant of piddling’
    Chambers online gives…
    https://chambers.co.uk/search/?query=tiddly&title=21st
    ‘tiddly 2 NOUN (tiddlier, tiddliest) Brit colloq little.’ – surely some mistake
    Thanks S&T

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