Financial Times 17,421 by ARTEXLEN

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ARTEXLEN provides this Monday morning puzzle…

A fun solve, with some lovely surfaces.

Thanks ARTEXLEN!

picture of the completed grid

ACROSS
7. Flatterer to join you in the future, we’re told (8)
ADULATOR

"add you later" (join you in the future, "we're told")

8. Convincing firm fellow (6)
COGENT

CO (firm) + GENT (fellow)

11. Plant in the morning removed from across the pond (5)
ERICA

[am]ERICA (across the pond, AM (morning) removed)

12. This compiler in noon trip served wine (5,4)
PINOT NOIR

I (this compiler) in (NOON TRIP)* (*served)

13. Having uncovered keys, behold den opening (7)
EYEHOLE

[k]EY[s] [b]EHOL[d] [d]E[n] (having uncovered)

14. Draw conclusions about back giving you hell (7)
INFERNO

INFER (draw conclusions) + (ON (about))< (<back)

15. They fix last of bust sirens having received foreigner’s cash (15)
TROUBLESHOOTERS

((bus)T (last of) + HOOTERS (sirens)) received ROUBLES (foreigner's cash)

18. Group by a hill to the west turns round (7)
ROTATES

(SET (group) by A + TOR (hill))< (<to the west)

20. One wading quietly by lake bitten by snake (7)
PADDLER

P (quietly) by (L (lake) swallowed by ADDER (snake))

22. I’m going to gossip after Romeo’s knocked out by husband showing bad temper (3,6)
ILL HUMOUR

ILL (I'm going to) + RUMOUR (gossip) (after R (romeo)'s knocked out by H (husband))

23. Period in charge of old characters (5)
RUNIC

RUN (period) + IC (in charge)

24. Sample duck taken from kitchen appliance (6)
TASTER

T(o)ASTER (kitchen appliance, O (duck) taken from)

25. Barrier code, task to crack (8)
STOCKADE

(CODE TASK)* (*to crack)

DOWN
1. Low drawer? (8,6)
PAVEMENT ARTIST

Cryptic definition

2. Regularly encountered faults in French article that’s no good (6)
FUTILE

F[a]U[l]T[s] I[n] (regularly encountered) + LE (French article)

3. Excavation made by feline on a search (8)
CATACOMB

CAT (feline) on A + COMB (search)

4. Understanding him once person translated (13)
COMPREHENSION

(HIM ONCE PERSON)* (*translated)

5. Quite partial to caramels or toffees (4,2)
SORT OF

[caramel]S OR TOF[fees] (partial to)

6. Access two overlapping outdoor leisure areas (8)
RECOURSE

REC + COURSE (two outdoor leisure areas, overlapping)

9. Panicky figure admits wrongdoings with con (6-8)
TERROR-STRICKEN

TEN (figure) admits (ERRORS with TRICK (con))

10. Cheerful one, new, announced welcome drinks (2,4,7)
IN HIGH SPIRITS

I (one) + N (new) + "hi" (welcome, "announced") + SPIRITS (drinks)

16. Covering area, suspect locusts dominate (8)
OUTCLASS

covering A (area), (LOCUSTS)* (*suspect)

17. Ability to speak about case in biased university shows persistence (8)
OBDURACY

ORACY (ability to speak) about (B[iase]D (case in) + U (university))

19. Time Out journalist praised (6)
TOUTED

T (time) + OUT + ED (journalist)

21. Carriage left with content of haul (6)
LANDAU

L (left) + AND (with) + (h)AU(l) (content of)

10 comments on “Financial Times 17,421 by ARTEXLEN”

  1. A reliably entertaining solve from Artexlen with a nice assortment of clues. I thought 15A was cute and I learned the word ‘oracy’ into the bargain.
    Thanks to Teacow and Artexlen.

  4. Would someone explain to me how, in 23A, “run” means “period”?

    For 1D, I confidently wrote in “basement artist” even though I had no idea what this was, just like I had no idea of the answer.

    Does 15A “hooters” refer to the USA chain of restaurants which are staffed by ladies who may be described as “sirens”?

  7. Thanks for the blog , good set of neat clues.
    Peter@4 a PAVEMENT ARTIST , also known as a screever , draws on the pavement and collects money from passers-by . George Orwell writes about them in “Down and Out in Paris and London”.
    Also a song in Mary Poppins , usually thought of as Chim Chim Cheree .

  8. Nice Monday puzzle, thanks to Artexlen and Teacow. For 7A, Adulator, I parsed this as Adieu Later…goodbye(see you) later.

  10. Thanks Artexlen. No real problems today, just a satisfying solve. My top picks were ILL HUMOUR, TASTER, and IN HIGH SPIRITS. Thanks Teacow for the blog.
    Peter @4: I saw period = run as in a period of prosperity = a run of prosperity.

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