Financial Times 17,449 by PETO

Peto is the compiler of today's FT crossword.

On my first pass, I thought this was going to take a while to solve as I only had about ten answers in place, but surprisingly, those ten lights were enough to guide me home in the second pass. The parsing of OBEDIENT held me up for a bit as I tried to make BED (plot) replace R in ORIENT for a while until I saw the error of my ways. A little general knowledge was required to complete the grid (RARE EARTH, PANGLOSS and SADHU) but I like a bit of GK in my puzzles to mix things up a bit, so no complaints from me on that score. If I'm being ultra-picky, I'd say it was a shame that the letters of MINE appear in the anagram fodder and the solution of UNDERMINE, and that RARE EARTH are at least to me a bit on the obscure side.

Thanks Peto.

ACROSS
1	ESCAPADE	Lark in flight embracing the beginning of another day (8)
		ESCAPE ("flight") embracing [the beginning of] A(nother) + D (day)
5	FAMOUS	Well-known for earliest of five love affairs after binning Rex (6)
		[earliest of] F(ive) + AMOU(r)S ("love affairs", after binning R (Rex))
9	PANGLOSS	Incurable optimist’s long pass goes wrong (8)
		(long pass) [anag:goes wrong] Dr Pangloss was an overly optimistic character in Voltaire's* Candide.
10	APIECE	A financial share for each person (6)
		A + PIECE ("financial share")
12	RARE EARTH	Unusual world of American rock band (4,5)
		RARE ("unusual") + EARTH ("world") Rare Earth are a band that have been around since the 60s, although they've had limited chart success in the US.
13	EXIST	Be without at first (5)
		EX ("without") + 1st ("first")
14	NUTS	Heads for university on New Street going west (4)
		U (university) on N (new) + <=ST (Street, going west)
16	CLEANSE	Can see about grasping a bit of life being free from guilt (7)
		(can see) [anag:about] grasping* [a bit of] L(ife)
19	ABANDON	Relinquish part of contraband only (7)
		Hidden in [part of] "contrABAND ONly"
21	RUDE	Roughly made cross by the sound of it (4)
		Homophone [by the sound of it] of ROOD ("cross")
24	ENTER	Come in time to block French fellow from the rear (5)
		T (time) to block <=RENÉ ("French fellow", from the rear)
25	ADMISSION	Acknowledgement of truth from Democrat hiding in American embassy (9)
		D (Democrat) hiding in A (American) + MISSION ("embassy")
27	ADROIT	Resourceful soldiers back lining mine opening (6)
		<=OR (other ranks, so "soldiers", back) in ADIT ("mine opening")
28	LAUDABLE	Noble reportedly talented is deserving of praise (8)
		Homophone (to non-rhotics) [reportedly] of LORD ("noble") + ABLE ("talented")
29	TELLER	Cashier to spill the beans about retiring (6)
		TELL ("to spin the beans") + <=RE ("on", retiring)
30	REBUTTAL	Refutation by contrary argument not assumed to implicate Bottom (8)
		REAL ("not assumed") to implicate BUTT ("bottom")
DOWN
1	EXPERT	Make a strenuous effort to overwhelm Penny with an ace (6)
		EXERT ("make a strenuous effort") to overwhelm P (penny)
2	CANARD	Fled northward taken in by scoundrel’s false report (6)
		<=RAN ("fled", northward) taken in by CAD ("scoundrel")
3	PULSE	Beat poet’s opening line dividing American enthusiasts at first (5)
		P(oet) ['s opening] + L (line) dividing US ("American") + E(nthusiasts) [at first]
4	DESERTS	Leaves from unfamiliar trees in the centre of Pudsey (7)
		(trees) [anag:unfamilar] in [the centre of*] (pu)DS(ey)
6	APPREHEND	Pick up twig (9)
		Double definition
7	OBEDIENT	Yielding to revolutionary over plot that’s Chinese essentially (8)
		[revolutionary] <=TO over BED ("plot") + I.E. ("that's") + (chi)N(ese) [essentially]
8	SWEETPEA	Go on the radio in support of amiable climber (8)
		Homophone [on the radio] of PEE ("go" (to the loo)) in support of SWEET ("amiable")
11	CHIC	Almost shot getting caught with it (4)
		[almost] CHI(p) ("shot" in golf) getting C (caught, in cricket)
15	UNDERMINE	Intrigue against union leader and end with miners mostly in revolt (9)
		U(nion) [leader] + *(end miner) [anag:in revolt] where MINER is MINER(s) [mostly]
17	TAKE PART	Appropriate getting a constituent to join in (4,4)
		TAKE ("appropriate") getting PART ("a constituent")
18	PASTORAL	Ended having spoken of rural life (8)
		PAST ("ended") having ORAL ("spoken")
20	NEAT	Wicked town? Not entirely (4)
		[not entirely] NEAT(h) (Welsh "town") Neat and wicked both mean "great" or "cool"
21	RAMPAGE	Dad finding German mare let loose outside in storm (7)
		PA ("dad") with (g mare) [anag:let loose] outside*, where G = German
22	TITBIT	Snippet of goss? Tenor has it repeated about bass (6)
		T (tenor) has IT + IT [repeated] about B (bass)
23	ANNEAL	Strengthen old queen before return of the French (6)
		ANNE ('old queen") before [return of] <=LA ("the" in "French")
26	SADHU	Evident in Assad humbled by a holy man (5)
		Hidden [evident in] "asSAD HUmbled" A sadhu is a Hindu ascetic.

16 comments on “Financial Times 17,449 by PETO”

RARE EARTH
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rare_Earth_(band)
nho – a Detroit band signed to Motown, had a bigger hit (’70) than TheTemptations (’66) with Get Ready – a favourite of mine – Cultural Appropriation?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Get_Ready_(The_Temptations_song)

You parsed everything perfectly, loonapick, so here’s another Motown tilt:
RENÉ in ENTER
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walk_Away_Ren%C3%A9e
The Four Tops’ Walk Away Renée (’68) – another favourite of mine – is just a cover of the version (’66) by The Left Banke.
Cultural Appropriation going the other way?

DNF as I failed to twig SWEETPEA. Otherwise it was the 4 letter words that gave me the most trouble. I was particularly pleased to get PANGLOSS as it must be 60 years since I read Candide. Thanks Pete for a fun challenge and loonapick for elucidating sweetie.

Thanks for clarifying the definition for CHIC, which had eluded me.

Thanks Peto and loonapick

I think Rare Earth are better known for their hit Sympathy.

Finished with a bit of help from Thesaurus. Never heard of a band called Rare Earth. The parsing of a couple was a mystery. Thanks with helping me there.

Enjoyable. RARE EARTH was a tumbleweed moment but just had to be.. ignominious fail with NEAT despite having frequented the town on numerous occasions, as I failed to spot the alternative def for wicked.. or any theme and/or Nina if present..
Thanks PETO n loonapick for the required insights

Is SWEETPEA really one word? Would have got that much sooner if clued as (5,3). Otherwise no grumbles – tjank you all involved!

Chambers has sweet pea as two words. A minor quibble in an excellent Crossie.

Thanks for the blog , a good set of clues. I known the term PANGLOSSian but did not know the origin of the word.

Thanks Peto. I enjoyed this with OBEDIENT (once I saw the parsing), ADROIT, and PULSE being favourites. I failed with SWEETPEA; I always spell it as two words but Collins says that the one word version is an alternative. I couldn’t parse REBUTTAL.
[I had heard of RARE EARTH before; since bands reinterpret each others work all the time I don’t see any issue with “cultural appropriation,” a rather odd concept anyway. As long as acknowledgement is made and any royalties are paid there shouldn’t be any problem.]
Thanks loonapick for the blog.

Put in Nice for not really wicked town and lost 25a. never heard of apprehend as a twig. Guessed Rare Earth from cluing and crosses but have never heard of them though I thought there could be something there in ‘rock band’ literally like a band of rock or something!

In the US we are more likely to say tidbit I think. But overall had a good time with it. Thank you Loonapick and PETO.

Anil @12. Apprehend isn’t a twig. It is ‘twig’ as a verb meaning ‘understand’.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sympathy_(Rare_Bird_song)

Sweetpea is also a radio show apparently. I read that as being the direct clue and amiable (sweet) pea (climber) as the indirect.

Thank you hovis!

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