Financial Times 17,559 by JASON

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A challenge from JASON with a wide range of clue difficulty

I needed help to get past a couple of clues so thanks to Jonathan for that.

FF: 9 DD: 9

ACROSS
8 LEGATE
Papal ambassador, for example, entering behind schedule (6)
EG ( for example ) in LATE ( behind schedule )
9 APERITIF
Pie-eyed pirate provided that whistle- whetter? (8)
[ PIRATE ]* IF ( provided )
10 BOUT
Contest embargo which avoids shortage (4)
BlackOUT ( embargo, without LACK – shortage )
11 EASY STREET
Comfort is undemanding cryptic setter (4,6)
EASY ( undermanding ) [ SETTER ]*
12 WADI
Dry bed? I’d a week the other way (4)
reverse of I’D A W ( week ) ; guessed the solve with crossers
13 MAIN COURSE
Dish which focuses concentration of student? (4,6)
cryptic def
17 MENU
From this you get to choose gents with uniform (4)
MEN ( gents ) U ( uniform )
18 NICER
Comparatively respectable northern person finishing off cake? (5)
N ( norther ) ICER ( person finishing off cake, applying icing )
19 DAMP
What sets off different measure of current drizzle? (4)
D ( Different, first letter ) AMP ( measure of current )
21 POWER SURGE
Those who wield influence push for a sudden uplift in load (5,5)
POWERS ( those who wield influence ) URGE ( push )
23 RASH
Hives in tree beside river (4)
R ( river ) ASH ( tree )
24 SCOTCH EGGS
Snacks? Pull the plug on mine second (6,4)
SCOTCH ( pull the plug on ) EGG ( mine ) S ( second )
28 TORY
Blue fiction is taken away (4)
sTORY ( without ‘S )
29 DISAGREE
Readies wasted getting a grip of German squabble (8)
[ READIES ]* containing G ( a grip of German )
30 ODDS-ON
Rum issue is on the cards (4-2)
ODD ( rum ) SON ( issue )
DOWN
1 RENOVATE
Do up shabby tavern, old within and close to ramshackle (8)
{ O ( old ) in [ TAVERN ]* } E ( ramshacklE, last letter )
2 LAST-MINUTE
Carry on trifling at the eleventh hour? (4-6)
LAST ( carry on ) MINUTE ( trifling )
3 DETERMINES
Resolves to discourage collieries (10)
DETER ( discourage ) MINES ( collieries )
4 LASS
Hen is left behind (4)
L ( left ) ASS ( behind )
5 MESS
Where to browse farce? (4)
double def
6 PIER
Pioneer’s rejected one wharf (4)
PIoneER ( without ONE )
7 DIVERS
Biblically assorted cormorants or similar (6)
double def; in the bible, this was used to mean DIVERSE
14 INCUR
Suffer batting with rotter (5)
IN ( batting ) CUR ( rotter ) ; bit of a chestnut this one
15 CORNER SHOP
Local outlet dominates dance (6,4)
CORNERS ( dominates ) HOP ( dance )
16 UNDERSTUDY
Relief from unconscious scrutiny (10)
UNDER ( unconscious ) STUDY ( scrutiny )
20 MUSHROOM
Nouveau riche with opportunity to support schmaltz (8)
MUSH ( schmaltz ) ROOM ( opportunity )
22 ORCHID
Showy flower that’s gold and about out of sight (6)
OR ( old ) C ( about ) HID ( out of sight )
25 TEAR
English in hearty rush (4)
E ( English ) in TAR ( hearty, sailor )
26 HARK
Pay attention and start to hear rescue vessel (4)
H ( Hear, first letter ) ARK ( rescue vessel )
27 GLEE
Joy in single existence (4)
hidden in “..sinGLE Existence”

18 comments on “Financial Times 17,559 by JASON”

  2. 28 across, should that be”Blue fiction’s taken away”?
    Only an “s” is subtracted, not an “is”.

  4. grahamsw @2. I didn’t like 28a either, though I think I’ve seen similar constructions before (doesn’t make it acceptable though). I would prefer something along the lines of “Blue fiction is finally taken away”.

  6. Took ages to get 10ac BOUT and 28ac TORY. Agree with Grahamsw about the latter’s parsing.
    Many other clues were less taxing as Turbolegs said.
    Enjoyed this so thanks to Jason and Turbolegs.

  7. I could not work out a sensible parsing for TORY. Clearly, something like [S]TORY or [HIS]TORY was intended. I thought “is” might be a typo for “his,” but that is hardly an improvement, IMHO.

  8. Lots of variety and a wide range of difficulty for sure. Lots of meanings I had not seen before also – several mentioned by FrankieG@3. And I am afraid BlackOUT was beyond my ability to parse. I had the same thoughts as everyone above about TORY. I liked ODDS ON and DETERMINE

    Thanks Turbolegs and Jason

  9. Thanks for the blog , good puzzle with many fine clues. BOUT has been about a lot recently, especially the Guardian. Good to see hearty in the clue for TEAR, shades of Captain Pugwash . PIoneER was a clever idea.

  10. I did wonder if “BIBLICALLY” was a homophone indicator I hadn’t met and like Martyn @8 did not parse BLACKOUT

    Like everyone else puzzled over TORY.

    Liked: DETERMINES, CORNER SHOP, MUSHROOM

    Thanks Jason and Turbo legs

  11. All solved correctly, although BOUT remained unparsed and I wasn’t keen on the unindicated American usage ‘ass’ for ‘behind’. I did see the parsing of TORY having encountered the device before.
    Favourites included WADI, CORNER SHOP and ORCHID.
    Thanks, Jason and Turbolegs.

  12. Didn’t enjoy much and gave up with a few to go.

    Either clues too easy or too hard / inexplicable. In amongst these extremes were a few gems.

    Not helped by having undermined rather than determined in 3d

    Ho hum

  13. I started slow and then really started to enjoy this. I never got and never will get anything that is biblically assorted. Thought answer to 28 across was torn as in taken away and thought I didn’t understand something that had to do with porn!

  14. There were a lot of things I couldn’t equate …
    egg/mine
    mushroom/nouveau riche
    farce/mess
    tar/hearty
    Also didn’t fully parse DIVERS (my knowledge of the Bible found wanting) nor BOUT. And I thought Americans have asses, whereas we have arses?

  17. @hovis “is finally taken away” would be fine (still tough).

    I’m still not seeing “is” as “s”. Is it “1 s”?

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