FT No 17,803 by Zamorca

A typical Zamora puzzle with a pangram. The puzzle took a lot less time to complete than it did to blog due to technical difficulties this morning, so apologies for the layout. Also, three answers are missing from the table below, and I don’t have time to work out how to add them below, so they are:

18ac STEP (One of many stages in a flight (4)) Cryptic definition

5dn VANILLA (Very French in the style of housing, nothing tasteless

(7)) V (very) + A LA (“in the style of” in “French”) housing NIL (“nothing”)

8dn RHYMES (Verses

of religious song reduced in scripture class on Sunday (6) HYM(n) (“religious song”, reduced) in RE (religious education, so “scripture class”) on S (Sunday)

1	CLEANSHAVEN	After wash, son’s to get new facial hair removed (5-6)	After CLEAN (“wash”), S (son) + HAVE (“to get”) + N (new)
7	COR	My fabulous bird’s returned (3)	<=ROC (“fabulous bird”, returned)
9	TAPER	Come to a point where band’s getting better at last (5)	TAPE (“band”) getting (bette)R [at last]
10	SANCTUARY	Crashed Aunty’s car reaching a place of safety (9)	*(auntys car) [anag:crashed]
11	ON THE BALL	Informed long after husband’s trapped inside not able to move (2,3,4)	L (long) after H (husband) is trapped inside *(not able) [anag:to move]
12	THEME	London police force’s not finished with subject (5)	THE ME(t) (“London police force”, not finished)
13	OXIDISE	Nothing wrong on Audi’s rear side treated for rust (7)	O (nothing) + X (wrong) on (Aud)I [‘s rear] + *(side) [anag:treated]
15	AMOK	Raging after a short time with king (4)	A + MO (“short time”) with K (king)
20	FEEBLER	Moan about the French Right becoming weaker (7)	<=BEEF (“moan”, about) + LE (“the” in French) + R (right)
23	UNDUE	Name on uniform’s expected but not necessary (5)	N (name) on U (uniform) + DUE (“expected”)
24	POLISH OFF	Finish with varnish removed? (6,3)	POLISH (“varnish”) + OFF (“removed”)
26	BLUEPRINT	Write legibly on colour layout (9)	PRINT (“write legibly”) on BLUE (“colour”)
27	PRAWN	Papa’s not initially eating uncooked seafood (5)	P (Papa, in NATO phonetic alphabet) + N(ot) [initially] eating RAW (“uncooked”)
28	CUT	Pretty, short and slight (3)	CUT(e) (“pretty”, short)
29	NEAR PERFECT	Carpenter’s wrought iron blocking is almost faultless (4,7)	Fe (chemical symbol for “iron”) blocking *(carpenter) [anag:wrought]
1	COTTON ON	Appreciate wearing natural material? (6,2)	(having) COTTON ON (“wearing natural material”)
2	EMPATHIC	Understanding politician’s answer within a moral framework (8)	MP (Member of Parliament, so “politician”) + A (answer) within ETHIC (“a moral framework”)
3	NERVE	Pluck some finer vegetables (5)	Hidden in [some] “fiNER VEgetables”
4	HOSTAGE	Presenter’s given time as a prisoner (7)	HOST (“presenter”) given AGE (“time”)
6	NOT AT HOME	Uncomfortable being abroad (3,2,4)	Double definition
7	CRAZED	Enraged when college’s demolished (6)	C (college) + RAZED (“demolished”)
14	IN THE OPEN	Contesting golf tournament for all to see (2,3,4)	Double definition, the first referring to the Open Championship
16	ALLOCATE	Share out Mexican food served up after everyone’s finally here (8)	<=TACO (“Mexican food”, served up) after ALL (“everyone”) + [finally] (her)E
17	DRIFT NET	Doctor’s providing fancy tent and fishing equipment (5,3)	Dr (doctor) + IF (“provided”) + *(tent) [anag:fancy]
19	PAPRIKA	Mashed food and rice (half a kilo) is elevated with spice (7)	PAP (“mashed food”) and [half of] RI(ce) + <=A K (a kilo, elevated)
20	FELT TIP	Writer believed helpful advice (4,3)	FELT (“believed”) + TIP (“helpful advice”)
21	QUEBEC	Martinique became part of French speaking province (6)	Hidden in [part of] “martiniQUE BECame”
22	ADJUST	Change a record player’s American transformer lead (6)	A + DJ (disc jockey, so “record player”) + US (American) + T(ransformer) [lead]
25	SUPER	Senior policeman’s upset about discharge (5)	[upset] <=(RE (“about”) + PUS (“discharge”))