Financial Times 18,058 by SLORMGORM

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A gentler-than-usual grid from Slormgorm today . . .

In light of 22A/24A, I thought that some sort of theme might be in the offing, but I do not see one. The 30th anniversary of Jagged Little Pill is next month. Can it have been that long ago already?

picture of the completed grid

ACROSS
7 SOFA
Display of works of art in Chesterfield? (4)
Hidden in (display of) [WORK]S OF A[RT], with a capitalization misdirection
8 UNSOCIABLE
Cousin Abel sadly not mixing with others (10)
Anagram of (sadly) COUSIN ABEL
10 STABLE
Belushi primarily appears in tasteless Animal House (6)
First letter of (primarily) B[ELUSHI] inside (appears in) STALE (tasteless), with a capitalization misdirection
11 LOCATION
Place chartered accountant puts on ointment (8)
CA (chartered accountant) inside (puts on) LOTION (ointment)
12 LIFELESS
Insipid US magazine with French article by soprano (8)
LIFE (US magazine) + LES (French article) + S (soprano)
13 EARTHY
Planet Hollywood essentially is unsophisticated (6)
EARTH (planet) + central letter of (essentially) [HOLL]Y[WOOD]
15 UPSET STOMACHS
Corporate complaints? (5,8)
Cryptic definition, referring to the sense of “corporation” meaning “belly”
18 VERGER
Vicar knocked back by German church official (6)
REV. (vicar) reversed (knocked back) + GER. (German)
20 SOCRATES
I thought escorts worked outside arcades at front (8)
Anagram of (worked) ESCORTS around (outside) first letter of (at front) A[RCADES]
22 CONFETTI
“It’s like rain on your wedding day” (8)
Cryptic definition, quoting the Alanis Morissette song “Ironic”
24 ALANIS
Ironic singer’s forename a large article gets flipping wrong (6)
A + L (large) + A (article) + SIN (wrong) reversed (flipping), referring to Alanis Morissette
25 SIDEWINDER
Red wines I’d ordered to get one legless (10)
Anagram of (ordered) RED WINES I’D, referring to a snake
26 EXAM
With cross coming in, side missed header in final? (4)
[T]EAM (side) minus first letter (missed header) around (with . . . coming in) X (cross)
DOWN
1 CONTRIBUTE
Chip in nice dressing with turbot (10)
Anagram of (dressing with) {NICE + TURBOT}
2 GAMBLERS
Good stroll ultimately for one’s betters (8)
I think this parses as: G (good) + AMBLE (stroll) + last letter of (ultimately) [FO]R + S (one S).  See KVa@9.
3 EUGENE
European Union information on eastern city abroad (6)
EU (European Union) + GEN (information) + E (eastern), in Oregon
4 ICE CREAM
I wail loudly on radio in The Sweet (3,5)
Homophone of (on the radio) I SCREAM (I wail loudly), with a capitalization misdirection
5 BATTER
Bishop having affair taking off male’s clobber (6)
B (bishop) + [M]ATTER (affair) minus (taking off) M (male)
6 ALTO
Singer appearing in Saxony-Anhalt opera (4)
Hidden in (appearing in) [SAXONY-ANH]ALT O[PERA]
9 SELF-SATISFIED
Smug son seasonal worker fully supplied (4-9)
S (son) + ELF (whimsically, seasonal worker) + SATISFIED (fully supplied)
14 HYSTERICAL
Shy recital going wrong is very amusing (10)
Anagram of (going wrong) SHY RECITAL
16 TURN TAIL
Performer has trouble catching debut of theatre run (4,4)
{TURN (performer) + AIL (trouble)} around (catching) first letter of (debut of) T[HEATRE]
17 CHARADES
Church processions starting late creates farces (8)
CH. (church) + [P]ARADES (processions) minus first letter (starting late)
19 GAFFER
Manager right to go after embarrassing cock-up (6)
GAFFE (embarrassing cock-up) + R (right)
21 CHAIRS
Locks in the sides of Citroens and SEATs? (6)
HAIR (locks) inside (in) the outside letters of (the sides of) C[ITROEN]S, with a capitalization misdirection
23 OHIO
State of love, I admitted to husband, over! (4)
O (love) + I inside (admitted to) {H (husband) + O (over)}

26 comments on “Financial Times 18,058 by SLORMGORM”

  1. Gentle indeed, but still enjoyable with many neat clues and smooth services.

    I most liked the surfaces for VERGER, UNSOCIABLE, EARTHY, SELF SATISFIED, and CONFETTI (gave a groan when I solved it)

    I thought CHARADES was sneaky – initially thinking “starting late” meant move first letter down, not wipe first letter out

    I thought “I thought”= SOCRATES a bit odd. Otherwise smooth sailing

    Thanks Slormgorm and Cineraria

  2. An excellent puzzle from Slormgorm with some great surfaces and fine humour: CHAIRS, ICE CREAM SIDEWINDER were favourites.
    The twin references side-by-side to Alanis Morisette were very neat. Like you, Cineraria, I looked for other connections but saw none (if there were, the late Frankie G would certainly have found them and, I’m sure, would have appreciated these clues) and was astonished that 30 years have passed since that memorable album was released.

    Thanks Slormgorm and Cineraria.

  3. Very enjoyable; plenty of smiles. I don’t understand turn/performer, and the dozens of entries for “turn” in Collins were no help.

  4. I think, Geoff, that a ‘star turn’ in Britain, at least, can mean both performer and performance.

  5. Yes, minute eyebrow flicker for turn, GDU @3, but I thought “He’s a bit of a turn (like ‘card’)? I guess so”. And I guess Socrates’s thought earns him a “S/he wrote + wordplay” type of clue. So, no complaints, neat and friendly clues, ta Slormgorm and Cineraria.

  7. I could have gone with Diane@2’s list of favourites instead of my own. It must be the sign of a good puzzle.

  9. Thanks Slormgorm and Cineraria.
    Very good puzzle. Great blog.

    GAMBLERS
    A minor observation
    G+AMBLE+ultimately foR one’S

    SOCRATES
    Agree with grant@5.
    I/he/she thought=thinker

  11. To be clear, I meant that the longevity of, and respect due to, Socrates’s thought earn him the right to that class of clue.

  12. My crossword solving days are over so I come here to reminisce. In my humble opinion the clue to 20 across is incorrect. It was not Socrates but Descartes who said ” I think therefore I am.”

  14. Nice, gentle puzzle. I smiled at CHAIRS – this setter has used the SEAT trick before so my spidey senses were on alert as soon as I saw it. Diane @4 is bang on with ‘turn’ and I agree with gif and KVa on the interpretation of ‘I thought’: the clue is not claiming the solution said the famous phrase, only that he thought. STABLE, EARHTY, UPSET STOMACH, the aforementioned SOCRATES, HYSTERICAL and CHARADES were my faves today.

    Thanks Slormgorm and Cineraria

  15. In addition to the comments above re TURN: Where I was brought up (north east), in pubs offering a singer/band/comedian or whatever as entertainment people might say, for example, ‘What time is the turn coming on tonight?’.
    A pleasant solve today, I thought. Thank you Slormgorm and Cineraria.

  16. Pretty much perfect, for me. I seem always to post after KVa and PostMark, so my input ( ” I agree with both”), is regularly pointless.
    However, I did think that 3(d), EUGENE, stood out from the crowd, as a weak definition and clumpy wordplay. Setter’s last in, perhaps, and a Google job?
    For the anal record, I will never agree that “Chartered Accountant”, is “CA”, as in 11(ac). Us number-crunchers are either ACA, or, when you get old like me, FCA. Associate or Fellow, of the Institute : ( of Chartered Accountants ). CA is a different kettle of fish.
    Moan over, an excellent and kindly puzzle, which i thoroughly enjoyed, thanks, SG & Cineraria

  17. Thanks for the blog , very neat set of clues , lots of ideas .
    TURN comes from Music Hall which had a continuous flow of performers of different types .
    EUGENE could have referenced Cernan , the last person on the moon , although no famous last words .

  18. Nice to see that I am not the only FCA who attempts the FT crossword.

    And surely not the only FCA who has never heard of Alanis – my LOI. Otherwise, breezy indeed and very enjoyable.

  19. Re @16, CA is an accountant who has passed the examinations of the Scottish professional body.

  20. Mostly straightforward although we’d never heard of ALANIS – but the wordplay was clear and googling confirmed we were correct, as well as Ironic being one of her songs. And we couldn’t think of any US magazine except Time, yet ‘timeless’ for ‘insipid’ was clearly wrong. We liked SOCRATES and SIDEWINDER.
    Thanks, Slormgorm and Cineraria

  21. Bracoman@16 Well gosh, so it’s properly a Scottish thing.
    A Scottish ” Chartered Accountant” , is indeed a CA.
    Fair play, the Scottish Institute was founded ahead of the English, so first dibs on “CA”.
    I’m not too bereft, I’m half-Scottish meself.
    But… I never knew that, about the Scottish Institute.
    Fair correction, fully accepted!

  23. E.N. Bolls,

    Thanks for your confirmation. My brother is a CA so I had inside information. Sorry about the duplication

  24. I wondered how timeless could possibly be insipid until the correct alternative emerged and my folly was exposed.

    Roz @17 Gene Cernan is sampled on one of my favourite Daft Punk tracks. I used to have the “blue marble” photo of Earth from his Apollo 17 mission on my wall.

    Ok, I drifted off topic. I thought STABLE was neat.

    Thanks Slormgorm, Cineraria and everyone else.

  25. Martin@24 , I hope it was the right way up , it is usually shown upside down . The South pole should be at the top .

  26. Not one of Slormgorms more demanding efforts (I finished it on the train journey from Amersham to Marylebone which is good going for me) but enjoyable nevertheless. I did think Socrates a little weak and I am a little tired of clues based on the idea that “corporation” = “stomach”, which is a usage virtually never seen outside crosswords

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