Financial Times 16044 Chalmie

Thanks Chalmie for an enjoyable puzzle. Definitions are underlined in the clues.

Across

1    State essentially giving rector restorable friary (8)

VICTORIA : Central 2 letters, respectively, of(essentially) “giving rector restorable friary“.

Defn: … in Australia.

6    Warning about Belgium’s Einstein? (6)

ALBERT : ALERT(a warning of imminent danger, say) containing(about) B(International Vehicle Registration code for Belgium).

Defn: …, of E=mc² fame.

9    Taps notice backing energy food (6)

CHEESE : C,H(abbrev. for “cold” and “hot” respectively, labelled on water taps) + reversal of(… backing) SEE(to notice) + E(symbol for “energy” in physics).

10    Crackers pieces about one small copper (8)

BISCUITS : BITS(pieces/parts of a whole) containing(about) [ I(Roman numeral for “one”) + S(abbrev. for “small”) + CU(symbol for the chemical element copper) ].

11    Determines position of sea otter in difficulties (10)

ORIENTATES : Anagram of(difficulties) SEA OTTER IN.

12    Slippery customers were flush occasionally (4)

EELS : 2nd, 4th, 6th and 8th letters of(… occasionally) “were flush“.

13    Force, in step, suffocate (6)

STIFLE : F(symbol for “force” in physics) contained in(in) STILE(a step on which one can climb over a fence).

15    Maybe Ferdinand’s holding very dry dishes (8)

RISOTTOS : RIO(first name of for example/maybe, Ferdinand, the footballer)‘S containing(holding) [ SO(very, as in “he was so tired”) + TT(abbrev. for “teetotal”, abstinence from alcohol/dry) ].

18    German aristos could be sex party guests (8)

ORGIASTS : Anagram of(… could be) [ G(abbrev. for “German”) + ARISTOS].

Defn: Guests/participants in sex orgies.

20    English flower festival (6)

EASTER : E(abbrev. for “English”) + ASTER(a flower).

Defn: A Christian festival.

21    Friends hit back (4)

PALS : Reversal of(… back) SLAP(to hit with the palm of the hand.

23    Gross me out, somehow, with where relatives may sleep (10)

GUESTROOMS : Anagram of(…, somehow) OUT, SOMEHOW.

Defn: … during overnight visits.

25    Organised the Panel for Endangered Species (8)

ELEPHANT : Anagram of(Organised) THE PANEL.

26    Investigation about fraudulent royal ends in Leeds? (6)

CASTLE : CASE(an investigation, as in the many titles by Erle Stanley Gardner eg. “The Case of the Black-Eyed Blonde “) containing(about) last letters, respectively, of(… ends) “fraudulent royal“.

Defn: An example of which/? is Leeds castle, nowhere near Leeds.

27    Fail to start job, longing to return to islands (6)

ORKNEY : 1st letter deleted from(Fail to start) “work”(job) + reversal of(… to return) YEN(a longing for/a liking for).

Defn: … off the north coast of Scotland.

28    Ants held off My Little Pony (8)

SHETLAND : Anagram of(… off) ANTS HELD.

Down

2    He comes into estate to sort out their iron (9)

INHERITOR : Anagram of(to sort out) THEIR IRON.

3    What you’re looking at – a prosperous part of England (5)

THESE : [THE SE](the South-East region/part of England which is comparatively prosperous, with a per capita GDP among the highest in the country).

4    They measure exposure to nasty green snot (9)

ROENTGENS : Anagram of(nasty) GREEN SNOT.

Defn: Units of measure of the amount of X-rays and gamm rays one may be exposed to.

And I suppose green snot from an irradiated person would be radioactive too!

5    Judge, stripped bare, nibbled the queen (7)

ARBITER : 1st and last letters deleted from(stripped) “bare” + BIT(nibbled) + ER(abbrev. for “Elizabeth Regina”, the Queen).

6    School groups lose 150 fools (5)

ASSES : “classes”( groups of student in a school) minus(lose) “CL”(Roman numeral for 150).

7    Old character taken in by telco set-up – they’re not fair! (9)

BRUNETTES : RUNE(a character/letter in a set of related alphabets used to write various Germanic languages before the adoption of the Latin alphabet) contained in(taken in by) BT(acronym the British telecommunication company/telco, formerly British Telecom) + reversal of(…-up, in a down clue) SET.

Defn: … in hair colour, unlike blondes.

8    Hands over worried predator (5)

RATEL : R,L(abbrev. for “right” and “left”, the two hands/sides one has) containing(over) ATE(… at/worried, as in “his financial troubles ate at him”).

14    Suddenly admits man’s embarrassing situation (5,4)

FLIES OPEN : The situation where a man has forgotten to do up his trouser zipper/he has his flies open.

16    Display equipment is £1,000 less after climbing mushrooms (9)

SPECTACLE : “tackle”(equipment for a task or sport) minus(is … less) “K”(abbrev. for £1,000 – strictly, £1,000 is £1K) placed below(after, in a down clue) reversal of(climbing, in a down clue) CEPS(mushrooms).

17    Fruit gone off before people look inside (4,5)

OGEN MELON : Anagram of(… off) GONE placed above(before, in a down clue) + MEN(people) containing(… inside) LO(look/to behold).

19    Covers Sarah Huckabee Sanders initially taking fierce criticism (7)

SHEATHS : 1st letters, respectively, of(… initially) “Sarah Huckabee Sanders” containing(taking) HEAT(fierce criticism).

22    More competent constable redoubles arrests (5)

ABLER : Hidden in(… arrests) “constable redoubles“.

23    See through poet’s sauce (5)

GRAVY : V(abbrev. for the Latin “vide”/see/ refer to or look up) contained in(through) GRAY(Thomas, English poet, famous for his “Elegy Written In A Country Churchyard”).

24    Flyer‘s a six-footer, head-to-toe (5)

OUSEL : “louse”(a six-footer/an insect) with its 1st letter moved to last position(head-to-toe).