Financial Times 12,711 by Mudd

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Here is Mudd in fine form. I found 16D difficult and still do not quite see how “go” is clued.

Across
1. HARMLESS – ARM (weapon) + L (left) in HESS (Nazi). Great surface!
5. PARODY – ROD (stick) in PAY (the money)
9. TURNIP – URN (vessel) in TIP (suggestion)
10. TAILSPIN – anagram of ITS PLAIN
11. PARKING LOT – [c]AR + KING (head) in PLOT (area of land)
12. BULL – double definition
13. BIKINI – BIKIN[g] + I
15. RAG TRADE – TRAD (conventional) in RAGE (fashion)
18. INDIANAN – DIANA (girl) in INN (pub)
20. DRY ROT – DRY (boring) + ROT (nonsense)
21. AGOG – A (a) + GOG (giant statue)
23. COMPARABLE – COM (as in .com) + PARABLE (story)
25. MACAROON – CA[ke] in MAROON (shade)
26. ENROBE – BORNE (carried) backwards + [tabl]E
27. CHASTE – T (time) in CHASE (hunting ground)
29. ESTRANGE – anagram of SET + RANGE (roam)

Down
2. ADULATION – AD[ie]U + O (love) in LATIN (which was once spoken)
3. MINSK – S (seconds) in MINK (fur)
4. EXPANSION – EX (old) + PANS (vessels) + NOI (no-one) backwards
5. SETTLER – anagram of LETTERS
6. POINT – double definition
7. RASPBERRY – cryptic definition
8. DRILL – double/cryptic definition
14. ISINGLASS – I (I) + SING (grass) + LASS (girl)
16. GODPARENT – GO (?) + anagram of PAD + RENT (money paid regularly)
17. DOODLE BUG – DOODLE (idly draw) + BUG (error)
19. NOMINEE – NO MINE (unable to dig for gold) + E (energy)
22. GRAPH – hidden word
23. CLONE – L (line) in CONE (tapering object)
24. AORTA – O (Impasto’s ultimate) in ART (painting) + A (a)

3 comments on “Financial Times 12,711 by Mudd”

  1. Re 16d GODPARENT – GO (?) + anagram of PAD + RENT (money paid regularly)

    Under ‘Go’ Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English has ‘pay money’ as in (my example) “I can go up to Rs. 20 lakhs to buy that flat”. The component is indicated, I think, by ‘to be spent’. Not readily obtainable, though. I shall wait for comments from native speakers of the language.

    In the clue ‘firstly’ does not call for the initial letter of ‘pad’ but is a position indicator for placing GO,DPA (anag of ‘pad’) before RENT.

  2. I think “to be spent” indicates GO, as in “I have a weekly budget of £50. £5 will GO on bills, £10 will GO on shopping and £35 will GO on a booze and fags!”

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