Financial Times 16,693 by SLEUTH

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Tougher than I first thought, with some cryptic definitions which gave pause…

A few enigmatic meanings got the old grey matter working today, in a rather tougher Tuesday solve than usual. Or perhaps I'm just having a slow day. Enjoyed it anyway. Thanks, Sleuth.

image of grid
ACROSS
1 BUS STOPS Britain, America and Sweden best as places for boarding (3,5)
 

B[ritain] + U,S, + S[weden] + TOPS ('best', as in 'you're the tops').
5 SPREAD Two pages studied following odds (6)
 

READ ('studied', as at Uni) after S[tarting] P[rice] (betting 'odds').
10 SPOOK Operations from the east approved for one with intelligence? (5)
 

OPS, reversed ('from the east') + OK ('approved'), w cryptic def of a spy.
11 REALISTIC Boxer among others in charge with a hard-headed attitude? (9)
 

(Mohammed) ALI ('boxer') in RE.ST ('others') + I[n] C[harge].
12 RECTANGLE Park initially tended by old German is thing with four corners (9)
 

REC[reation ground] ('park') + 1st of 'T{ended} + ANGLE ('old German', as in our forbears, the Jutes & Angles).
13 TARDY One on board dreadfully gutted to be late (5)
 

TAR (sailor, 'one on board') + 'DreadfullY', eviscerated.
14 HEAVEN Ambassador backed two-thirds of US state as perfect place (6)
 

H[is/Her] E[xcellency] + 1st 4 letters of NEVAda, reversed,
15 SCHEMER Devious type cheers possibly after pocketing money (7)
 

Anagram ('possibly') of CHEERS includes M[oney].
18 MAGENTA Old woman welcoming a civilised chap in purple (7)
 

MA (mother, 'old woman') includes A GENT ('a civilised chap').
20 OBTAIN Get in boat at sea (6)
 

Anagram ('at sea') of BOAT IN. Neat clue.
22 OSAKA Sailor otherwise designated in Japanese city (5)
 

O[rdinary] S[eaman] + A[lso] K[nown] A[s] ('otherwise designated')
24 GO TO WASTE Gourmet’s first taken with a stew too refined to be thrown out? (2,2,5)
 

1st of Gourmet + anagram ('refined') of A STEW TOO.
25 TO A DEGREE Hateful person, Eastern European citizen snubbed in part (2,1,6)
 

TOAD ('hateful person') + E[astern] + GREEk ('European citizen'), shortened ('snubbed').
26 ROOTS Rubbish about old soprano’s origins (5)
 

ROT ('rubbish') around O[ld] + S[oprano].
27 RUN OFF Repeat disappointing news from a marathon organiser? (3,3)
 

Cryptic definition. Main def as in 'run off 3 copies'.
28 GRADIENT Hills have this danger? It requires disentangling (8)
 

Anafram ('disentangling') of DANGER IT
DOWN
1 BISTRO Some sorts I bet turning up in eatery (6)
 

Reversed in 'sORTS I Bet'.
2 SCOTCH EGG Put a stop to, say, front of grocery offering snack? (6,3)
 

SCOTCH (to 'put a stop too') + EG ('say') + 1st of G{rocery},
3 TAKE ADVANTAGE OF Dave got a fake tan stupidly for exploit (4,9,2)
 

Anagram ('stupidly') of DAVE GOT A FAKE TAN.
4 PARAGON Model prince associated with part of Spain (7)
 

P[rince] + ARAGON ('part of Spain').
6 PAINT THE TOWN RED Parent with noted eccentric gets to enjoy celebrating? (5,3,4,3)
 

Anagram ('eccentric') of PARENT WITH NOTED.
7 ENTER Go into headquarters in Georgia missing leader (5)
 

Headquarters = cENTER (so spelt in U.S., hence Georgia), minus 1st letter.
8 DOCKYARD Weed on cart turning up in place for refits? (8)
 

DOCK (a 'weed') + reversal of DRAY ('cart').
9 CARESS Fears first to last to show affectionate touch (6)
 

SCARES ('fears'), 1st 'S' descending to end.
16 MAIDSTONE Frenchman supports prevailing character in county town (9)
 

M[onsieur] + AIDS + TONE ('prevailing character').
17 IMPORTER Introduction by hotel employee for one with business abroad? (8)
 

I.e., "I'M PORTER".
19 AUGURY A teacher shortly in university faculty, ultimately, as a portent (6)
 

A + U[niversity] + shortened GURu ('teacher') + last of 'facultY'.
20 OUTWEAR Striking pottery, we’re told, gets to remain (7)
 

OUT ('striking', as in industrial action) + homophone ('we're told') of WARE ('pottery').
21 BEDSIT Place for retirement? It’s converted as student accommodation (6)
 

BED ('place for retirement') + anagram ('converted') of ITS.
23 AGAIN Large stove favoured once more (5)
 

AGA (type of 'large stove') + IN ('favoured').

6 comments on “Financial Times 16,693 by SLEUTH”

  1. Good grief, this was a beast to parse. I managed to complete this intriguing Sleuth grid but frequently resorted to guesswork, crossers and definitions.
    Now that I’ve perused Grant’s blog, I see I failed on 5A and needed more than a few explanations. OUTWEAR and TO A DEGREE were the most stubborn, indeed, 25a was a ‘toad’!
    That said, it wasn’t long in the solving and much to like including BUS STOPS, SPOOK, PARAGON and SCOTCH EGG. Without 3d and 6d, though, I doubt I’d have persevered.
    Thanks for the grilling, Sleuth and to Grant for making sense of it all.

  2. Thanks Sleuth and Grant
    Australia Day holiday here … and must have been on his wavelength as it was done in about half the average time with only RUN OFF and OUTWEAR causing minor holdups.
    Thought that some of the cryptic definitions were very good – ‘places for boarding’, ‘two pages’, ‘one with intelligence’, ‘old German’, ‘one on board’ and the best of them all ‘disappointing news from a marathon organiser’ – where I could feel their pain !
    Finished in the NE corner with the clever TARDY and DOCKYARD the last couple in.

  3. Lovely to have a Sleuth crossword to solve. I was definitely on the wavelength and enjoyed myself throughout.

    Thanks to Sleuth and Grant

  4. Like Bruce and CS we must have been on Sleuth’s wavelength too – we simply rattled through this in two passes, and the two long answere were write-ins. Very enjoyable, but over too quickly.
    Thanks, Sleuth and Grant.

  5. Thanks Sleuth. I solved this at a quick pace until I got to the SE corner where I slowed a bit. I failed at BEDSIT, being unfamiliar with the word. Favourites included TO A DEGREE and the anagram in 3d. Like Diane @1 I had trouble with a number of the parsings — thanks Grant for the disentangling.

  6. Can’t pretend to have breezed through this one as so many others seem to have done, but I certainly enjoyed it.
    ‘Ticks’ all over the printout and my podium selection is SPREAD, TARDY, MAGENTA, TO A DEGREE, BEDSIT & AGAIN.
    Many thanks to Sleuth, to Grant for the review and to Crypticsue for letting me know that my favourite leprechaun was today’s compiler.

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