Financial Times 16705 Falcon

Thank you to Falcon. Definitions are underlined in the clues.

Across

9. Not living together, blokes before beginning to tenant flat (9)

APARTMENT : APART(not living/being together) + MEN(blokes/chaps) plus(before) 1st letter of(beginning to) “tenant“.

10. Rise and large unfriendly dog may do this (5)

GROWL : GROW(to rise/to increase in number, size, amount or degree) plus(and) L(abbrev. for “large”).

Good clue surface.

11. Where the ham may be enjoying a run of success? (2,1,4)

ON A ROLL : Where you might find a piece of ham: on a roll/a very small loaf of bread, ready to be eaten.

12. Late series of deliveries expected (7)

OVERDUE : OVER(a series of deliveries/balls bowled to a batsman in cricket) + DUE(expected/likely or supposed to happen).

13. Drink starts to take effect afterwards (3)

TEA : 1st letters, respectively, of(starts to) “take effect afterwards“.

14. Confusion about unfamiliar porridge, epicurean dish? (8,3)

PERIGORD PIE : PIE(pi/a confusion/a jumbled mixture) containing(about) anagram of(unfamiliar) PORRIDGE.

Defn: …/a gourmet pie made with meat and truffles.

17. The harmonious sound of bells perhaps that man installed in church (5)

CHIME : HIM(pronoun refering to “that man”) contained in(installed in) CE(abbrev. for the Church of England).

18. Health resort featured in newspaper (3)

SPA : Hidden in(featured in) “newspaper“.

19. Spanish chap‘s short story involving a bishop (5)

PABLO : “plot”(story/the main events in a novel, say) minus its last letter(…’s short) containing(involving) [A + B(abbrev. for “bishop” in chess notation)].

Defn: …/a male Spaniard’s name.

21. Fluid fatal to beau in old stage play (1,4,2,1,3)

A TALE OF A TUB : Anagram of(Fluid) FATAL TO BEAU.

Defn: … written by Ben Jonson.

23. Top firm? Not so (3)

LID : “solid”(firm/rigid) minus(Not) “so“.

25. Dishonest trading in vehicles? (7)

TRAFFIC : Double defn: 1st: …/buying and selling banned or illegal items; and 2nd: …, moving (or not moving) on a road, say.

27. Fixed allowance and gratuity in post (7)

STIPEND : TIP(gratuity/a sum of money given as a reward for a service) contained in(in) SEND(to post, say, a letter by snail-mail.

28. Praise former singer no end (5)

EXALT : EX-(prefix signifying “former”/once) + “alto”(a singer with the highest adult male singing voice) minus its last letter(no end).

29. Labourer, in effect (9)

OPERATIVE : Double defn: 2nd: …/applicable.

Down

1. Richly seasoned stew shown in red-top abroad (6)

RAGOUT : RAG(a tabloid newspaper/a red-top, from the red background on which the title of such a paper is printed) + OUT(abroad/out of the country or out of doors).

2. Mother runs into French port, mostly for squid (8)

CALAMARI : [MA(a familiar term for one’s mother) + R(abbrev. for “runs” in cricket scores)] contained in(into) “Calais”(seaport in France) minus its last letter(mostly).

3. Prevailing mood at second ball (10)

ATMOSPHERE : AT + MO(short for “moment”/a short time period/a second) + SPHERE(a ball/a globe).

4. Fine spring (4)

WELL : Double defn.

5. Where a clown may get his shoes made, after much delay? (2,4,4)

AT LONG LAST : Cryptic defn: Where clown shoes, notoriously long, may be made – by a cobbler with a long last/a mould for fashioning a shoe.

6. Monster, consequently, raised (4)

OGRE : Reversal of(…, raised, in a down clue) ERGO(consequently/therefore, as in “cogito, ergo sum”)

7. Bear hibernated, reportedly (4,2)

HOLD UP : Homophone of(…, reportedly) “holed up”(in hibernation/in hiding and inactive).

8. Other half to make changes and say nothing (5,3)

ALTER EGO : ALTER(to make changes) plus(and) EG(abbrev. for “exempli gratia”/for example/say) + O(letter representing 0/nothing).

Defn: … of your personality, other than the one which people normally see.

15. Margin for error if rock star mishandled (4,6)

RISK FACTOR : Anagram of(… mishandled) IF ROCK STAR.

Answer: …/something that increases the chances of failure.

I’m not sure if the answer is totally synonymous with the definition which is an error (or errors) you could make but still be able to achieve success.

16. Referring to landlord, party member (10)

REPUBLICAN : RE(refering to/with reference to) + PUBLICAN(the landlord of a pub/a public house).

Defn: …/a member of the Republican Party in the US.

17. Plans to hold religious education in French cathedral (8)

CHARTRES : CHARTS(plans/blueprints) containing(to hold) RE(abbrev. for “religious education”).

Defn: …, in the town of Chartres.

20. Report of patient’s progress round home (8)

BULLETIN : BULLET(a round of ammunition for a weapon) + IN(at home/not out and about).

Defn: A short official report to inform the public about an important matter, perhaps the progress or otherwise of a sick public figure.

22. Film a vessel on a river (6)

AVATAR : A + VAT(a vessel/a large barrel or tank for storing liquids in) placed above(on, in a down clue) A + R(abbrev. for “river”).

24. Initially got me upset, after odd unexpected bumper (6)

DODGEM : [1st letter of(Initially) “got” + reversal of(… upset, in a down clue) ME] placed below(after, in a down clue) anagram of(… unexpected) ODD.

Defn: …/something that bumps, viz. a small electric car driven to bump other such cars in a fairground attraction.

26. Female, Greek character, brings cheese (4)

FETA : F(abbrev. for “female”) + ETA(the 7th character in the Greek alphabet).

27. Got rid of, the woman departs (4)

SHED : SHE(pronoun for “the woman”) + D(abbrev. for “depart”, as in a train timetable, say).