Financial Times 16,726 by NEO

March 5, 2021 at 3:05 am by Turbolegs

A fairly easy puzzle from NEO to wrap up the work week.

My last 2 clues took me as much time as the rest of the puzzle. 🙂

FF: 8 DD: 6

picture of the completed grid

ACROSS
1	AMPHITHEATRE	American member knocked by anger about arena (12)
		A ( American ) MP ( member ) HIT ( knock ) HEAT ( anger ) RE ( about )
8	ALCOPOP	Drink makes Coppola drunk (7)
		[ COPPOLA ]*
9	MUSINGS	Thoughts Greek character belts out (7)
		MU ( greek character ) SINGS ( belts out )
11	INSULAR	Urinals to be refurbished or withdrawn (7)
		[ URINALS ]*
12	SPANNER	Wrench being small one removed from bag (7)
		S ( small ) PANNiER ( bag, without I – one )
13	ERROR	Deposing leader in panic is mistake (5)
		tERROR ( panic, without starting letter ) – i thought this chestnut had been relegated to the crossword archives; my FOI
14	ALPENHORN	Planner wild about house that’s blown up (9)
		[ PLANNER ]* around HO ( house ) – not very comfortable with the definition
16	MODERATOR	Teenager once right about muse and minister (9)
		[ MOD ( teenager once ) R ( right) ] around ERATO ( muse )
19	ASCOT	Adult Glaswegian perhaps in racing venue (5)
		A ( Adult ) SCOT ( glaswegian perhaps )
21	KINGDOM	Family mass involves strange god in sovereign state (7)
		[ KIN ( family ) M ( mass ) ] containing [ GOD ]*
23	METHANE	Neo with feudal lord in flammable gas (7)
		ME ( neo ) THANE ( feudal lord )
24	ROULADE	Food is youngster debauched man eats (7)
		LAD ( youngster ) in ROUE ( debauched man )
25	NASTIER	Close to policeman because row even worse (7)
		N ( policemaN, last letter ) AS ( because ) TIER ( row )
26	NEW TESTAMENT	Old books in will that’s changed? (3,9)
		cryptic def; will that's changed -> new testament
DOWN
1	ACCUSER	Prosecutor constant in account on employer (7)
		[ C ( constant ) in AC ( account ) ] USER ( employer )
2	POPULAR	Well-liked university in London area (7)
		U ( university ) in POPLAR ( london area )
3	IMPORTANT	Weighty foreign product containing bronze (9)
		IMPORT ( foreign product ) containing TAN ( bronze )
4	HOMES	Private detective left out what pigeon does? (5)
		HOlMES ( private detective , sherlock, without L – left )
5	ABSTAIN	Drunk sat in a skip has to leave booze alone (7)
		[ SAT ]* in A BIN ( skip )
6	RUN INTO	Collide with neutrino, energy given up in decay (3,4)
		[ NeUTRINO ( without E – energy ) ]*
7	CABINET MAKER	One joining ministers before God (7,5)
		CABINET ( ministers ) MAKER ( god )
10	STRING THEORY	Others trying to change physics concept (6,6)
		[ OTHERS TRYING ]*
15	PYROMANIA	Obsession that keeps one going to matches? (9)
		cryptic def
17	DENTURE	Set out at night? Wind reduced in valley (7)
		TURn ( wind, reduced ) in DENE ( valley ) – needed help of ocd to parse this; my LOI
18	RADIANT	Notice one in tirade incandescent (7)
		[ AD ( notice ) I ( one ) ] in RANT ( tirade )
19	ARTISTE	Performer one at rest moved around (7)
		[ I ( one ) AT REST ]*
20	CHARIOT	Vehicle in disturbance after tea (7)
		CHA ( tea ) RIOT ( disturbance )
22	MEETS	Convenes where pork, beef and lamb discussed? (5)
		sounds like MEATS ( pork, beef, lamb etc )

19 comments on “Financial Times 16,726 by NEO”

ub

#1 - Fri 5th Mar 21, 05:06

17D was my last one in, too, but what a beautiful clue. Thanks, Neo.
Hovis

#2 - Fri 5th Mar 21, 07:08

Lots to like here. Loved the STRING THEORY anagram and the sneaky definition for DENTURE.
Steven

#3 - Fri 5th Mar 21, 08:28

Yes, 17d was a tough one to get my teeth, ahem, into!
crypticsue

#4 - Fri 5th Mar 21, 09:31

Neo in fine form once again

Thanks to Neo and Turbolegs
Eileen

#5 - Fri 5th Mar 21, 10:37

i agree with all the above.

Favourites today were MODERATOR, STRING THEORY, CABINET MAKER, DENTURE and ALPENHORN, where I think the definition indicates that the instrument is blown up a mountain, so it’s fine by me.
I’m struggling to get my head round the surface of 24ac.
I had ‘into’ as part of the definition of 6dn.

Many thanks to Neo for the fun and Turbolegs for the blog.
Eileen

#6 - Fri 5th Mar 21, 10:38

I meant ‘with’ in 6dn – sorry!
WordPlodder

#7 - Fri 5th Mar 21, 11:50

I spent as long (and more) on DENTURE as I did on the rest of the puzzle, not helped by falling in to the trap and initially putting in OLD TESTAMENT for 24a.

Worth doing (once solved of corse!) for the ‘Set out at night?’ def alone.

Thanks to Neo and Turbolegs
ACD

#8 - Fri 5th Mar 21, 13:47

Thanks to Neo and Turbolegs. Add me to the list of those who struggled with DENTURE, partly because I did not know Dene Valley.
EdK@USA

#9 - Fri 5th Mar 21, 13:55

I agree with the other comments, especially Eileen@6 and ACD@8. Thanks, Neo and Turbolegs.
Undrell

#10 - Fri 5th Mar 21, 15:15

Great finish to the non-working week… I love a penny-dropping moment and there were plenty to choose from.. not 17dn as it happens … in the NE dene is common for valley.. but 7dn was the last to fall.. as Eileen@5 for 24ac..
Thanks Neo n Turbolegs..
allan_c

#11 - Fri 5th Mar 21, 17:11

We too struggled in the SW corner but eventually got 24ac once we realised it wasn’t an anagram and that the ‘debauched man’ was a roué, not a rake. RADIANT followed easily, and then DENTURE after a penny-drop moment was our LOI – and our CoD. Others we liked were SPANNER and PYROMANIA.
Thanks, Neo and Turbolegs.
Tony Santucci

#12 - Fri 5th Mar 21, 18:08

Thanks Neo, that was fun even though I missed DENTURE. I liked SPANNER, METHANE, and HOMES among others. Thanks Turbolegs for the blog.
Lemski

#13 - Fri 5th Mar 21, 18:59

Thanks Neo, favourite being cabinet maker.
john

#14 - Fri 5th Mar 21, 19:43

The first one I completed this week. Like allan_c, I was working with RAKE for too long. Similarly with 17d was trying to fit DALE rather than DENE. so, I echo turbolegs is spent as much time on my last two as on the rest. Thanks Neo and turbo legs.
Mystogre

#15 - Fri 5th Mar 21, 20:10

When 18d gives the perfectly nice anagram of RADIATE, it guarantees problems in that corner. Lovely misdirection Neo. Then I became sure of TESTAMENT so filling that corner took far more time than the rest of the puzzle.
Thanks for the explanations Turbolegs.
Neo

#16 - Fri 5th Mar 21, 20:58

Thanks turbo for nice blog and thanks all for comments.

In 24ac a debauched man eats a lad. This world is what it is, even if that means it isn’t fair.
Moly

#17 - Fri 5th Mar 21, 21:33

Lovely puzzle. Alas missed denture and moderator.

The remainder fell reasonably quickly into place.
jeff@usa

#18 - Fri 5th Mar 21, 23:19

Thanks, Neo and Turbolegs. Agree DENTURE was clever and tricky; now I know the valley name. That and HOMES were last in. At first I had POPCOLA for 8a – a Filipino cola drink of years past – which fits the anagrind but not the crossers. Maybe it’ll be in a future puzzle?
brucew@aus

#19 - Mon 8th Mar 21, 00:41

Thanks Neo and Turbolegs
A cup of coffee puzzle on Friday – and a very pleasant one at that in just under the half hour (so relatively quick for this setter). Agree with the DENTURE definition being the pick of a very good bunch and it was in the middle stages of the solve after all of the crossers were there with a groan as the penny dropped. The only glitch came with my initial spelling error of 1a, always seem to forget about that first H.
Finished in the NE corner with MUSINGS (another good definition for the SINGS bit) and HOMES (probably my second favourite clue).

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