Financial Times 16,754 by NEO

by

Neo is today's FT setter.

This was a generally straightforward puzzle with the south-east corner offering the most resistance. I am struggling with the parsing of 28 across as I can't see DESCENT and RANGE as synonyms, but I am sure my learned commenters will put me right.

Thanks, Neo.

ACROSS
1 CANDELABRA
Light source about Aldebaran that dances (10)

C (circa, so "about") + *(Aldebaran) [anag:that dances]
7 STOW
Store needs time to fatten pig (4)

T (time) to fatten SOW ("pig")
9 AFRO
Administrator initially beaten for style (4)

A(dministrator) [initially] + *(for) [anag:beaten]
10 ADULTERATE
Doctor given praise about theory regularly (10)

ADULATE ("praise") about T(h)E(o)R(y) [regularly]
11 ELAPSE
Intake ultimately failing to pass (6)

(intak)E [ultimately] + LAPSE ("failing")
12 SARDONIC
Conrad is dreadfully cynical (8)

*(Conrad is) [anag:dreadfully]
13 PARALLEL
Meeting in such bars should be impossible (8)

Cryptic definition
15 ACHE
Long to see husband detained in unstoppable service (4)

H (husband) detained in ACE ("unstoppable service")
17 DISC
Circle in ground is complete (4)

Hidden [in] "grounD IS Complete"
19 SLOVENLY
Careless attachment with men finally drawn into scheming (8)

LOVE ("attachment") with (me)N [finally] drawn into SLY ("scheming")
22 SPREADER
Page in second book showing butter knife? (8)

P (page) in S (second) + READER ("book")
23 RAVINE
American climber seen on river in valley (6)

A (American) + VINE ("climber") seen on R (river)
25 PLAYGROUND
Nuisance mentioned on every side in holiday region (10)

Homophone [mentioned] of PLAGUE ("nuisance") + ROUND ("on every side")
26 AMEN
Response from congregation almost put right (4)

[almost] AMEN(d) ("put right")
27 GENE
Vincent for one displays good bearing (4)

G (good) + ENE (east north-east, a "bearing")

Gene Vincent was an American musician, a pioneer of rock 'n' roll.
28 DESCENDENT
One to succeed bringing target into range (10)

END ("target") into DESCENT ("range")

Struggling to see how "descent" and "range" are synonymous.
DOWN
2 ALFALFA
Chap twice given a forage crop (7)

ALF + ALF ("chap" twice) given A
3 DROOP
Doctor round surgery to wilt from tiredness (5)

Dr. (doctor) + O ("round") + OP (operation, so "surgery")
4 LLANELLI
Left road over lakes and isle in Welsh town (8)

L (left) + LANE ("road") over LL (lakes) and I (isle)
5 BRUSSELS SPROUTS
Greens right to interrupt EU talks? (8,7)

R (right) to interrupt BRUSSELS ("EU") + SPOUTS ("talks")
6 ARTERY
Some tyre tracks traced back in main road (6)

Hidden backwards [some… traced back] in "tYRE TRAcks"
7 SURROGATE
Broken-down Eurostar at last getting replacement (9)

*(eurostar g) [anag:broken-down] where G is [at last] (gettin)G
8 OSTRICH
Good chap in love with tasty bird (7)

St. (saint, so "good chap") in O (love, in tennis) with rich ("tasty")
14 ARCHETYPE
Jaguar car past bend an original model (9)

E-TYPE ("Jaguar car") past ARCH ("bend")
16 PORRIDGE
Dish three bears liked in time (8)

Double definition

18 IMPULSE
Drive up motorway heading north to college (7)

<= (UP M1 ("motorway")) [heading north] to LSE (London School of Economics, so "college")
20 LANTERN
Leading light left before British force (7)

L (left) + ANTE ("before") + RN (Royal Navy, so "British force")
21 ADORED
Trouble with Ruby put on pedestal (6)

ADO ("trouble") with RED ("ruby")
24 VIAND
Food item with rocket served first (5)

AND ("with") with V1 ("rocket") served first

9 comments on “Financial Times 16,754 by NEO”

  1. Thanks Neo and loonapick.
    I think 28 a is Descendant. Descant is a range in music I believe.

  2. I think 28 ac might be END into DESCANT (descant being a vocal range above soprano) giving the alternative spelling of DESCENDANT.

  3. Unlike Loonapick, I ended up in the NW corner needing all crossers to confirm LLANELLI (our blogger’s parsing obvious to me in hindsight) and ELAPSE my LOI.
    I failed on 7a having guessed SPOT (breed of pig) and loosely played with ‘shop’ for ‘store’.
    Enjoyed untangling the word play for many a clue in this grid with my picks of the day being ARCHETYPE, SLOVENLY and PORRIDGE. Many thanks to Neo and Loonapick.

  4. If you type DESCENDENT into Collins it takes you straight to DESCENDANT without comment, so I guess it is an alternative spelling (though not one that’s ever occurred to me). Moreover, the -ENT one can mean something similar as an adjective, but I was definitely asking for the noun here (which has the added benefit of allowing for the correct parsing).

  7. Thanks Neo, that was very satisfying. I had many favourites including AFRO, ADULTERATE, BRUSSELS SPROUTS, ARCHETYPE, and ADORED. I got DESCENDANT with “end” and the crossing letters, not knowing the music term “descant.” (It’s no surprise, however, that a setter who is also a musician would use such references.) Thanks Loonapick for the blog.

  8. Another enjoyable solve over our mid-afternoon break.
    ARCHETYPE was a write-in for us as our setter’s alter ego had a vitrually identical clue for it in another place a couple of weeks ago. We had no problems with 28ac as we thought of the …ANT spelling at once.
    We liked PLAYGROUND, OSTRICH and LANTERN, and BRUSSELS SPROUTS gave us a LOL moment.
    Thanks, Neo and loonapick.

  9. Thanks Neo and loonapick
    Did this yesterday, but a busy week at work has led to being this late to comment. Was another who wrote DESCENDANT straight in, thinking of DESCANT as the right outer covering to mean ‘range’. It was my penultimate answer, followed by the much easier LANTERN that waited till last.
    Had to look up and check GENE Vincent and worked out LLANELLI from the word play and had to look up in which part of Wales it was.
    The long 5d raised a grin.

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