Financial Times 16944 Zamorca

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

Across

1. Posts soldiers to guard heavy artillery, initially two in position (3-5)

JOB-SHARE : JOBS(posts/positions in an organisation) + RE(abbrev. for the Royal Engineers in the British army) containing(to guard) 1st letters, respectively, of(…, initially) “heavy artillery“.

Defn: Two people each working part-time doing the same job.

6. Discover the truth about doctor during convention (6)

RUMBLE : MB(abbrev. for “Medicinae Baccalaureus”/Bachelor of Medicine/a doctor) contained in(during) RULE(convention/the normal or customary state of things, as in “… the exception rather than the rule”).

9. Fund cultivation of vines east of Meursault (6)

INVEST : Anagram of(cultivation of) [VINES + last letter of(east of, in an across clue) “Meursault“].

10. Someone emptied out case to find drug (8)

SEDATIVE : “Someone” minus all its inner letters(emptied) + DATIVE(in grammar, one of the cases/forms of a noun, adjective or pronoun).

11. Dam river that is wide going west (4)

WEIR : Reversal of(… going west, in an across clue) [ R(abbrev. for “river”) + IE(abbrev. for “id est”/that is) + W(abbrev. for “wide”) ].

12. Schedule this month’s one that can’t be changed (3,2,5)

SET IN STONE : SET(to schedule/to make arrangements for something to be done, as in “to set someone to do a task”) + INST(abbrev. for “instant” indicating this/present month, as in “your letter of the 16th inst.”) + ONE.

14. Pretty fine engraving (8)

FETCHING : F(abbrev. for “fine”) + ETCHING(an engraving/a print produced by carving on a surface).

A fetching etching:

16. Wipe out daughter in card game (4)

UNDO : D(abbrev. for “daughter”) contained in(in) UNO(a card game using a specially printed deck).

Defn: …/cancel the effects of a previous action).

18. Piece of land returned in slander case (4)

ACRE : Reversal of(returned …) hidden in(in) “slander case“.

19. Free seats bound to be grabbed in cafés (3,5)

TEA SHOPS : Anagram of(Free) SEATS containing(… to be grabbed) HOP(to bound/to jump a short distance).

21. Rushes broken by May storms (10)

HURRICANES : HURRIES(rushes/moves with haste) containing(broken by) CAN(may, indicating the possibility of something being done)

22. Emperor‘s last letter penned in vehicle (4)

CZAR : Z(last letter in the English alphabet) contained in(penned in) CAR(a motor vehicle).

24. Manor in France where setter’s come back for cheese (8)

HALLOUMI : HALL(a manor/a large country house with land) + OÙ(French for “where”) + reversal of(… come back) I’M(setter’s, with the setter using the self-referential pronoun).

… that doesn’t melt:

26. Raucous-sounding call over wood (6)

CROAKY : CRY(call/shout) containing(over) OAK(wood from the, well, oak tree).

27. Routine enthrals old time musicians (6)

SEXTET : SET(routine/fixed as the procedure to be followed) containing(enthrals) [ EX-(prefix indicating “former”/old) + T(abbrev. for “time”) ].

28. Wash blue tights first (4,4)

HOSE DOWN : DOWN(blue/feeling sad) placed after(… first) HOSE(tights/close fitting garments for women covering legs, hips and bottom.

Down

2. Unesco scheme has not succeeded for snow leopard (5)

OUNCE : Anagram of(… scheme) “Unesco” minus(has not) “s”(abbrev. for “succeeded”).

3. Stays away from direct sunlight (6,5)

STEERS CLEAR : STEER(to direct/to control the movement of) + S(abbrev. for “sun”) + CLEAR(light/free of cloud, and with much natural light).

4. First of teak inlaid carvings on new sitar is beautifully designed (8)

ARTISTIC : 1st letters, respectively, of(First of) “teak inlaid carvings” placed below(on, in a down clue) anagram of(new) SITAR.

5. Friendly way the egotist affected keeps working (4,2,3,2,4)

EASY TO GET ON WITH : Anagram of(… affected) WAY THE EGOTIST containing(keeps) ON(working, as with an electrical appliance).

6. Go off carrying little house for one’s guinea pig (6)

RODENT : ROT(to go off/to decay and become inedible) containing(carrying) DEN(a little house/a hideout for one).

7. Friend’s lost key found by door (3)

MAT : “mate”(informal term for “friend”) minus(…’s lost) “e”(in music, the keynote/first note of the E major key/scale).

8. Quick pole dance finally gets party animated (7,2)

LIVENED UP : LIVE(quick/animated) + N(abbrev. for “north”, one of the geographic poles) + last letter of(… finally) “dance” plus(gets) DUP(abbrev. for the Democratic Unionist Party of Northern Ireland).

13. Evoke sympathy when husband in coach tour accident died (5,1,5)

TOUCH A CHORD : H(abbrev. for “husband”) contained in(in) anagram of(… accident) COACH TOUR + D(abbrev. for “died”).

15. Rant after Edward’s new company uniform gets egg on (9)

ENCOURAGE : RANT(to rage/to express anger) placed under(after, in a down clue) [ E(abbrev. for “Edward”, as in “ER”?) + N(abbrev. for “new”) + CO(abbrev. for “company”, a commercial concern, say) + U(abbrev. for “uniform”) ].

17. Managed taking bags with rifles through (8)

RANSACKS : RAN(managed, an organisation, say) plus(taking) SACKS(large bags made of strong material).

20. Resign following a top criminal’s reprieve (6)

ACQUIT : QUIT(to resign/to relinquish a position) placed below(following, in a down clue) [A + 1st letter of(top, in a down clue) “criminal” ].

23. No sense in punishing weaknesses – it’s out of line (5)

ASKEW : “sense” deleted from(No … in) anagram of(punishing) “weaknesses”.

25. Briefly informed about situation (3)

LOT : Reversal of(… about) “told”(informed/given knowledge of) minus its last letter(Briefly …).

Defn: …/in life, the circumstances one finds oneself in.