Financial Times 17,393 by MUDD

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An interesting challenge from MUDD today. Unsure about a couple of solves/parsing.

FF: 9 DD: 8(?)

ACROSS
1 GREAT APE
Primate in rage performing strip (5,3)

[ RAGE ]* TAPE ( strip )
5 ABOARD
A piece of timber on ship (6)

A BOARD ( piece of timber )
9 REFINERY
Oil processor with crude in ferry bearing east (8)

[ IN FERRY ]* containing E ( east )
10 FROLIC
Only half of limb covered by short dress — that’s playful (6)

FROCk ( dress, short ) containing LImb ( half of )
12 SECTORIAL
A cloister built from various parts (9)

[ A CLOISTER ]*
13 ELITE
What’s regularly found in eclair? The cream! (5)

"..EcLaIr ThE..", alternate letters of

14 FLAG
Colours in flower (4)

F – LAG ( f – lower ); i couldnt do better than this and am not sure my answer is correct either
16 PAD THAI
Flat hat I designed, Asian fare (3,4)

PAD ( flat ) [ HAT I ]*
19 PALAVER
Complex procedure in familiar state (7)

PAL ( familiar ) AVER ( state )
21 CORE
Heart stolen by sceptic, or evangelist (4)

hidden in "..sceptiC OR Evangelist"
24 CAPON
Fowl gangster doesn’t finish off (5)

CAPONe ( gangster, without last letter )
25 SUPERGLUE
Plug user upset with leakage ultimately — might this solution help? (9)

[ PLUG USER ]* E ( leakagE, ultimately )
27 ARABIC
Language always incredibly coarse initially, around left-leaning pub (6)

AIC ( "..Always Incredibly Coarse..", initial letters ) around reverse of BAR ( pub )
28 STANDOUT
Beer bottles with top name (8)

STOUT ( beer ) containing AND ( with )
29 EDGIER
More apprehensive, I agreed, having knocked out a drunk (6)

[ I aGREED ( without A ) ]*
30 PLANGENT
Easily heard, factory safeguarding information (8)

PLANT ( factory ) containing GEN ( information )
DOWN
1 GARISH
Loud snatch of Elgar is heavenly (6)

hidden in "..elGAR IS Heavenly"
2 EFFECT
Result extra flukey, Fulham enjoying cup triumph, first of all (6)

starting letters of "..Extra Flukey, Fulham Enjoying Cup Triumph.."
3 TANGO
Zest and love in Argentinian performance (5)

TANG ( zest ) O ( love )
4 PARKING
Average leader entering space (7)

PAR ( average ) KING ( leader )
6 BARTENDER
Server finding purpose in trade (9)

END ( purpose ) in BARTER ( trade )
7 ALL RIGHT
Without error? Fair enough (3,5)

cryptic def ; i thought a double def could be justified too but wasnt too comfortable with it
8 DECREPIT
Model pierced, bust finally falling to pieces (8)

[ PIERCED ]* T ( busT, finally )
11 FLIP
Toss — lose it (4)

double def
15 LEVANTINE
Eastern Mediterranean column, inside which very neat cracks (9)

[ V ( very ) NEAT ]* in LINE ( column )
17 SPACE AGE
Present style of movement welcomed by scholar (5-3)

PACE ( style of movement ) in SAGE ( scholar )
18 SLAPBANG
Exactly two strikes (8)

SLAP BANG ( two strikes )
20 ROSE
Lovely bloom came up (4)

double def
21 CAPITAL
Male for example, excellent (7)

double def; male is the capital of maldives
22 ALCOVE
Niche where chicks originally protected by a duck (6)

C ( Chicks , first letter ) in [ A LOVE ( duck ) ]
23 BEAT IT
Leave fragment: finish off parts (4,2)

BIT ( fragment ) containing EAT ( finish off )
26 RUN-IN
Encounter wreck crossing bottom of ocean (3-2)

RUIN ( wreck ) containing N ( oceaN, last letter )

10 comments on “Financial Times 17,393 by MUDD”

  1. Thanks, Mudd and Turbolegs.
    FLAG
    The solution is correct.
    Maybe ‘flower’ refers to the flower iris/flag.
    Not sure ‘lag’ and ‘lower’ are synonymous.
    ALL RIGHT
    ‘Without error?’ as you say can be considered as a cryptic def and “fair enough’ as the def.

  2. 14A
    Colours surely refers to a regiment’s flag. As in “Trooping the Colour” ceremony. So the clue is double definition.

    7D
    Again a double definition. No problems with the clue. I may well have devised a similar clue in one of my puzzles!

  3. No problem with FLAG but had to check the ‘flower’ bit. I had a suspicion it was the ‘iris’ but wasn’t fully sure.

  4. Flag as another name for the iris is something I learned from crosswords a long time ago. Male being the capital of the Maldives is something I learned from a crossword today! (Well, I’m sure I’ve come across it before but it hasn’t stuck in the memory.)

    Nice and relatively gentle puzzle, a good fun warm-up before the brutal Picaroon over in the other place… particularly enjoyed GREAT APE, ELITE, BARTENDER.

    Thanks, Mudd and Turbolegs

  6. Agreed
    with Tom @2 that FLAG and ALL RIGHT are double definitions.
    Favourite in a diverting puzzle was SLAPBANG.
    Thanks to Mudd and Turbolegs.

  7. Well I got slapbang but wasn’t at all sure about it.
    all my usual references had it as either two words or hyphenated.

  8. I actually call irises flags, as well as the colours we’ll be parading on Sunday for St George’s Day, much though I’d rather not, so I read that as a double definition.

    I found this a gentle romp. Thank you Mudd and Turbolegs.

  9. A bit tricky in places but we got there in the end, albeit without parsing CAPITAL – must remember Male for future reference. And we’re with Mark A @7 in that the enumeration of 18dn should be (4-4) or even (4,4) .
    Thanks, Mudd and Turbolegs.

  10. Thanks for the blog, very enjoyable puzzle. Like Shanne@8 I also call them FLAG iris.
    SLAP BANG I certainly say as two words , I will check references later.

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