Financial Times 17,506 by Moo

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Puzzle from the Weekend FT of August 26, 2023

I found this rather easy but very impressive.  My favourite clue is 9 (ARROW) for its brilliant definition and I also applaud 4 (MAL DE MER), 7 (MOO), and 18 (ESCARGOT).  Thank you, Moo.

picture of the completed grid

ACROSS
1 SALLOW
Anaemic and idle husband given the boot (6)
S[h[ALLOW (idle, husband given the boot)
4 MAL DE MER
Emmanuel Macron’s deep discomfort? (3,2,3)
Cryptic definition — and a beauty!  (Mal de mer is French for sea-sickness.)
10 BUGBEAR
Spy on European in pub, one causing annoyance (7)
BUG (spy) + E (European) in (in) BAR (pub)
11 VICIOUS
Sid was so cruel! (7)
Double definition, the first referring to Sid Vicious of The Sex Pistols
12 ROTH
American writer visiting brothel (4)
Hidden word (visiting)
13 COUNTRYMAN
Compatriot who’s a Dolly Parton fan? (10)
COUNTRY MAN (who’s a Dolly Parton fan)
16 TSETSE
Set out twice to discover source of sleeping sickness (6)
Anagram (out) of SET + same again
17 CENTRAL
Of prime importance, as power is to MPs (7)
P (power) is central to MPS
20 AGAINST
Opposed to a holy woman receiving reward (7)
A (a) + GAIN (reward) in (receiving) ST (holy woman)
21 NOVICE
Desirable attribute in a would- be monk? (6)
NO VICE (desirable attribute in a would-be monk)
24 EUTHANASIA
Has auntie arranged a merciful release? (10)
Anagram (arranged) of HAS AUNTIE + A (a)
25 AGUE
Villa guest nursing a fever (4)
Hidden word (nursing)
27 PUDDING
Superfluity of words, posh for a tart (7)
PADDING (superfluity of words) with the ‘A’ changed to a ‘U’ (posh).  I did not manage to parse this clue and thank commenter KVa for explaining it.
29 EMINENT
Celebrated artist left without wife (7)
EMIN (artist, i.e. Tracey Emin) + [w]ENT (left without wife)
30 DETONATE
Explode outside school one day (8)
ETON (school) in (outside) DATE (one day)
31 WHISKY
A question about one’s king shows spirit (6)
IS (one’s) + K (king) together in (about) WHY (a question)
DOWN
1 SYBARITE
Hedonist bemused by satire (8)
Anagram (bemused) of BY SATIRE
2 LIGHTWEIGHT
Chess player overdue, says Spooner – one of no account? (11)
Spoonerism of “white late” (chess player overdue)
3 OVER
Daughter leaving Kentish Town a maiden? (4)
[d]OVER (daughter leaving Kentish town)
5 ADVANCED
Made progress with American theologian securing vehicle parked by church (8)
A (American) + VAN (vehicle) + CE (church) together in (securing) DD (theologian, i.e. Doctor of Divinity)
6 DECORATION
Speech at Christmas maybe getting an award (10)
DEC (at Christmas maybe) + ORATION (speech)
7 MOO
I almost expose my bottom (3)
MOO[n] (almost expose my bottom)
8 RISING
Rebellion? Reluctantly at first I reveal all (6)
R[eluctantly] + I (I) + SING (reveal all)
9 ARROW
Posh school in East End that caught king’s eye? (5)
[h]ARROW (posh school on East End, i.e. as spoken by a Cockney) with a top-notch cryptic definition referring to King Harold at the Battle of Hastings)
14 MEANINGLESS
Incoherent, as single men when drunk (11)
Anagram (when drunk) of AS SINGLE MEN
15 ASPIRATION
Cockney lacking such hope? (10)
Double definition
18 ESCARGOT
Quick dish for a Parisian? Certainly not (8)
Double/cryptic definition
19 RECENTLY
Not much money in bank of late (8)
CENT (not much money) in (in) RELY (bank)
22 PEEPED
Emerged briefly from police department holding weapon up (6)
EPEE (weapon) backwards (up) in (holding) PD (police department)
23 MIXER
Scrooge having change of heart, becoming a socialite? (5)
MISER (Scrooge) with the ‘S’ changed to an ‘X’ (having change of heart)
26 SIKH
Reportedly solicit worshipper at Golden Temple (4)
Homophone (reportedly) of “seek” (solicit) with the definition referring to the Golden Temple in Amritsar
28 DOT
Mark of senility, forgetting time (3)
DOT[age] (senility forgetting time)

12 comments on “Financial Times 17,506 by Moo”

  1. Thanks Pete

    Not much to add beyond: thanks for the help with CENTRAL, which I could not parse and I could not work out PUDDING either. I add NOVICE to the list of favorites. I love word play such as this

    Thanks Moo

  4. Collins: Padding is unnecessary words or information used to make a piece of writing or a speech longer.
    Chambers
    Padding: Matter of less value introduced into a book or article in order to make it of the length desired.

  6. Thanks Moo for an enjoyable crossword. My favourites were the puzzle staple TSETSE, WHISKY (can’t imagine not liking this), LIGHTWEIGHT (good Spoonerism), DECORATION, MOO, (how can you not love this clue), MEANINGLESS (superb surface), and RECENTLY. ARROW defeated me but all else made sense. Thanks Pete for the blog.

  7. Thanks for the blog, very neat and concise set of clues. Tony has noted the favourites , KVa has cleared up the issues .

  8. Saw the P[A->U]DDING and MPS tricks. Agree wiith KVa@5 on Sid VICIOUS
    Nice to see a favourite author, Philip ROTH, and my favourite novel by him, The Plot AGAINST America, forming a tiny themelet.
    Being !rish, I pronounce WHITE as HWITE so the WIGHTLEIGHT Spooner doesn’t quite work for me.
    Thanks M&PM

  9. I read the blog thinking that’s not how I parsed PUDDING, but being lazy, wondered if KVa had posted so I wouldn’t have to reapply the braincell to come up with the parsing. Didn’t parse CENTRE as I missed that trick.

    Thank you to Moo and Pete Maclean (and KVa for doing the extra work.)

  11. Well, I made a bit of a mess of this! I wrote the blog minutes before publishing time last night after returning home from a holiday with very limited Internet access. I am much obliged to KVa for your corrections, thank you.

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