Financial Times 18,042 by ZAMORCA

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Sorry, gentle solvers, you get me blogging three days in a row…

Our regular blogger was having technical issues, so you're stuck with me for a third day in a row. Thankfully, given how late it was that I took over the duties for today, it was a very straightforward puzzle with nothing obscure. As is usual with this setter, it was a pangram which sometimes helps, but to be honest, was irrelevant today.

Thanks Zamorca.

ACROSS
1 DESK JOB
Bad, heartless jokes circulated in office post (4,3)

*(bd jokes) [anag:circulated] where BD is [heartless] B(a)D
5 GRIMACE
Champion’s behind, finally closing margin with pained expression (7)

ACE ("champion") is behind [finally] (closin)G + RIM ("margin")
9 FREER
Father’s always less restrictive (5)

Fr. (Father) + E'ER ("always")
10 BLIND SPOT
Failing window coverings better drawn back (5,4)

BLINDS ("window coverings") + <=TOP ("better", drawn back)
11 SUPERGLUE
Splurge out on high class tablet that’s very sticky! (9)

*(splurge) [anag:out] on U ("high class") + E (ecstasy, so "tablet")
12 CRAZE
Passion by artist unknown welcomed in church (5)

RA (member of the Royal Academy, so "artist") + Z (unknown, in mathematics) in CE ("Church" of England)
13 DUVET
Owing to half five boarding, brings bedding (5)

DUE ("owing") + T(o) [half] boarding V (five, in Roman numerals)
15 HEARTACHE
Man’s longing creativity to block grief (9)

ART ("creativity") to block HE ("man") + ACHE ("longing")
18 STRENGTHS
Good man and right gent regulated limits of his powers (9)

St. (saint, so "good man") + R (right) + *(gent) [anag:regulated] + [limits of] H(i)S
19 DOCKS
Reduces loading area in harbour (5)

Double definition
21 UPPED
Some group pedantry increased (5)

Hidden in [some] "groUP PEDantry"
23 BRAINWAVE
Refurbish wine bar pinching a very good idea (9)

*(wine bar) [anag:refurbish] pinching A + V (very)
25 FOLLOWS ON
Continues plaintiff ’s last look back on bad times inside (7,2)

(plaintif)F ['s last] + <=LO ("look", back) + ON with LOWS ("bad times") inside
26 FEIGN
Pretend to be fine replacing king in command (5)

F (fine) replacing R (Rex, so "king") in REIGN ("command") becomes F-EIGN
27 Y-FRONTS
In awfully frosty November gets old-fashioned undies (1-6)

*(frosty n) [anag:awfully] where N = November in the NATO phonetic alphabet
28 ROYALTY
Top family rested in retreat during sack of Troy (7)

<=LAY ("rested", in retreat) during *(troy) [anag:sack of]
DOWN
1 DEFUSED
Calmed most of commotion during act (7)

[most of] FUS(s) during DEED ("act")
2 SLEEP OVER
Go back in lover’s building and stay the night (5,4)

<=PEE ("go", back) in *(lovers) [anag:building]
3 JUROR
Magician, with disappearing trick, gets person summoned to court (5)

(con)JUROR ("magician") missing CON ("trick")
4 BOBBLE HAT
Headgear briefly allowed in swimming bath after haircut (6,3)

[briefly] LE(t) ("allowed") in *(bath) [anag:swimming] after BOB ("haircut")
5 GUISE
Attitude of men in conversation (5)

Homophone/pun/aural wordplay [in conversation] of GUYS

6 INDICATED
CID detain criminal as suggested (9)

*(cid detain) [anag:criminal]
7 ALPHA
A letter from abroad (5)

Cryptic definition, ALPHA being the "A letter" in Greek.
8 EXTREME
Find characters in Essex tremendously radical (7)

Hidden in [find characters in] "essEX TREMEndously"
14 TONED DOWN
Less intensive to study in retirement, away from university (5,4)

TO + <=DEN ("study", in retirement) + DOWN ("away from university")
16 ABSTAINER
Sailor’s spot-on turning non-drinker (9)

AB (able-bodies seaman, so "sailor") + STAIN ("spot") + <=ER ("on", turning)
17 COCKATIEL
Ready gun for firing late shot, bagging one bird (9)

COCK ("ready gun for firing") + *(late) [anag:shot] bagging I (one)
18 SQUIFFY
Drunken bit of hair cutting verges on savagery (7)

QUIFF ("bit of hair") cutting [verges on] S(avager)Y
20 STERNLY
Strictly succeeded, with beginner among dancing entry (7)

S (succeeded) with L (learner, so "beginner" driver) among *(entry) [anag:dancing]
22 POLAR
Several opportunities arising in part of the Arctic (5)

Hidden backwards [arising in part] in "seveRAL OPportunities"
23 BASIS
Support’s beginning to build in the current situation (5)

[beginning to] B(uild) + AS IS ("in the current situation")
24 NIFTY
Stylish US city embraces independent newspaper (5)

NY (New York, so "US city") embraces I (independent) + FT (Financial Times, so "newspaper")

14 comments on “Financial Times 18,042 by ZAMORCA”

  1. ALPHA
    Chambers
    (in international radio communication) a code for word the letter a.
    Took A as one def
    and the rest as the second def.

    As loonapick said, the puzzle was fairly straightforward.
    Liked COCKATIEL.

    Thanks Zamorca and loonapick.

  2. This was a very satisfying puzzle from Zamorca with her customary pangram helping to decide a few answers towards the end, such as SQUIFFY.
    GRIMACE reminded me of Thomas Voeckler in the Tour de France.
    Really liked JUROR, BRAINWAVE, NIFTY and COCKATIEL.
    Thanks to Zamorca and Loonapick for stepping in.

  3. Forgot about the Mitford “u”, so was thinking some sticky exotics ending in ‘ae’, until crossers made superglue obvs. But as Loona says, nothing too sticky elsewhere. Thanks to him and Zamorca.

  4. Thanks Zamorca and loonapick

    KVa @ 1 Despite what Chambers says, the official NATO radio alphabet has A = ALFA, to avoid potential mispronunciation.

  6. Thanks Zamorca for the usual fun. Like Diane, the pangram helped me finally solve SQUIFFY; I nho ‘quiff’ as a bit of hair. My top picks were GRIMACE, FEIGN, SLEEP OVER, and GUISE. Thanks loonapick as always.

  7. Had a lot of fun with this one. Liked SLEEP OVER for very believable surface. Thank you Zamorca and also Loonapick for a third time in a row

  9. Thanks Zamorca and loonapick. I enjoyed this but was held up on a couple. Is guise a synonym of attitude? I can’t find anything to confirm it. Have I missed the point?

  10. Knowing it was a pangram also helped me find SQUIFFY.

    Also not seeing why GUISE is a synonym of attitude.

    Liked: GRIMACE, SUPERGLUE, CRAZE, BOBBLE HAT

    Thanks both

  11. Martin @9 & Fiona @10: Collins lists attitude as a synonym of GUISE in the sense of appearance or look.

  13. A vanilla puzzle resulting in no likes or dislikes

    Knowing I needed to use a Q helped me to get SQUIFFY too, knowing neither SQUIFFY nor quiff

    Thanks Zamorca and loonapick

Comments are closed.