Financial Times 18,169 by GUY

An enjoyable challenge from Guy.

This was quite tricky in places, but nothing unfair. Just Guy keeping me on my toes! Some interesting devices with plenty to enjoy. Many thanks to Guy.

picture of the completed grid

ACROSS

1. Credit parties on the right for this country heading left (5)

KUDOS

DOS (parties) on the right, for UK< (this country, <heading left)

4. Beautiful doctor that I see with heart of ice (9)

AESTHETIC

(THAT I SEE)* (*doctor) with [i]C[e] (heart of)

9. As you’ll hear, fabrication produced sharp pop (7)

LIMEADE

“LIE MADE” (fabrication produced, “as you’ll hear”)

10. Send up balloon with light for the party (7)

LAMPOON

[ball]OON with LAMP (light) for BALL (the party)

11. A boy fancies it, playing for club on the left wing (6,7)

FABIAN SOCIETY

(A BOY FANCIES IT)* (*playing)

14. Burden we bear (4)

ONUS

ON US (we bear)

15. American lawyer with bloody bad rash? (4-5)

DARE-DEVIL

DA (American lawyer, District Attorney) with RED (bloody) + EVIL (bad)

18. Mice round when cooking is breach of standards (9)

INDECORUM

(MICE ROUND)* (*when cooking)

19. Reasons for writing less English (4)

PROS

PROS[e] (writing, less E (English))

21. President Bush battered dogfish to feed miserable lady at home (6,7)

SADDAM HUSSEIN

HUSS (dogfish) to feed SAD DAME (miserable lady) + IN (at home)

24. Line recess in church after concerning deterioration (7)

RELAPSE

L (line) + APSE (recess in church) after RE (concerning)

26. Grave closest when moving north east (7)

EARNEST

[n]EAREST (closest) when moving N (north) east

27. Book taxi on return, covered by yearly bonus (9)

PAPERBACK

CAB< (taxi, <on return) covered by ~~PAY PERK (yearly bonus)~~ PA (yearly, per annum) + PERK (bonus)

28. Angry fellow returned plonk (3,2)

HET UP

HE (fellow) + PUT< (plonk, <returned)

DOWN

1. Garment somewhat like trousers to the north? (4)

KILT

[somewha]T LIK[e]< (trousers, <to the north)

2. Circus flier paid for with words overlapping was shocking (11)

DUMBFOUNDED

DUMBO (circus flier) + FUNDED (paid for) with words overlapping

3. Quiet monastery rejects European in poor order (6)

SHABBY

SH (quiet) + ABB[e]Y (monastery, rejects E (European))

4. A lustful look secures kiss with conquering king (9)

ALEXANDER

A + LEER (lustful look) secures X (king) + AND (with)

5. Reversible pieces? (5)

SOLOS

Cryptic definition

The only clue we have is that we are looking for a palindrome/reversible word. Given it is plural (pieces) ‘S’ is likely at the start and end.

6. Place full of detectives after one? (8)

HOMICIDE

HOME (place) full of (CID (detectives) after I (one)) – &lit

7. Horn’s sound not fully included (3)

TOO

TOO[t] (horn’s sound, not fully)

8. Very fine sugar excited fly during prison picnic (5-5)

CANDY-FLOSS

FLY* (*excited) during (CAN (prison) + DOSS (picnic))

12. Situation of five triathlons in ten after cycling (11)

ENVIRONMENT

(V (five) + IRON MEN (triathlons)) in TEN (after cycling)

13. Peanuts perhaps son dropped in journey through the universe? (5,5)

COMIC STRIP

CO[s]MIC TRIP (journey through the universe, S (son) dropped, i.e. repositioned lower)

16. Curious stone inside mountain cut from behind (4,5)

RUMP STEAK

RUM (curious) + (ST (stone) inside PEAK (mountain))

17. Belligerent type, namely gangsta? (8)

SCRAPPER

SC (namely, from Latin scilicet) + RAPPER (gangsta?)

20. Want expensive article reduced (6)

DEARTH

DEAR (expensive) + TH[e] (article, reduced)

22. Animal that’s sometimes spotted chewing hay outside in Northamptonshire (5)

HYENA

(HAY + N[orthamptonshir]E (outside in))* (*chewing)

23. No more vessels capsized (4)

STOP

POTS< (vessels, <capsized)

25. Friend climbing pass when already ahead (3)

LAP

PAL< (friend, <climbing)

9 comments on “Financial Times 18,169 by GUY”

James P

#1 - Wed 24th Sep 25, 07:33

I agree, a good ‘un today.

Faves were Fabian society, earnest, homicide, comic strip

27 a yearly is pa (per annum) I think, perk is just bonus

Oriel

#2 - Wed 24th Sep 25, 07:48

@JamesP – yes you are right. My mistake. I’ll amend the blog.

PostMark

#3 - Wed 24th Sep 25, 07:51

I parsed PAPERBACK as James P@1. Slightly tricky to complete the NE with SOLOS which had me looking for men/pieces used in games, guns and scraps rather than musical pieces and – as our blogger notes – there is little else to go on. LAMPOON also held out as I was not seeing the substitution. Then I made sense of the excellent HOMICIDE – COTD for me – and those last couple suddenly made sense.

Thanks Guy and Oriel (nice to see you welcomed onto 225 on the G thread yesterday!)

Layman

#4 - Wed 24th Sep 25, 08:43

Very enjoyable; I particularly liked ENVIRONMENT and ONUS. Couldn’t parse SADDAM HUSSEIN and a couple of others. Thanks Guy and Oriel!

Eileen

#5 - Wed 24th Sep 25, 09:19

I enjoyed this.

My favourites coincided with James P’s @1, with the addition of PROS, PAPERBACK, DUMBFOUNDED and RUMP STEAK – and I loved the allusive surface of KILT. 😉

Thanks to Guy and Oriel.

Hector

#6 - Wed 24th Sep 25, 09:44

8d: doss (a task very easily accomplished) = picnic (an undertaking that is mere child’s play) is a link I wouldn’t otherwise have made, so thanks for that. (And thanks to Chambers for those definitions.)

Petert

#7 - Wed 24th Sep 25, 11:42

I enjoyed it all, but especially HOMICIDE and KILT.

Martyn

#8 - Wed 24th Sep 25, 14:37

Oriel’s commentary summed it up for me. My favourites were similar to others: DARE DEVIL, HOMICIDE, STOP and KILT (nicely hidden with nice misdirection)

Thanks Guy and Oriel

Anil

#9 - Thu 25th Sep 25, 21:49

Never got SADDAM HUSSEIN but admire it in retrospect. Thank you all.

Comments are closed.