Financial Times 14,351 by Flimsy

Straightforward and entertaining

 

 

 

 

 

Across

1 RAGAMUFFIN urchin RAG (argue with) A MUFFIN (man with woman)

7 GAME triple definition

9 UGLI fruit sounds like UGLY (rotten)

10 FIRST-CLASS plum FIRS (trees) T[heir] CLASS (type)

11 DISMAL down in the dumps LAM (hit) SID (bloke)<

12 IN EFFECT really (NIFF ETC [hors]E)*

13 CHOW MEIN dish (HOW MINCE)*

15 NILE flower – river hidden in [garde]N I Le[ft]

17 DUCT pipe sounds like DUCKED (lowered)

19 XANTHATE salt X (sign of wrong) ANT (insect) HATE (loathing)

22 SKIRMISH fight R (king) in SKIM (read quickly) (HIS)*

23 THUMBS reads intensively M (maiden) B (book) in THUS (then)

25 IMPORTANCE mark PORT (alcohol) in (CAME IN)*

26 IDEA plan IDE (fish) A

27 OTTO Roman leader [m]OTTO (saying)

28 CRETACEOUS like chalk [p]O[wder] in (CUE REACTS)*

Down

2 ANGUISH agony A[u]N[t] I (one) in GUSH (prattle)

3 AXIOM saw A X (cross) IOM (Isle of Man)

4 UNFOLDED transpired OLD (elderly) in UNFED (undernourished)

5 FOREIGN EXCHANGE cryptic readies = cash

6 NETHER lower hidden in [fami]NE THE R[esearcher]

7 GOLDFINCH flier (FOLDING)* CH

8 MUSICAL eg ‘Oliver’ U (university) in (IS CALM)*

14 WATER POLO &lit T[h]E in WAR (struggle) (POOL)*

16 ANATHEMA curse AN (article) A THEMA (recurrent subject matter)

18 UNKEMPT in a mess (MET PUNK)*

20 TABLEAU dramatic situation TAB (check) L’EAU (the water in French)

21 BIOTIC of living organisms O (nothing) in BIT (piece) I C[onsider]

24 UNITE join UN (United Nations) T (time) in IE (that’s)

( )* = anagram    [ ] = omit    < = reverse