Financial Times 14,720 by Mudd

Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of September 6, 2014

This Mudd proved a little more difficult than usual and well up to standard. My favourite clues are 9a (GLOBAL), 15d (FLOAT), 16d (TERSE) and 26d (BOOS). And 5a also gets my nod for best surface.

ACROSS
1 Simple angle on two levels (6)
OAFISH – O A (two levels, as in exams) + FISH (angle). This was probably the toughest clue for me.
4 Stimulating piece behind box (8)
SPARKING – SPAR (box) + KING (piece, as in chess)
9 Girl about to throw up all over the place (6)
GLOBAL – LOB (throw up) in GAL (girl). Very nice cryptic use of ‘throw up’!
10 Go without a piece of underwear in parody (8)
TRAVESTY – A (a) + VEST (piece of underwear) together in TRY (go)
12 Square, part of Tallinn in Estonia (4)
NINE – hidden word
13 Cold, so brisk (5)
NIPPY – double definition
14 Fruit far from 13, say? (4)
SLOE – homophone (“slow” — far from ‘brisk’)
17 Some tortoise with long hair, suffering trauma (5-7)
SHELLSHOCKED – SHELL (some tortoise) + SHOCKED (with long hair)
20 It’s hot, as firm lip touches flap (7,5)
TABASCO SAUCE – TAB (flap) + AS (as) + CO (firm) + SAUCE (lip)
23 Somewhere to retire with foreign money in retirement (4)
LAIR – RIAL (foreign money) backwards. The rial is name of the currency unit of several nations including Morocco.
24 One of fifty in the US, say (5)
STATE – double definition
25 Fruit that’s unattractive, grotesque, loathsome and ignoble, for starters (4)
UGLI – U[nattractive] G[rotesque] L[oathsome] I[gnoble]
28 Locate flag, then aim (8)
PINPOINT – PIN (flag) + POINT (aim)
29 Gate only opening and closing? Little sign (6)
GEMINI – G[at]E + MINI (little)
30 Royal attendant’s sound barrier (8)
PALISADE – homophone (“palace aid”)
31 Hot bread, one left out (6)
STOLEN – STOL[l]EN (bread, one left out)

DOWN
1 One tackled by a strong sort of player (8)
ORGANIST – anagram of I (one) A STRONG
2 Struggle as a swimmer (8)
FLOUNDER – double definition
3 Close to Honduras, little room for European (4)
SLAV – [hondura]S + LAV (little room)
5 Papers surprisingly welcoming single currency at first, financial district showing discernment (12)
PERSPICACITY – I (single) in anagram of PAPERS + C[urrency] + CITY (financial district)
6 Leader absent from serious party (4)
RAVE – [g]RAVE (leader absent from serious)
7 Something under one’s foot lies on ground (6)
INSOLE – anagram of LIES ON
8 Hot shooter, chap under discussion (6)
GEYSER – homophone (“geezer”). Brits pronounce ‘geyser’ as they do ‘geezer’ while Americans say ‘guyser’.
11 Model inserted, head down (12)
DISHEARTENED – anagram of INSERTED HEAD
15 Bob’s delivery vehicle (5)
FLOAT – double definition
16 A little shorter seems short (5)
TERSE – hidden word
18 Horse takes a breather around hot pile of waste (8)
DUNGHILL – DUN (horse) + H (hot) in GILL (breather)
19 Insurrection in small volume (8)
SEDITION – S (small) + EDITION (volume)
21 Error those in form overturned (4-2)
SLIP-UP – PUPILS (those in form) backwards
22 Pound lapsing with penny off as a gesture (6)
SIGNAL – anagram of LA[p]SING
26 Chorus of disapproval as alcohol mentioned (4)
BOOS – homophone (“booze”)
27 One side remaining (4)
LEFT – double definition