Financial Times no.14,784 by Peto

by

[If you’re attending York S&B please see comments 32&33] - here

A good, neat, enjoyable puzzle from Peto.

There was nothing here that was hugely troubling, though I found one or two devices slightly questionable and – as at 18ac. and 16dn., for instance – some of the clueing was a little close to the definition for my taste. But there were some terrific surfaces and plenty of craft. Thank-you, Peto.
Across
1 APPLAUSE
Kind of appeal to receive American sign of approval (8)
US [American] within anagram of appeal (though “kind of” is an unusual anagram indicator)
5 AND HOW
One to a boat? I should think so indeed (3,3)
An [one]  dhow [boat]
10 SMACK
A trace of heroin (5)
Double definition
11 REFERENCE
Mention about a receiver of stolen goods without hesitation (9)
Re [about] + er [hesitation] within fence [receiver of stolen goods]
12 RATIONALE
A theoretical solution is to restrict the supply of beer (9)
Ration [restrict the supply of] ale [beer]
13 HEART
Enthusiasm for game’s curtailed (5)
Heart(s) [game]
14 ECCLES
Understand about storing a small quantity near lake in northern town (6)
CC [cubic centimetre, small amount] + l [lake] within reversal of see [understand]
15 EARACHE
Bill after attention? The man’s a pain (7)
Ear [attention] + ac [account, bill] + he [the man’s]
18 BULLDOG
Animal’s strong tail (7)
Bull [strong] + dog [tail]
20 REIN IN
Stop at home after report of bad weather (4,2)
Rein [sounds like ‘rain’, bad weather] + in [at home]
22 TASTE
Contributing to Anita’s terrifying experience (5)
Hidden in aniTAS TErrifying
24 ON THE BALL
Informed about article on Liberal party getting withdrawn (2,3,4)
On [about] + the [(definite) article] + reversal of l [liberal]  Lab [(Labour) party]
25 UNIVERSAL
Republican values in turmoil worldwide (9)
Anagram of R [Republican] values in
26 ADORN
A bit of rough boarding put on deck (5)
A + r(ough) within don [put on]
27 ESTATE
A residential area in Spain say (6)
E [Spain] + state [say]
28 CREDENCE
Study the introduction of Christianity into Native American belief (8)
Den [study] + C(hristianity) within Cree [Native American]
Down
1 ASSORT
Fool getting nothing right in class (6)
Ass [fool] + O [zero, nothing] + rt [right]
2 PRACTICAL
Adapted for use in this kind of exam (9)
Double definition
3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Admission of something done to obtain information on workers (15)
Knowledge [information] + men [workers] within act [something done]
4 SURPASS
Almost certain to change cap (7)
Sur(e) [certain] + pass [change (?)]
6 NORTHERN IRELAND
Odd denial about Railtrack’s head supporting an underground line for this part of the UK (8,7)
Northern [London Underground line] + r(ailtrack) within anagram of denial
7 HENNA
Old queen taken aback by height of plant (5)
H [height] reversal of Anne [old queen]
8 WHEATLEY
A question of motive surrounding strange tale by English novelist (8)
Anagram of late + E [English] within why [question of motive]
9 EFFETE
Weak passage from Genet effectively sent up (6)
Hidden in reversal of genET EFFEctively
16 CHINATOWN
Country gent finally gets wife to stop working in this area of London (9)
China [country] + (gen)t + w [wife] within on [working]
17 ABSTRUSE
Resistance on street to intervene in corrupt practice is difficult to understand (8)
St [street] + r [resistance] within abuse [corrupt practice]
19 GROUSE
Grumble over maintaining Greek custom? Just the opposite (6)
O [over] within Gr [Greek]  use [custom]
20 RATTLER
Start to regret going after upset snake (7)
Rattle [upset] + r(egret)
21 PLUNGE
Immerse in pitch (6)
Double definition
23 SHIFT
Remove lady’s clothing (5)
Double definition

4 comments on “Financial Times no.14,784 by Peto”

  1. Thanks Ringo and Peto. Quite liked this puzzle. My LOI was 5ac (dhow was new to me). I did wonder whether a “Rationale” can be interpreted as a theoretical solution. Also did have to look up the meaning of change (to clue in pass) in 4dn – Chambers has it as “To cause to move or to pass from one state to another” but that still didn’t cut it for me. Overall, a pleasant tussle, so thanks once again to R and P.

    Cheers
    TL

  2. Many thanks Peto & Ringo.

    This was very enjoyable but I didn’t get ECCLES which is very surprising because that’s where I was married!

    I’ve also eaten hundreds of Eccles Cakes.

    I must be getting old.

  3. Perhaps ‘remove clothing’ would have been less risky for SHIFT! It is after all not necessarily a female garment, and it is 2014.

    I agree with your blog comments Ringo, thank you.

  4. Thanks Peto and Ringo

    Enjoyable challenge from Peto which was done in a couple of sittings a week late.

    Having grown up on a farm, I had confidently written in SKIRT at 23d. In a shearing shed, to ‘skirt a fleece’ means to remove the inferior wool from the fleece – which I used to have as a job as a teenager. Unfortunately, this is one of those annoying clues that can have two ‘correct’ answer with neither one any better than the other.

    ECCLES was the last in and also took a while to parse. Thought that both long down clues were very good.

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