Financial Times 14,819 by Mudd

Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of January 3, 2015

I found this puzzle easy but good. My top clues are 1a (GRASSHOPPER) and 16d (NICOTINE).

ACROSS
1 Right to punch one buying fuel? That’s not cricket! (11)
GRASSHOPPER – R (right) in GAS SHOPPER (one buying fuel)
7 Full of promise, each starting out – that’s dandy (3)
FOP – F[ull] O[f] P[romise]
9 Quantity of food outside tin, not in tin, perhaps? (5)
METAL – T[in] (tin, not in) in MEAL (quantity of food)
10 Destroy music that’s rot? (9)
DECOMPOSE – DE-COMPOSE (destroy music)
11 Under the table like walls and ceilings? (9)
PLASTERED – double definition
12 Government leader admitted to insubstantial backing – while most asleep? (5)
NIGHT – G[overnment] in THIN (insubstantial) backwards
13 Harsh penalty, more than enough (7)
APLENTY – anagram of PENALTY
15 Strongly criticise judge (4)
RATE – double definition
18 Cry when knocked over, getting shiner (4)
BULB – BLUB (cry) backwards
20 Obsolete model, it getting thrown out (3-4)
OLD-TIME – anagram of MODEL IT
23 A judicial process unfinished for the central courts (5)
ATRIA – A (a) + TRIA[l] (judicial process unfinished)
24 Very bad English in novel so unfair (9)
NEFARIOUS – E (English) in anagram of SO UNFAIR
26 Retreat, furious about dog finally getting put down (9)
DENIGRATE – DEN (retreat) + [do]G in IRATE (furious)
27 First to break journey, woman in front of train (5)
BRIDE – B[reak] + RIDE (journey)
28 Person regularly seen as an expert (3)
PRO – P[e]R[s]O[n]
29 Grain in the henhouse – or peanuts? (7,4)
CHICKEN FEED – double definition

DOWN
1 Strategy to break Indonesian instrument with piano (4,4)
GAME PLAN – P (piano) in GAMELAN (Indonesian instrument)
2 Really bad cut bandaged by a friend (8)
ACTUALLY – anagram of CUT in A ALLY (a friend)
3 Left in exact replica, left! (5)
SPLIT – L (left) in SPIT (exact replica)
4 Methodical hospital attendant (7)
ORDERLY – double definition
5 Say, take whichever gate you like as a bullfighter’s assistant? (7)
PICADOR – homophone (“pick a door”)
6 Spirit in a cuddly toy is pondered (9)
RUMINATED – RUM (spirit) + IN (in) + A (a) + TED (cuddly toy)
7 Misty, last of air inhaled – then croaking? (6)
FROGGY – [ai]R in FOGGY (misty)
8 Fairly insignificant river’s blocked (6)
PRETTY – R (river) in PETTY (insignificant)
14 Sharp and painful cryptic clue in rag (9)
NEURALGIC – anagram of CLUE IN RAG
16 Hooker I bed, figure that’s round (8)
NICOTINE – I (I) + COT (bed) together in NINE (figure) with a nice cryptic definition
17 Again climb on a post, gripping crampon initially (8)
REASCEND – RE (on) + A (a) + C[rampon] in SEND (post)
19 Girl entering the country not entirely Asian (7)
BENGALI – GAL (girl) in BENI[n] (the country not entirely)
20 Quieter time on holiday with dog, we hear? (3-4)
OFF-PEAK – OFF (on holiday) + PEAK (homophone “peke”)
21 Anything but soft down for boracic (4,2)
HARD UP – opposite of SOFT DOWN. ‘Boracic’ is Cockney rhyming slang for penniless. But what does it rhyme with?
22 Aussie fool no good covered in dribble, wiping the last away (6)
DRONGO – NG (no good) in DROO[l] (dribble, wiping the last away). I know a few Australian terms had to look up ‘drongo’.
25 Bird exploring, dropping wings (5)
ROBIN – [p]ROBIN[g] (exploring, dropping wings)