Financial Times 14,848 by BRADMAN

Bradman’s puzzle today was teasingly difficult. I solved it in 2 sittings amidst a very hectic day at work so probably didnt stand to appreciate it as much others might have. Thanks to the Don for a mostly straightforward solve.

A couple of long anagrams which I always welcome. I thought 21ac was an unusual (but refreshing) clue (assuming I have parsed it right!) . Do have a couple of others below where I could do with some help  (5a, 27a).

FF: 8 DD: 7

Across
1 OVERSEAS
Old poetry to get when abroad (8)
Charade of O (old) VERSE (poetry) AS (when)
5 BODGER
Fellow starts to get everything repaired – clumsy worker (6)
F (Fellow) ?? BOD (Fellow) GER (starts to Get Everything Repaired) – I don’t think I have got this right. I thought Fellow might stand for Don but that didnt help much either. Codger could mean fellow but again have parsing trouble. [Thanks Coby@ #2]
10 SUCCOUR
Help the person who has been taken in through listening (7)
Sounds like SUCKER (person who has been taken in)
11 RETREAD
Motorist’s cheap alternative engineers rated “bad” (7)
RE (Engineers) TREAD (Anagram of RATED) – Referring to the cheaper alternative for changing tyres that have become bald.
12 EERIE
Weird emanation’s initially seen by lake (5)
E (Emanation, initially) by ERIE (lake)
13 OCCUPANTS
Those inside happen not to have right underwear (9)
OCCUr (happen, not to have right = R) PANTS (underwear)
14 CHEDDAR GORGE
Dairy product to indulge in somewhere in Somerset (7,5)
CHEDDAR (dairy product) GORGE (to indulge in)
18 CONSTITUTION
Person’s physical state is something that matters to Americans (12)
Cryptic clue
21 OUT OF TOWN
No longer having to win, one disappeared in the country? (3,2,4)
Cryptic clue. One (I) disappearing from “TO WIN” makes it “OUT OF TOW N”. [No Longer Having = Out Of. Thank Muffy@3 ]
23 YOUNG
Dear solver, no good being immature! (5)
YOU (Dear solver) N G (no good)
24 THEATRE
Heartless act in that place where people go to watch (7)
AT (AcT, heartless) in THERE (that place)
25 TROUBLE
Difficulty that’s beginning with money in Russia (7)
T (That’s, beginning) ROUBLE (money in Russia)
26 DERIDE
Laugh at poor exam grades obtained by sally (6)
Charade of D,E (poor exam grades) by RIDE (sally)
27 IDLENESS
It sounds like one adored Scottish loch – feature of holiday? (8)
Sounds like IDOL (one adored) NESS (Scottish loch) – [Thanks Coby@ #1].
Down
1 OUSTED
Exposed, with intervention of Head of School, and expelled (6)
OUTED (exposed) containing S (head of School)
2 ESCORT
Rector’s losing head out with a date (6)
Anagram of rECTORS (losing head, i.e. without the first letter)
3 SHOVEL HAT
Ecclesiastical tile that’s rested outside rickety building, bottom of church (6,3)
Charade of SAT (rested) outside [ HOVEL (rickety building) H (bottom of churcH) ]
4 AIR CONDITIONER
Incinerator I do get fussed about – one must provide some ventilation (3,11)
Anagram of INCINERATOR I DO
6 ON TAP
New volunteers will get stuck into work, as available (2,3)
[ N (New) TA (volunteers, Territorial Army) ] in OP (work)
7 GREENERY
Novelist has brief line that might suggest fresh leaves on the tree (8)
GREENE (Novelist, Graham) RY (brief line, railway)
8 RADISHES
Content of salad bowl is shared out (8)
Anagram of IS SHARED
9 PROCRASTINATED
Put off triceratops and trembling (14)
Anagram of TRICERATOPS AND
15 GLORY HOLE
A little room showing heaven and hell? (5,4)
Cryptic clue? [See PB @ #5. Thanks PB]
16 ACCOSTED
Bill provided with advance financial information is held up (8)
Charade of AC (Bill) COSTED (advance financial information)
17 KNITWEAR
Clothes wrecked by water and ink (8)
Anagram of WATER INK
19 RUBBLE
Bishop repeatedly held by canon to be rubbish? (6)
BB (Bishop, repeatedly) in RULE (canon)
20 OGRESS
Some progressive female deemed to be nasty (6)
Hidden in “..prOGRESSive..”
22 FATED
Overweight, taken drug, daughter is doomed (5)
FAT (Overweight) E (drug, Ecstacy) D (daughter)
*anagram

6 comments on “Financial Times 14,848 by BRADMAN”

  1. Thanks Turbolegs and Bradman,

    5 ac = BODGER

    OUT OF TOWN -: OUT OF = no longer having, then parsed as you suggest.

    If you give this smooth puzzle a DD of 7, the (linear) scale must go to 40 to accommodate IO (for me anyway)!

  2. Thanks to Coby@1,2 and Muffy@3. Have never come across Bodger so thats something new for me. Over complicated 21ac and 27ac for myself.

    Cheers
    TL

  3. Thanks Bradman and Turbolegs

    One from the backlog … and strangely enough, I found it very much on the easy end of the Don’s usually tough difficulty standard. Or maybe I was just in the zone.

    Apart from BODGER, perhaps, there were none of the customary obscure words. SHOVEL HAT was new to me as well, but very clearly clued.

    Finished with OUSTED and OVERSEAS.

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