Financial Times 14,852 by IO

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Not as hard as some Io puzzles, if you can get started!

At first I was stumped by this puzzle, over half the clues refer to some other clue in some way. I guessed that Io would have provided some way out of this seemingly unfair situation, but I could not see what.  There was also a strong flavour of smuttiness about the puzzle, whatever the theme was it wasn’t names of wild flowers or classical composers.

Then with only one clue solved (REAR) I got a flash of inspiration that all the references were to nudity.  I can’t say why, only that I saw a leery grin and a wink on John Henersons face in my imagination and the solution was there.

I wouldn’t say it was easy after that, but compared to some Io puzzles I think I got off lightly.

Thanks Io for a super puzzle.

completed grid
I resisted the urge to fill the blog with nudity related double entendres, I wonder if the comments will be as restrained?
Across
6 UNAU
Au naturel: later, a la mode, dishabille (SA being active at night!) (4)
aU NAtUrel missing (dishabille, undressed) LATER* anagram=a la mode – the two toed sloth, a South American being (living thing) that is ncoturnal (active at night)
8 NATURISTIC
Alan Turing’s heart flutters, attaching not all blame for having 23 tendencies (10)
 anagram (flutters) of the heart (middle) of alAN TURIng then (attaching) STICk (blame, not all)
10  
See 7
11 ARISTO
Noble, noble gas will (6)
AR (Argon, noble gas) IS TO (will)
12 STARKERS
23 is made of sterner stuff for a start (8)
STARKER (sterner) Stuff (starting letter of)
14 NUDE
At intervals unsubdued? (4)
uNsUbDuEd (at intervals, every other letter) – not sure of the definition, could be &lit?
15 IN CROWD
Hipsters Incorporated not all boisterous (2-5)
INC (incorporated) ROWDy (boisterous, not all)
17 CARBOYS
Means to carry corrosive chaps to service? (7)
CAR BOYS – could be men who service cars?
20  
See 24
21  
See 18
23 NUDIST
Is he out of pants? I dunno, from behind . . . . (6)
found reversed (from behind) inside panTS I DUNno – definition is sort of &lit
24, 20, 27 AS THE DAY I WAS BORN
. . . . a bod’s 2, say, well turned out in my 5 1! (2,3,3,1,3,4)
(A BOD’S IN THE RAW SAY)* anagram=well turned out
26  
See 21 down
Down
1  
See 5
2 IN THE RAW
21 26, with chafing, wear thin (2,3,3)
(WEAR THIN)* anagram=with chafing
3 FT INDEX
Footsie, expressing Deft “X”, suggests how to locate here? (2,5)
d-ft-ex is FT IN DEX
4 ASSIGNABLE
Accepted a blessing in disguise that may be referred (10)
A (accepted) then (A BLESSING)* anagram=in disguise
5, 1 BIRTHDAY SUIT
7 10, this hit ground with absurdity (8,4)
anagram (ground) of HIT with ABSURDITY
7, 10 NOT A STITCH ON
12 little fellow follows when Number 100 comes round (3,1,6,2)
TITCH (little fellow) follows AS inside (…comes round) NO (number) TON (100)
9 REARS
Brings up what 23s don’t hide but derriere and arse, put together, do (5)
hidden in derrieRE and ARSe  when put together
13 TERES MINOR
Caught in drift, Mr E is exercising muscle (5,5)
(MR E IS)* anagram=excercising inside (caught in) TENOR (drift)  - a narrow elongated muscle on the rotator cuff
16 NEW BUILD
Modern house the wife and I erected in rejuvenated Dublin (3,5)
WE (the wife and I) reversed (erected) in DUBLIN* anagram=rejuvenated, ‘erected’ indicates that W and I are in reverse order
18, 21 across AS NATURE INTENDED
14 entertained us and made merry (2,6,8)
(ENTERTAINED US AND)* anagram=made merry
19 ATTACHE
Junior ambassador worried about army check (7)
ATE (worried) contains (about) TA (Territorial Army) CH (check)
21, 26 IN THE ALTOGETHER
Between covers fitness keeps love secure, 18 21 across! (2,3,10)
INTER (between) contains (covers) HEALTH (fitness) containing (keeps) O (love) GET (secure)
22 HAIR
Rock musical’s not Harry Hill’s concern! (4)
Harry Hill (comedian) is bald
25 ELBA
Competent looking up part of Tuscany? (4)
ABLE (competent) reversed (looking up)
*anagram
definitions are underlined

7 comments on “Financial Times 14,852 by IO”

  1. Indeed tough to get going but then there are only so many synonyms for naked…

    16dn. I think it is the “Wife and I”=WE in DUBLIN*

    6ac. I needed electronic help to find UNAU. I wanted the wordplay to be (AUNATUREL-LATER)* rather than your AUNATUREL-(LATER)* but the “a la mode” and “deshabille” indicators seemed the wrong way round.

    Thanks PeeDee and IO for the challenge

  2. Thanks for the blog. @16dn seems to me missing the letter “e”. Could it be “wife and I” giving “we”? I am a newbie.

  4. NUDE was my first one in and then I looked and thought oo-er but as Peterr says there are only so many synonyms for naked.

    Thanks to IO for a nice brain stretch and PeeDee for the explanations.

  5. Glad I wasn’t blogging this. 6 beat me but the nudity theme was twigged early on. But what a convoluted mess this was to untangle. Well done PD and Io for creating it.

  6. Similar experience except I quickly guessed “Birthday suit” then found 5D was 8, 4 – only time I have solved a clue before reading it and without any letters..

  7. Thanks Io and PeeDee

    What an interesting theme !! Even after one was alerted to it (IN THE RAW was one of my first half dozen answers), there was still lots to work through – in fact, AS NATURE INTENDED and IN THE ALTOGETHER were in my last three to get! CARBOYS was last.

    There was even more work required to understand the parsing of a number of clues – it took an age to parse 6a, 8a,11a, 7d-10a, 16d and 21d-26a.

    Whilst a lot easier than an old alterego, Enigmatist, in the Guardian that I also finished this week, still knew that I’d been in a battle here.

    REARS raised a laugh !

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