Financial Times 16,530 by NEO

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Neo provides this morning's FT puzzle

On first reading through the clues, I was able to answer most of the left-hand side of the grid pretty quickly, but the right side eluded me at first. Eventually, once I had the long answers around the edge of the puzzle in place, everything else slotted in fairly easily. I did have to look up the spelling of URTICARIA, and I originally entered IN TOW instead of ON TOW, but, those apart, it was straightforward.

ADIEU, albeit clever, is now a bit of a chestnut, but that aside, there was a good mix of clueing.

Thanks, Neo.

ACROSS
1 MAGNILOQUENT Boastful Algonquin met when travelling (12)
 

*(algonquin met) [anag;when travelling]
8 NEUTRON Particle produces trigger initially in nerve cell (7)
 

T(rigger) [initially] in NEURON ("nerve cell")
9 TANAGER Bird, brown, with mature rook (7)
 

TAN ("brown") + with AGE ("mature") + R (rook, in chess notation)
11 PALLIER In seaside venue everyone more friendly (7)
 

In PIER ("seaside venue"), ALL ("everyone")
12 WAR CLUB Weapon that’s crude returned to group (3,4)
 

<=RAW ("crude", returned) to CLUB ("group")
13 CONCH Decorative shell found in Brecon church (5)
 

Hidden in [found in] "breCON CHurch"
14 MOUTHWASH Liquid refreshment stimulating the palate? (9)
 

(Not very) cryptic definition
16 ON DEPOSIT One with pots, I’d cleverly invested in bank (2,7)
 

*(one pots id) [anag:cleverly]
19 ADIEU Share Jill Masterson’s fate, and it’s goodbye! (5)
 

DIE in Au (chemical symbol for gold) which is what Jill Masterton did in Goldfinger.

Having been knocked out by Goldfinger's henchman, Oddjob, she is painted all over in gold paint, supposedly dying of skin asphyxiation, although the validity of dying from this method has been questioned since. In the movie, she was played by Shirley Eaton.
21 AFFRONT Insult delivered with a fine impudence (7)
 

A + F (fine) + FRONT ("impudence")
23 COMMAND Bidding millions, fellow admitted to hoax (7)
 

M (millions) + MAN ("fellow") admitted to CON ("hoax")
24 ENCLAVE French in warning about lake – area surrounded (7)
 

EN ("French" for "in") + CAVE ("warning" in Latin) about L (lake)
25 ROE DEER Creature in Scottish river heartless rower traps (3,4)
 

[heartless] RO(w)ER traps DEE ("Scottish river")
26 NONCHALANTLY Casually taking name, call Anthony to order (12)
 

*(call anthony) [anag:to order], taking N (name)
DOWN
1 MAUDLIN Emotional Broad at close lashed by savage batting (7)
 

(broa)D [at close] lashed by MAUL ("savage") + IN ("batting" in cricket terminology)
2 GARNISH Glitzy knight coming in put trimmings on dish (7)
 

GARISH ("glitzy") with N (knight, in chess notation) coming in
3 IGNORAMUS One not bright or amusing when drunk (9)
 

*(or amusing) [anag:when drunk]
4 ON TOW Suspicious of wife being pulled by trucker? (2,3)
 

ON TO ("suspicious of") + W (wife)
5 UP NORTH Pro-hunt organisation not down south (2,5)
 

*(pro hunt) [anag:organisation]
6 NIGELLA Endlessly making claims about woman (7)
 

[endlessly] <=ALLEGIN(g) ("making claims", about)
7 INSPECTORATE Bug quietly installed, make speech for examiners (12)
 

INSECT ("bug") with P (piano, so "quietly") installed, + ORATE ("make speech")
10 RUB SHOULDERS What masseurs might do to socialise? (3,9)
 

Double definition
15 URTICARIA Hives not restricted to apiarists? (9)
 

Cryptic definition, "hives" in this case being the skin condition, not the bees' home.
17 DE FACTO Fed up with drama – nothing to it really (2,5)
 

<=FED [up] with ACT ("drama") with O ("nothing") (added) to it
18 PROSAIC Expert thus saves a pedestrian (7)
 

PRO ("expert") + SIC ("thus") saves A
19 ARMREST Frenchman in detention requires support on seat (7)
 

M (monsieur, so "Frenchman") in ARREST ("detention")
20 IMAGERY Mental visions one girl receives bring ease at last (7)
 

I ("one") + MARY ("girl") receives (brin)G (eas)E [at last]
22 THETA From Ugarit he takes letter to Greeks (5)
 

Hidden in [from] "ugariT HE TAkes"

11 comments on “Financial Times 16,530 by NEO”

  1. In 23a, it is COD not CON.

    Not a fan of cryptic clues like 15d. Fortunately, I knew this one. If you don’t the clue gives no help and forces a word fit. On the whole, a nice and fairly easy solve.

    Thanks to Neo and loonapick.

  2. To Hovis @ 1, I didn’t know this definition of ‘cod’. I too thought ‘con’ but didn’t know what to do with ‘ad’ so thanks for making sense of this clue. I agree on 15d which I guessed was a skin complaint but had to look up – a new word to note.
    Overall, it was an enjoyable solve with pleasing clues such as 9ac, 25ac and 10d. A few obstinate ones and I slipped up on 22ac, determined to make a hidden ‘omega’ fit.
    Thanks both to Neo and Loonapick.

  3. Hovis @ 1

    Thanks for pointing out the obligatory typo in my blog. I’ll amend when I get a chance.

  5. I really enjoyed this crossword – I know 19d is a chestnut but it is a good one – I also liked 15d – not least because we have beehives

    Thanks to Loonapick and Neo (who may wish to note that I’m still not complaining about the regularity with which we get to enjoy solving his crosswords these days)

  6. Thanks Neo for the challenge. It was smooth sailing until I got to the SE corner where I called it quits last evening; I looked at it again this morning and ROE DEER unlocked the quadrant for me. Lots of clever but fair cluing; favorites included WAR CLUB and PROSAIC. Thanks Loonapick for parsing esp. ADIEU.

  7. We worked steadily through this with no real problems  IMAGERY was our LOI and even then we took a while to see the parsing as we thought at first the ‘girl’ was ‘Margery’.  ADIEU may be a chestnut but we hadn’t encountered it before.  Plenty to enjoy, favourites being INSPECTORATE and IGNORAMUS.

    Thanks, Neo and loonapick.

  9. I also had IN TOW as my initial answer. As well, I had to look up the spelling of URTICARIA. I always like to know that someone had a similar experience.

  10. 15d far too obscure for my money … the kind of word where you want a clue that gives you all the pieces, so you then have a stab at the word, and then learn a new word.

    I have however learned how to spell allege properly…!

    Guess adieu – thanks for the parsing @loonapick, absolutely love it.

  11. Thanks Neo and loonapick

    Not as hard as he can be … but as enjoyable as he generally is.  Another initial IN TOW until was able to untangle the letters of MAGNILOQUENT (a new term for me).  TANAGER and URTICARTIA were the other new terms – and agree that a cd is a hard way to discover new learning (nearly justifies the use of a word finder, I reckon).

    Unlike Tony@6, ROE DEER was the last entry in the SE corner – interesting how different minds see alternative ways into cracking the entry point into the puzzle or a section of it.  Found the NE corner the most tricky and finished with the very clever NIGELLA and WAR CLUB (that still took ages, even with WAR —B)

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