Financial Times 16,682 / Aardvark

The scheduled blogger hasn’t been able to be with us today, for one reason or another, so here is an analysis of the clues, with no further commentary from me.

Across
1 A faceless nobleman’s getting staff to find tall-stemmed plant (6,3)
AARON’S ROD – A [b]ARON’S (faceless nobleman’s) ROD (staff)

6 One entertains English setter around deserted copse (5)
EMCEE – E (English) ME (setter) around C[ops]E (deserted copse)

9 Poetic device that’s heard in ABBA? (5)
RHYME – def. & cryptic indicator

10 Way of cooking fresh tuna by English river in metal container (2,7)
AU NATUREL – an anagram (fresh) of TUNA URE (English river) in AL (metal)

11 Vehicle right by the police building (10)
HELICOPTER – an anagram (building) of THE POLICE followed by R (right)

12 Pasta Toni leaves somewhere on the Baltic coast (4)
RIGA – RIGA[toni] (pasta Toni leaves)

14 Where to launch Elvis’s sneering feature within rock and roll setting? (7)
SLIPWAY – LIP (Elvis’s sneering feature) in SWAY (rock and roll)

15 One ruminates, picking up bank publication (7)
ROEBUCK – sounds like (picking up) ‘row’ (bank) ‘book’ (publication)

17 Article initially outlining sleep phase principle (7)
THEOREM – THE (article) O[utlining] (initially outlining) REM (sleep phase)

19 Poles occupying characteristic conveyance (7)
TRANSIT – NS (Poles) in TRAIT (characteristic)

20 Arrows seen here reverberating, tips being swapped (4)
OCHE – ECHO (reverberating) with first and last letters exchanged (tips being swapped)

22 Boss’s tie wildly grabbed by two paid workers meeting resistance (10)
PROPRIETOR – an anagram (wildly) of TIE in PRO PRO (two paid workers) R (resistance)

25 Music player hurt playing Chicago’s heartland (9)
HARMONICA – HARM (hurt) ON (playing) [ch]ICA[go] (Chicargo’s heartland)

26 Flipping duke in food shop wasted time (5)
IDLED – D (duke) in DELI (food shop) reversed (flippling)

27 Bedroom philanderer displaying sex appeal (5)
OOMPH – contained in (displaying) ‘bedrOOM Philanderer’

28 Tree lily Diane relocated (9)
LEYLANDII – an anagram (relocated) of LILY DIANE

Down
1 Seeing a Northern Irish town, mother let out expression of dismay (5)
AARGH – A AR[ma]GH (Northern Irish town, mother let out)

2 Two chaps running event in Scottish landmark (5,4)
ROYAL MILE – ROY AL (two chaps) MILE (running event)

3 Christmas on Jersey, say, difficult for Cockney playwright (4,6)
NOEL COWARD – NOEL (Christmas) COW (Jersey, say) [h]ARD (difficult for Cockney)

4 Again seek job, harvest work (7)
REAPPLY – REAR (harvest) PLY (work)

5 Martial arts experts regularly require agile fellow (7)
DANSEUR – DANS (martial arts experts) [r]E[q]U[i]R[e] (regularly require)

6 Board chair having succeeded finally (4)
EATS – SEAT (chair) with S (succeeded) moved to the end

7 Fancy that soldier, a member of queen’s household? (5)
CORGI – COR (fancy that) GI (soldier)

8 English pair pound steak, smashing old container for fish (3-6)
EEL BASKET – EE (English pair) LB (pound) plus an anagram (smashing) of STEAK

13 Clued-up bird with savings account files a complaint (9,1)
HEPATITIS A – HEP (clued up) TIT (bird) ISA (savings account) around (files) A

14 Ancient burial site, shut off, contains one hundred rings (6,3)
SUTTON HOO – an anagram (off) of SHUT around (contains) TON (one hundred) OO (rings)

16 Bill might be so / restless (9)
UNSETTLED – double def.

18 Shopping centre one found extremely artificial and combative (7)
MARTIAL – MART (shopping centre) I (one) A[rtificia]L (extremely artificial)

19 From patio, furtively track bird appearing out of hedge perhaps (7)
TOPIARY – an anagram (furtively) of PATIO followed by RY (track)

21 Mark resides below career women living together (5)
HAREM – HARE (career) M (Mark)

23 More than one spoke with a detective in US state (5)
RADII – A DI (a detective) in RI (US state)

24 Money belt up under fleece (4)
DOSH – DO (fleece) SH (belt up)