Financial Times 14904 Neo

(Work in progress: Please click here for this same blog but with a picture quiz added. Please do NOT post hereinbelow any comment relating to the picture quiz. Thank you.)  A Neo on the lenient side. Thanks to Neo. Definitions are underlined in the clues.

Across

1    Love helping after fuss (9)

ADORATION : RATION(a helping;a portion handed out) placed after(after) ADO(a fuss).

6    Historian loses position in province (5)

MACAU : “Macaulay”(Thomas, British historian) minus(loses) “lay”(to position;to put in a particular place).

Answer: Former Portuguese colony, now a Chinese Special Administrative Region, a, well, some sort of a province.

9    New wallop’s drink brought round – it’s for Browning (7)

SUNLAMP : [ N(abbrev. for “new”) + LAM(to wallop;to thrash) ] contained in(… brought round) SUP(to drink).

Defn: …, the skin artificially, instead of in sunlight.

10    Paris, he messed around, grasping women (7)

HARPIES : Anagram of(… messed around) PARIS, HE.

Defn: Cruel greedy women, from the monsters in Greek mythology.

11    Mongrel at the start can’t bear hugs (5)

POOCH : The first letter of(at the start) “can’t” contained in(… hugs) POOH(Winnie-the-, from A.A. Milne’s children’s stories).

Defn: …, in slang.

12    Suggestion about benefit once topped (9)

REDOLENCE : RE(about;with reference to) + DOLE(social welfare benefit for the unemployed) + “once ” minus its 1st letter(topped).

Defn: Noun for being strongly suggestive or reminiscent of, perhaps, a distinctive odour.

14    Everyone in great central room beheaded (3)

ALL : “hall”(the great central room in a building for, say, assemblies, dining, concerts, etc.) minus its 1st letter(beheaded).

15    Cultural expert savaged in Aristotle (11)

ORIENTALIST : Anagram of(savaged) IN ARISTOTLE.

Defn: An expert in Eastern cultures.

17    Cutting free stone to be collected by a criminal (11)

ABRIDGEMENT : [ RID(to free of) + GEM(a precious stone) ] contained in(to be collected by) [A + BENT(criminal;crooked) ].

19    Wife in A&E shows fear and wonder (3)

AWE : W(abbrev. for “wife”) contained in(in) “A,E”(A&E).

20    Identify suspect information in digital feature? (9)

FINGERTIP : FINGER(to identify a suspect in a crime) + TIP(a piece of helpful information).

Defn: A feature not of the digits in binary code, but of those on your hand.

22    Dallas family for example embodies success (5)

EWING : E.G.(abbrev. for “exempli gratia”;for example) containing(embodies) WIN(a success).

Defn: Family in the soap opera.

24    In charge, English composer, one with cold manner (7)

ICEBERG : I.C.(abbrev. for “in charge”) + E(abbrev. for “English”) + BERG(Alban, Austrian composer).

Defn: …, figuratively.

26    Exclude posh stars in dull routine (4,3)

RULE OUT : [ U(characteristic of the upper-class;posh) + LEO(a constellation of stars) ] contained in(in) RUT(a dull routine in which one is stuck in).

27    Husband gets mum’s sister in trouble (5)

HAUNT : H(abbrev. for “husband”) plus(gets) AUNT(mum’s sister).

Defn: To trouble, as with unpleasant memories.

28    Lover fired on by lunatic (9)

BOYFRIEND : Anagram of(… lunatic) FIRED ON BY.

Down

1    Fabulist‘s revolutionary attitude allowed at first (5)

AESOP : Reversal of(revolutionary) [ POSE(an attitude) + the 1st letter of(… at first) “allowed ” ].

Answer: Storyteller credited with the fables collectively named after him.

2    Self-inflicted damage to have purpose (3,4)

OWN GOAL : OWN(to have;to possess) GOAL(a purpose;an end).

Defn: …, figuratively, from the literal meaning of scoring against your own team in a football match .

3    One in Honda car styled like Spider (9)

ARACHNOID : I(Roman numeral for “one”) contained in(in) anagram of(… styled) HONDA CAR.

Defn: …, the insect or, maybe, the Superhero.

4    Rude Neo is to the point (11)

IMPERTINENT : I’M(contraction of “I am”;”Neo is”, self-referentially) + PERTINENT(to the point;relevant).

5    Henry going climbing finds drama (3)

NOH : Reversal of(… climbing, in a down clue) [ H(symbol in physics for the Henry, the unit of inductance) + ON(going;operating, as with an electrical appliance) ].

Answer: Alternatively, No, the Japanese classic drama.

6    Picture motorway over Russian river? (5)

MURAL : M(abbrev. for “motorway”) placed above(over, in a down clue) URAL(the Central Russian river, rising in, well, the Ural Mountains).

Defn: … on a wall, or even a ceiling.

7    Letter to Greeks opposed to an Italian import? (7)

CHIANTI : CHI(the 22nd letter of the Greek alphabet) + ANTI(opposed to).

Defn: …, a dry red wine from the region of the same name.

8    Sun forced European supporting former PM to pull out (9)

UNSHEATHE : Anagram of(… forced) SUN + [ E(abbrev. for “European”) placed below(supporting, in a down clue) HEATH(Edward, former British PM) ].

Defn: …, as from a scabbard, or, even, a prophylactic.

13    First to detect hidden person in social situation (6,5)

DINNER PARTY : The 1st letter of(First to) “detect ” + INNER(hidden;behind the exterior) + PARTY(a person on one side of, say, a dispute).

14    60s idol first man to get religion (4,5)

ADAM FAITH : ADAM(the biblical first man) + FAITH(a religion).

16    Might one offer oil trader supply that includes beer? (3,6)

ART DEALER : Anagram of(… supply) TRADER containing(that includes) ALE(beer).

Defn: … painting for sale.

18    Some lines about Drugs Enforcement Agency in sport (7)

RONDEAU : [ ON(about, as in “the lecture was on your favourite subject”) + D.E.A.(abbrev. for the Drug Enforcement Agency) ] contained in(in) RU(abbrev. for the sport of Rugby Union).

Answer: A poem of 13 or 10 lines, and other poetic characteristics.

19    Fatty, a pickpocket, got up right away (7)

ADIPOSE : A + DIP(slang for one who dips into your pocket unlawfully) + “rose”(got up;stood up) minus(… away) “r”(abbrev. for “right”).

Defn: Pertaining to fat compounds.

21    Still time to ride competitively (5)

EVENT : EVEN(still;to a greater degree, as in “an even bigger problem is …”) + T(abbrev. for “time”).

Defn: … in equestrian sports.

23    Good answer by rowdy teen kept in school (5)

GATED : G(abbrev. for “good”) + A(abbrev. for “answer”) plus(by) TED(short for “teddy boy”, a rowdy teenager in the 50s and 60s in Britain).

Defn: …, equivalent to being grounded at home.

25    Soft wet lump in desert I must leave (3)

GOB : “Gobi”(the desert of southeastern Mongolia and northern China) minus(… must leave) “I “.

(Please do NOT post hereinbelow any comment relating to the picture quiz. Thank you.)