Fifteensquared

FINANCIAL TIMES No: 12,769 set  by   AARDVARK     May 16, 2008

Most of this puzzle was quite straightforward, but I came unstuck on 16A and 14D..
I  have made an attempt at them but can’t quite see the reasons.  I wanted 16 to be some kind of
‘hand’-book, but could not find one to fit.

ACROSS

1.       HOCKEY - C in hokey (slang for prison)
4.       QUEEN BEE- bee as in ’spelling bee.’
9.       LEAN TO -  le-ant-o (leo the big cat)
12.     CELERIAC- C-(hocolat)-E  *eclair
13.     ASSENT- (p)asse- nt
15.      NORM - no-r-m
16.      LABOURSOME(?)- ( bourse cheese may come into this)
19.      WHITSTABLE -*blast within white for snowy
23.      NINETY- n-in-et-y ( French for and, Spanish for and)
25.      PORTUGAL - p-or-tug-al ( pal - old china to Cockneys)
27.     GOVERNOR - g- over-no-r
28.     POETIC - p-oet-ic (alternate letters from moments within pic)
29.     MONICKER- mo- nicker(One who steals)
30.     VERNON - Ver-n-on (<Rev- noon - working)

DOWN

1.      HELICON  - * echoing, substituting L for G (A brass instrument, fore-runner of the sousaphone,
                                 popular for ceremonial use in Europe)
2.      CHARLEROI - cha-r-*loire (City in Belgium)
3.      EATERY - ea-t-e-ry (another slang term)
5..     UREA - *a  rule, without L
6.      EXPOSURE - ex- posure (posture without T)
8.      ELECTEE - <hidden clue
11.    RAMADAN - armada with first letters reversed plus n for navy.
14.    ROLLMOP(?) - only other thought was scallop but could not make that fit.
17     ORANG UTAN - orange without e ,* nut with a
18.    ESOTERIC - e-*tories -c
19.    WINE GUM - win-e-g-um ( wing around base of store, plus hesitation word)
21.    PELICAN - * in place - bird with large beak.
22.    OTIOSE - < hidden clue
23.    NIVEN - n-ive-n (David Niven, much loved film actor)
26     FORE - golfer’s warning ( forest without st.)