FINANCIAL TIMES 12,818 by Cincinnus (12 July)

Not much to comment about in this one. A couple of relatively obscure words but not too difficult to determine from the wordplay. Some enjoyable clues, I particularly liked 3D.

 

 

Across

1 IFFIER  IF FI (mid-wIFe forwards and backwards) ER (expressed hesitation)

4 CARBOLIC  COLIC (complaint) about *(BAR)

10 SYBARITIC  *(CITY BAR IS)

11 WORKS  dd

12 ARIA  *(AIR) A

13 ALL THE RAGE  A G (first letter of genius) inside ALL THERE (of normal intelligence) – the definition was ‘in’

15 CRUMBLE  C (first letter of confectioner) RUMBLE (discover the truth about)

16 CROWDS  CROWS (birds) about D (500)

19 AENEAS  second letters of ‘tAvErN bEcAuSe’ – in Greco-Roman mythology Aeneas ‘travelled’ from Troy to Italy and founded Rome

21 DREAM UP  *(PRAM DUE)

23 CONFERENCE  dd

25 ACOL  A CO (company) L (letterhead ie first letter of letter) – Acol is a method of bidding in the card game bridge

27 EPSOM  P (parking) in *(SOME)

28 LATERALLY  LATER (succeeding) ALLY (partner)

29 SAYONARA  SAY (for example) *(AARON)

30 WOODEN  O (love) in WODEN (God)

Down

1 INSTANCE  IN (batting, a cricket term) STANCE (position)

2 FEBRIFUGE  FEB (month) *(FIGURE) – febrifuge is apparently a medicine that reduces fever

3 EARS  cd – ears are ‘auditors’ and ‘Anthony’s loan request’ is that famous line “Friends, Romans and countrymen, lend me your ears …..”

5 ASCETIC  AS (like) CETIC (Celtic, a Scottish football team, minus ‘l’ the back of fall)

6 BOWLED OVER  DOVE (bird) in BOWLER (hat)

7 LORNA  hidden word in ‘isabeL OR NAtalie’

8 COSSET  COS (lettuce) SET (place)

9 ATTLEE  TT (empty tent) in A LEE (shelter)

14 ABLE SEAMEN  *(A MALE’S BEEN)

17 DOMICILED  *(OLD MEDICI)

18 APOLLYON  A POLLY (parrot) ON (aboard) – Apollyon was a Biblical destroyer or devil

20 STELLAR  STELLA (woman’s name) R (right)

21 DUCATS  DU (dumb with MB for ‘physician’ removed) CATS (animals)

22 SCREWS  dd

24 NASTY  ST (street) in *(ANY)

26 BRIO  BRI (middle letters of Cambridge) O (first letter of October)