DT Cryptic No 25873

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 25873

Hints and tips by Big Dave

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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***

Not too easy, not too hard, but then it is the middle of the week.

Don’t forget – just highlight the space between the curly brackets to reveal the answer.

Across

1a Graceful birds close to shore, first to arrive in Welsh city (7)
{SWANSEA} – the graceful birds all belong to Her Majesty in the UK; follow them with E (close to shore) and A (first to Arrive) and you get a city in Wales

5a Judge had robe torn (7)
{DEBORAH} – reasonably easy to derive as an anagram (torn) of HAD ROBE, less obviously this lady was the fourth, and the only female, Judge of pre-monarchic Israel

9a Caught four at sea making for an Ionian island (5)
{CORFU} – C(aught) then an anagram (at sea) of FOUR gives a Greek island popular with holidaymakers

10a Stayed over on South American peninsula, (9)
{SUSPENDED} – ENDED (over) after (on) S(outh) US (American) P (Peninsula, initially) gives another word for stayed, as in postponed a judgement

11a Rind found in a green Opel, rotted (6,4)
{ORANGE PEEL} – this rind is an anagram (rotted) of A GREEN OPEL

12a Almost perfect concept (4)
{IDEA} – take the last letter (almost) from another word for perfect and you are left with a concept

14a The Parisienne girl (married girl) in a Spanish-speaking area (5,7)
{LATIN AMERICA} – LA (the, French / Parisienne) TINA (girl) M(arried) ERICA (another girl) gives another name for the area where Spanish (or  Portuguese) is the official languages

18a I pay a flying visit on a regular basis (7,5)
{HALLEY’S COMET} – this heavenly body was named after Edmond Halley not, as some might like to believe, Bill Haley

21a Spots river by wood (4)
{RASH} – R(iver) precedes a tree to give an outbreak of red spots on the skin

22a Notice clergyman’s in control (10)
{ADMINISTER} – AD (advertisement / notice) then a clergyman (or possible a member of the Government) gives a word meaning to control

25a Docker set off, drove recklessly, ending in catastrophe (9)
{STEVEDORE} – an anagram (off) of SET another (recklessly) of DROVE and then E (ending in catastrophe) give a docker

26a Drank around base (5)
{DEPOT} – TOPED (drank) reversed (around) gives a base

27a Reserves come back to draw, making a try (7)
{ATTEMPT} – the Territorial Army (reserves) reversed (come back) then a word meaning to entice (to draw) gives a try

28a Land turtle losing power (7)
{TERRAIN} – a river turtle without the P (losing power) gives a word meaning land

Down

1d Religious group or division (6)
{SECTOR} – what Chambers describes as a subdivision of one of the main religious divisions of mankind (religious group) then OR gives a division

2d A general out of the country (6)
{ABROAD} – A then a synonym for general and you are overseas (out of the country)

3d Resentful disparagement of us by Greek mimic on board (4,6)
{SOUR GRAPES} – OUR (of us) then GR(eek) APE (mimic) all inside the ubiquitous crossword ship and you have resentful disparagement (or rancid fruit!)

4d Greek writer a model brought over (5)
{AESOP} – A then POSE (model) reversed (brought over) gives the Greek writer of well-known fables

5d Outlaw peer, odd as can be (9)
{DESPERADO} – an anagram (can be – an unusual anagram indicator) of PEER ODD AS gives an outlaw that the Eagles sang about

6d Gathering, following complaint (4)
{BEEF} – quite clever wordplay – BEE (a gathering, as in spelling bee) then F(ollowing) fiving a complaint

7d Oilfield firefighter delivered a challenge, we hear (3,5)
{RED ADAIR} – this world famous oilfield firefighter sounds like (we hear) read a dare (delivered a challenge)

8d Why 12 unfolded involving a secluded spot (8)
{HIDEAWAY} – an anagram (unfolded) of WHY and the answer to 12 across around (involving) A gives a secluded spot

13d We lingered, upsetting comedic US actor (4,6)
{GENE WILDER} – an anagram (upsetting) of WE LINGERED gives one of my favourite actors, star of films like Blazing Saddles and The Producers, and no, it’s not Mel Brooks – I met Mel Brooks and his late wife Anne Bancroft at a theatre preview a few years ago, and what a lovely couple they were; they signed my program and Mel spent several minutes explaining to me what the play (Our Town, starring their friend Alan Alda) was about

15d Thoroughly fashionable 24 elsewhere (6,3)
{INSIDE OUT} – IN (fashionable) then a synonym for the answer to 24 across and OUT (elsewhere) give a phrase meaning thoroughly

16d Mrs Mopp is making personal appeal (8)
{CHARISMA} – the daily cleaner (Mrs Mopp) then IS and MA (old lady ) give a word for personal appeal

17d Veteran soldier in TA slowed alarmingly (3,5)
{OLD SWEAT} – an anagram of TA SLOWED gives a slang expression for a veteran soldier

19d More would have us believe this is the perfect place (6)
{UTOPIA} – this perfect place was the subject of a book by Sir Thomas More

20d A Mediterranean islander in strange trance (6)
{CRETAN} – an anagram (strange) of TRANCE gives a resident of Crete (a Mediterranean islander)

23d Blundering writer shown up in it (5)
{INEPT} – PEN (writer) reversed (shown up) in IT gives a synonym for blundering

24d Group of players from Reigate, amateurs (4)

{TEAM} – a rather obvious hidden word (from) giving a group of, say, football players

An interesting grid, where the first eight down clues all start on the top row and the last eight all end on the bottom row.