Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2475 – Review
A full analysis by Big Dave
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
The Sunday puzzle has improved significantly over the last two or three weeks. This one was not as difficult as some of the earlier ones due, in part, to the noticeable lack of contentious clues.
Across
1a Having eaten the fish, order waffles in (8)
CORRODED – an anagram (waffled) of ORDER inside COD(fish) to give a synonym for rusted
6a Decide to help – set out to fix (4,2)
STEP IN – an anagram (out) of SET then PIN (to fix) gives the action of deciding to help
9a Top taken off for pressing, stupidly scorches (6)
SINGES – an anagram (stupidly) of (pr)ESSING (top taken off for pressing) gives a word meaning scorches
10a Lights that go out (8)
LANTERNS – lights that were once carried by people in the days before electricity
11a Paradoxically, it’s tender (4,4)
HARD CASH – a cryptic definition
12a Very good – b….. marvellous! (6)
SUPERB – SUPER (very good) then B give a word meaning marvellous
13a Never succeeding, though really excellent (6,2,4)
SECOND TO NONE – a cryptic definition and a standard definition
16a He’ll tell you spring is here (5,7)
WATER DIVINER – a cryptic definition of a dowser – my favourite clue in this weeks puzzle puzzle
19a Dump a lot of sand (6)
DESERT – a double definition – as a verb, to leave (dump) and as a noun a lot of sand – last week it was useless land
21a It’s left here for us, on the road (4,4)
NEAR SIDE – a cryptic definition
23a Sensible with the animal a lion, trained (8)
RATIONAL – RAT (animal) then an anagram (trained) of A LION to give a word meaning sensible
24a The bird, a duck, comes back and you bag it (6)
LINNET – NIL (a duck) reversed (comes back) and NET (you bag it) give a type of bird
25a He’s deliberately irritating and is a problem (6)
TEASER – another double definition
26a Came back looking as new. Different colour (8)
ANSWERED – an anagram (looking … different) of AS NEW then RED (colour) to give a synonym for came back
Down
2d With ‘It’s in the garden, love,’ I rang off (6)
ORIGAN – an anagram (off) of O (love) I RANG gives another name for the wild marjoram – a definite &lit flavour to the first down clue
3d Stiff with cold, head off for (5)
RIGID – (f)RIGID (cold, first letter / head off) for a word meaning stiff
4d The position taken in did set one apart from (9)
DISTANCED – STANCE (position) inside (taken in) DID for a word meaning set one apart from
5d In old photos, starting out to be a great swimmer (7)
DOLPHIN – this great swimmer is an anagram (out) of the first 7 letters (starting) of IN OLD PH(otos)
6d Turns on broadcasts (5)
SENDS – a double definition
7d It lifts the lid on a big surprise (9)
EYEOPENER – one part of this clever double definition is cryptic
8d Ranting stupidly about nothing, having a lot to learn (8)
IGNORANT – an anagram (stupidly) of RANTING around (about) O (nothing) gives a word meaning having a lot to learn
13d She’s survived to make a comeback in ‘The Wicked Ladies’ (3-6)
SHE DEVILS – LIVED (survived) is reversed (to make a comeback) inside SHE’S for ‘The Wicked Ladies’ – I got this straightaway, and then hesitated because it seemed too easy!
14d Can’t cut through fabricated steel, they feel (9)
TENTACLES – an anagram (cut) of CAN’T inside (through) another anagram (fabricated) of STEEL to give feelers (they feel)
15d Insert the card in later, having shuffled and cut (8)
LACERATED – ACE (the card) inside (insert … in) an anagram (having shuffled) of LATER to give a word meaning cut
17d In the home, an extract much used in cooking (7)
VANILLA – AN inside (in the) VILLA (home) to give an extract much used in cooking
18d Now, now. Remain loyal! (6)
ADHERE – AD (Anno Domini) and HERE – two synonyms of now are put together in a simple charade to give a word meaning to remain loyal
20d He’ll sing the number, in other words (5)
TENOR – TEN (the number) and OR (in other words) for another charade, this time of a singer
22d Because it’s small, nice to travel with (5)
SINCE – S(mall) then an anagram (to travel) of NICE give a synonym for because
There’s not much else left to say – a reasonable mix of clue types and nothing debatable – let’s hope this augurs well for the future!