Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 25882
Selected hints by Big Dave
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
We will get Peter Biddlecombe’s view on this puzzle, and on the “cornery” grid that has been used, in his full review – to be published at 12.00 on Thursday, 26th March.
Next Monday a new reviewer joins the team. Tilsit will already be known to avid followers of fifteensquared, and his credentials include answering questions on Crosswords, as his specialist subject, on Mastermind.
Across
1a Idyllic opera depicting shepherds over the internet (9)
An adjective that means depicting or evoking rural life (depicting shepherds) then E (inter net / the middle letter of nEt} giving an idyllic opera or other musical work
9a Match gold leaving hot line fifth-rate (6)
The hot line is the one around the centre of the Earth; remove the OR (gold leaving) and add E (fifth-rate) and you have a synonym for match
19a Lucky drawer (9,6)
This metallic object is bent into the shape of something considered by many to be lucky
26a Extremely useful footballer (6)
… that used to be called an outside right (or left) back in the days of Stanley Matthews
Down
2d Part of circle he had bent over (6)
This is a simple charade – a name for a part of a circle followed by the usual abbreviation for “he had” giving a word meaning bent over
5d Extended reach in force (4,3,2,3,3)
The far-reaching power and influence of the police force, as satirised in a Peter Sellers film
14d Feature conscious crocks (9)
An amusing charade – Bruce Forsyth is well known for this feature, follow this with a synonym for aware and it turns into crockery
If you can’t finish it after these hints then you don’t deserve to win, but you can still get all the answers here in the full review next Thursday.
I am leaving the comments open today, but please don’t post any answers.