DT 25925

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 25925

Hints and tips by Tilsit

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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment **

Very much at the easier end of the scale, the only thing that I suspect will hold solvers up today is the grid itself.  What an abomination!  Just under half of the clues contained a double unchecked square (known as a “double unch”).  Indeed my record solving time for the Telegraph would have been beaten only for being held up with 5 down. I really don’t like grids with double unches and although I’ll tolerate a couple in a normal puzzle, surely this was too much.

When a previous Times Crossword Editor took over a few years back, he devoted a bit of time to revising all the Times stock grids.  I think it’s time for the DT to follow suit.

Back to the puzzle.  It being Monday we have the usual collection of cryptic definitions, which are fine, but I would rather have two or three a puzzle instead of the number we get.  I always recommend the Telegraph and Guardian Monday puzzles as good places to start when solving cryptics but I sometimes fear that newer solvers are tempted to stick at this level when other puzzles adopted, shall we say, a more balanced approach.  In addition, as my esteemed colleague Big Dave points out, sometimes the puzzle is weakened by these, 26 across is a good example.

That said, there are some lovely surface readings and constructions.  Thanks as usual to our Monday Maestro.

Across

1a Plunge right in, displaying energy (5)
{DRIVE}  A word for plunge, as into a swimming pool with R (right) inside.

4a Get the gin ready? (3,1,4)
{SET A TRAP}  In Crosswordland, I don’t think I have ever seen gin refer to the drink.  Invariably it refers to a type of trap, used by hunters.  The sort of trap that has nasty metal jaws.  Apparently these have nothing to do with the drink, but from 17^th century illiterates corrupting the word “engine”.   This clue is a cryptic definition of something to do with a gin (trap)  to get it ready for action.

8a Score with reverse billiards shot? Excellent (3-5)
{TOP NOTCH}  Nice  sporting analogy, might it have been better to say “Score after…”?  Here “Score” actually means to make a mark, as in a piece of wood.  This comes after a “billiards / snooker shot” which is reversed.

9a More than one tree gets parasitic growth (3,5)
{OAK APPLE}  Put together two fairly common types of tree to get a type of parasite that attacks trees.  The parasite comes from the larva of the gall wasp.

11a China, where there’s many a crime organisation (7)
{CERAMIC}  Anagram time.  An abbreviation for “many”, in this case the Roman numeral for a hundred, followed by an anagram of “a crime”.  All put together it means a word for china, the pottery, not the country.

13a Something much appreciated by card-players? (1,4,4)
{A GOOD DEAL} A cryptic definition

15a Prompt payment may be what archaeologists are looking for (5,10)
{EARLY SETTLEMENT} My first thought was “ exact…”, but I realised that there was a similar phrase that would probably suit the archaeologists.  There used to be an extra discount for this when you settled your bills thus, but it seems to have disappeared.  Perhaps it might return in these times of austerity.

18a Last monument in Arizona? (9)
{TOMBSTONE}  Probably my favourite clue of the puzzle.  Made me smile a lot.  Think of what would be your final monument, together with the name of a Wild West City in Arizona.

21a The head cleaner (7)
{SHAMPOO}  Another cryptic definition, but I felt it so obvious it detracted from the clue.

22a Left cat without one vital means of communication (8)
{LIFELINE}  An abbreviation for “left” and a generic word for a cat with I (for one) inside.  I am sure you all know about the use of “without” to mean “surrounded by”.

24a What dictionaries do about it is quite clear (8)
{DEFINITE}  You are looking for a word meaning  “what dictionaries do to words” around IT.  The whole then gives a word meaning certain or clear.

25a Upset an open container (8)
{OVERTURN}  “Upset” is a word frequently used as an anagram indicator, but not here, it is the definition.  A word for “Open” + a type of container, probably for tea or something associated with 18a.

26a As medals, they’re unbeatable (5)
{GONGS}  This is an example, to me, of over-egging the pudding a little.  I first thought of GOLDS as they are the highest awards in sport.  But here the word is a generic word for medals.  Is a bronze medal unbeatable?  I guess the setter is saying to us “As medals they are unbeatable, but as something else they are beatable”.  Hmmm.  Your comments are welcomed .

Down

1d Group of servicemen showing indifference (10)
{DETACHMENT} Double definition.  A group of troops isolated from the main body and a word meaning cool, indifference.

2d One married a stout businessman (8)
{IMPORTER} I  + the abbreviation for  “married”, plus a word for a type of stout, that which you drink.

3d An outrage otherwise concealed by ill-will (8)
{ENORMITY}  I hadn’t heard of this word meaning “an outrage” until I checked it out in my dictionary, but I guess it must be a large one (hint, hint!)

4d So hard to get round parts of London or New York (4)
{SOHO} We had a similar clue (without the New York bit) in a puzzle a couple of weeks back.  SO plus an abbreviation for hard (think of pencils) and another O for round, and there you are.

5d A panel on an aircraft (6)
{ABOARD} Big Dave mentioned in recent blogs about the surplus uses of “a” and “the” in clues and there are a couple today, but not in this clue.  It is very much needed.  The panel you need is a group of directors and when added to A you get a word meaning to be on an aircraft.

6d Politician entering government to screw up (6)
{RUMPLE}  Probably indicative of many of our representatives today.  So a nice topical clue.  Think of an abbreviation for a politician and place this inside a word for Government (sometimes the phrase Home ____ used to be applied to the NI problem.)  This will give you a word for screwing up paper.

7d Head for the food (4)
{PATE}  One of the unwritten words in crosswords is that it is basically OK to ignore accents, and here you will have to to make this double definition work.  A word for “head”, usually found in the expression “Bald ____”.  The food i often found as  a starter, or as my supper on toast.  Yum!

10d Their acts are well-known (8)
{APOSTLES}  Cryptic definition. Think Biblical.

12d Capsized oarsman in vessel is in distress (8)
{CAREWORN}  Nice surface reading to this clue.  A word for an OARSMAN reversed inside another word for a tin.  That should give you something meaning “in distress or showing signs of anxiety”.

14d They turn up, after all (4-6)
{LATE-COMERS}  Cryptic definition referring to those people who arrive at a function eventually.

16d Getting tangled up when cleaning out (8)
{ENLACING} An anagram of CLEANING to produce a word meaning “getting tangled or entwined”.

17d Exploding into pure chaos (8)
{ERUPTION}  An anagram of “INTO PURE” with “chaos” being the anagram indicator, so a word meaning “exploding” is required.

19d Keep warm and quiet (6)
{MUFFLE}  Double definition.  Words meaning “wrap up well” and “to silence something”

20d Mum, listen for a change (6)
{SILENT} An anagram of LISTEN for a word meaning “mum”, as in the old wartime expression “Be like Dad, keep Mum!”

22d I’d look around for bathing facilities (4)
{LIDO}  A short word for”Look!” around I’D to get a seaside bathing pool.

23d Perfect place for English study (4)
{EDEN}  You need E for English and a word meaning “ a study or retreat”

Did you find it to be as easy as Tilsit did?  Your thoughts and opinions are welcome – just leave a comment.  BD