DT 25980

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 25980

Hints and tips by Gazza

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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***

This is a fairly gentle challenge, but the surface readings are pretty good and there is one excellent clue. It should not trouble regular solvers for too long, and would be a good exercise for novices.

Across Clues

1a  Criticise expert before a remedy for all is produced (7)
{PANACEA} – a term for a universal remedy or cure-all is produced from a charade of PAN (criticise), ACE (expert) and A.

5a  Place to set free skunk (7)
{POLECAT} – an anagram (set free) of PLACE TO produces this large relative of the weasel, and the North American term for a skunk.

9a  House in historic city (9)
{LANCASTER} – double definition – the winning side (let’s see if I can stir up some controversy!) in the Wars of the Roses against the House of York, and the county town of Lancashire. There is a considerable overlap in the two definitions.

10a  Old master, pale and sickly, nursed by graduate (5)
{BWANA} – this Swahili term for master, once used for the white man in colonial Africa, is formed by putting WAN (pale and sickly) inside (nursed by) BA (graduate).

11a  Meat in oven’s cooking (7)
{VENISON} – an anagram (cooking) of IN OVEN’S produces the meat of the deer.

12a  Pub to do well out of deal (7)
{BARGAIN} – a charade of BAR (pub) and GAIN (do well out of) produces the word used in the stock exchange for a transaction or deal.

13a  One showing no principles about proving of will (9)
{REPROBATE} – an unprincipled person is formed from RE (about) and PROBATE (proving a will).

16a  Bury at home against Exeter, losing first half (5)
{INTER} – this looks like a description of a lower-division football match at Gigg Lane (home of Bury FC), but what is needed is a synonym for to bury which is made up of IN (at home) and the second-half of ExeTER.

17a  Riddle involving western author (5)
{SWIFT} – put W(estern) inside SIFT (riddle) to get the author of Gulliver’s Travels.

18a  Wired message, stuff about competent leader of group (9)
{CABLEGRAM} – an old word for a telegraph message is constructed by putting CRAM (stuff) around ABLE (competent) and G (leading letter of Group).

21a  Audible cries of disapproval at college drinking session (5-2)
{BOOZE-UP} – cries of disapproval are BOOS – we need a sound-alike (audible) of this, followed by UP (at college) to get an informal term for a drinking session.

22a  Put into employment, is seen in posh topper (7)
{UTILISE} – put IS inside U (posh, upper-class) and TILE (Scottish word for a top hat) to get a verb meaning to employ.

25a  Corpulent old boy seen mostly in disarray (5)
{OBESE} – start off with OB (old boy) and add an anagram (in disarray) of most of SEEn to get a synonym for corpulent.

26a  Child, in transforming metal, is a budding scientist (9)
{ALCHEMIST} – this is a brilliant clue – put CH (child) inside an anagram (transforming) of METAL IS to produce someone who, in the Middle Ages, tried to turn base metals into gold, in the infant (budding) stages of the development of chemistry.

27a  A group working in desert (7)
{ABANDON} – a charade of A, BAND (group) and ON (working, i.e. switched on) leads to a synonym for to desert.

28a  Dish male teacher rejected — too much duck! (7)
{RISOTTO} – male teacher rejected is SIR backwards – add OTT (over the top, too much) and O (duck, in cricket) to get an Italian dish.

Down Clues

1d  Swear after mate creates a fuss (7)
{PALAVER} – a synonym for a fuss is created by putting AVER (swear) after PAL (mate).

2d  Silky fabric and some linen in one (5)
{NINON} – the name of a silky thin fabric (a new word to me) is hidden (some) in lineN IN ONe.

3d  Stupid fool’s after credit (5)
{CRASS} – put ASS (fool) after CR (credit) to get a synonym for stupid.

4d  Social worker, girl, put up aerial (7)
{ANTENNA} – a social worker in cryptic crosswords is very often ANT – add ANNE (girl) which has to be reversed (put up) to get a synonym for aerial.

5d  Moral tale raised in heel bar, apparently (7)
{PARABLE} – this term for a moral tale is hidden backwards (raised) in heEL BAR APparently.

6d  French composer in row with philanderer (9)
{LIBERTINE} – a synonym for philanderer is produced by putting a French composer inside LINE (row). I’d never heard of this chap but it did not take long to find him since the wordplay kindly restricted the possibilities to Ibert or Berti.

7d  Letter card (9)
{CHARACTER} – double definition – a letter of the alphabet and a comical or eccentric person.

8d  Rough terrain for a coach (7)
{TRAINER} – an anagram (rough) of TERRAIN gives us a word for a coach (the sports variety, not the vehicle).

14d  Girl and boy sign article (9)
{PHILOMENA} – a girl’s name is formed from a charade of PHIL (boy), OMEN (sign) and A (article). I’m not as anti the use of proper nouns as some people, but two names in the same clue, and with no support from the wordplay, is going OTT.

15d  Improving, continuously injecting them (2,3,4)
{ON THE MEND} – continuously is ON END (as in “I studied for months on end”) – insert (injecting) THEM, to get a phrase meaning improving or convalescing.

17d  Our bass relaxing in private (3,4)
{SUB ROSA} – a latin phrase meaning in private (literally “under the rose”, the rose being a traditional symbol of secrecy) is formed from an anagram (relaxing) of OUR BASS.

18d  Skipper in international leading reserves in (7)
{CAPTAIN} – a synonym for skipper is formed from a charade of CAP (someone who has been capped for his/her country in an international sports event), TA (reserves, Territorial Army) and IN.

19d  Doorman, extremely bitter, carrying little weight (7)
{BOUNCER} – take the outside letters (extremely) of BitteR and put inside (carrying) OUNCE (little weight) to get a doorman, though not the sort you’ll see outside the Dorchester.

20d  Virtuoso and master playing ball (7)
{MAESTRO} – a synonym for virtuoso (and Tilsit’s nickname for the Monday setter) is constructed from an anagram (playing) of MASTER followed by O (ball, because the shape of the letter makes it look like a ball – this is what’s known as a visual clue).

23d  A side changed plans (5)
{IDEAS} – an anagram (changed) of A SIDE produces a word meaning plans or conceptions.

24d  I spot one inside supplying dope (5)
{IDIOT}  – I spot is I DOT – put I (one) inside to get a dope or fool.

I like 16a a lot, but my outstanding clue of the day is 26a. What do you think? – all comments are welcome.