DT 25997

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 25997

Hints and tips by Tilsit

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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***

The sun beats down on the tropical Calder Valley (Griff Rhys Jones missed us out with his river tour and went across the Pennines via Huddersfield last night!)  and here we go with another week of crossword challenges.  As usual, the Monday Maestro gives us a nice gentle start to the week and I’m pleased that this week we have a more balanced set of clues after last week’s abundance of cryptic definitions.   Today’s workout should give the newer solver a broader introduction into cryptic crossword clues, although the old hand may have seen a few of them before.

Don’t forget you can now rate the puzzle by clicking on the stars at the bottom of the review.  You can also have your say at the end of the blog.  New posters are not automatically added for the first time to prevent spammers causing mayhem.

Across

1a           Surprise opening by the French (7)
{STARTLE}  We commence today with a word-sum.    START (opening) + LE (French) =  a word for surprise.

5a           They took over from the night-shift (7)
{PYJAMAS}  Clever cryptic definition.   A night-shift was the old name for a night shirt, and of course these went out of fashion for men and were replaced by……

9a           State of a student gaining a couple of degrees (7)
{ALABAMA}  Another  word-sum, but this is one many of us will have seen before.  State = definition.  Since the “a” is important to this clue, some purists may argue that “of” should be as well (it’s redundant here).  A L = a student + A + BA / MA (couple of degrees).

10a         Rendered a tune in return for a drink in Spain (7)
{SANGRIA} More word-sums  SANG (Rendered) + RIA (A tune, in return, i.e. reversed)

11a         It is an odd, rather unusual, way to get extras (9)
{ADDITIONS}  An anagram  (shown by “rather unusual”) of IT IS AN ODD reveals a word for extra items.

12a         Chay Blyth’s fourth redesigned boat? (5)
{YACHT}  My favourite clue today.   Very clever and delightful surface reading. An anagram (redesigned) of CHAY + T (Blyth’s fourth letter).

13a         They join the course (5)
{LINKS}  Double definition and a chance to plug one of my favourite programmes.  The “course” part of the clue refers to Golf Links.  A links course, as far as I knew, was one within 40 or 50 miles of the coast, although the world wide wacky web seems to dispute this.  The reason they are so called is that “links” is also a Scottish definition for “relatively flat or undulating sandy turf-covered ground usually along a seashore”.

15a         PM comes out of No Ten for a break (9)
{AFTERNOON} “PM comes out” is the definition, although it is a bit contrived, but we’ll allow it as it’s Monday!  NO TEN FOR A needs to be rearranged (break is the anagram indicator).

17a         Living man has a duty (9)
{INCUMBENT} Double definition.  “Living man” and “with a duty” are both definitions of this.  The “living man” = resident.

19a         Abuse in common parlance (5)
{SLANG} Double definition.  I was always led to believe that double definition clues (as in 17 ac) should be different definitions of the same thing.  Here for me, the two definitions are too similar.

22a         She gets fruit by the pound (5)
{PEARL}  A fruit (PEAR) + an abbreviation for a pound (L) gives a girl’s name that is coming back into fashion.  Here’s a famous one and your earworm for the rest of the day…..

ARVE Error: need id and provider

23a         Trying time for a beginner (9)
{PROBATION}  Cryptic definition for the initial period of employment .

25a         Device that still goes round with part missing (7)
{ROTATOR} I’m not entirely sure this is fair, although it is reasonably clear.  If you take part of the answer (a device that goes round) out , i.e. “AT” you get ROTOR.  One of those that takes things a bit too far for me.

26a         Hide workers’ old money (7)
{TANNERS} Double definition.  “Leather (hide) workers”  and what you used to get in a Christmas pudding.  A sixpence (equivalent to 2.5p)  was nicknamed a tanner because the original  artwork was designed by John Sigismund Tanner

27a         Please make reparation (7)
{SATISFY}  Double definition.  To please someone and to make reparation mean that you…..

28a         Statesmen may wear them with black ties (7)
{TUXEDOS}  Another to make you smile.  There’s a double meaning here, statesmen can also mean the obvious, but also Americans and the tuxedo is an American word for the dinner jacket.

Down

1d           Didn’t miss a thing about East Coast defence (3,4)
{SEA WALL}  If you didn’t miss a thing you  SAW ALL and this goes around E (for East).  The East Coast of Britain is quite famous for its sea walls and/or lack of them when it’s stormy.

2d           A group on leave (7)
{ABANDON}  I propose that Big Dave should set up a Old Hackneyed Clues, Recycled And Published Home  (OH CRAP for short).  Along with ALABAMA, I nominate this one for membership.  It must have been ten days since I last saw it.

3d           Pamphlet followed by pronouncement (5)
{TRACT}  I’m not a fan of homophone clues, because of language variants even within a region of the UK, let alone other parts of the world.  However this works just fine.  A word for a leaflet that sounds the same as a word meaning “followed”.

4d           In a way are able to give further details (9)
{ELABORATE}   An anagram (shown by “in a way”) of ARE ABLE TO will reveal a word meaning to give further details on something.

5d           Works for model employers? (5)
{POSES}  Cryptic definition.  If you worked for someone who employed models, i.e.  fashion houses etc, you could do this.  The question mark in this clue is therefore important, as it’s showing you that the answer might be a bit contentious.

6d           Find Chinese ship’s spars in the scrap dealers’? (9)
{JUNKYARDS}  A nautical clue, and one I had to research for the explanation. “Chinese ship” = JUNK and “spars” = YARDS  (as in Yard-arm).

7d           Book covering part of N Africa (7)
{MOROCCO}  Part of Africa is reasonably obvious, but you may not know that Morocco is a type of leather used in book binding.

This leads us to one of the most famous lines in film…..

ARVE Error: need id and provider

8d           Ancient skill in bridge (7)
{SPARTAN}  Ancient is the definition and it comprises a word for skill (ART) inside a word for bridge (SPAN).

14d         Resembles a slum site perhaps (9)
{SIMULATES}  An anagram of A SLUM SITE.  Does “simulates” mean the same as “resembles”?

16d         Retaliation in kind from tart, fit to burst (3,3,3)
{TIT FOR TAT}  Nudge nudge, wink wink from the telegraph, or a culinary reference.  The jury’s out on that one.  An anagram (burst) of TART FIT TO.

17d         Discloses one thousand shares (7)
{IMPARTS}  Another one for the OH CRAP home.  I M = One thousand + PARTS = a word meaning disclose.

18d         Small bird needs tail bent when in bed (4,3)
{COAL TIT}  Rather harsh treatment for one of our prettier birds.   An anagram (bent) of TAIL inside a word for bed (COT)

20d         Is embraced by a longing for a sweet (7)
{ANISEED}  IS inside (embraced) A NEED.   You can buy aniseed balls, but I thought that aniseed on its own was a plant similar to tarragon and fennel and deemed a herb.

21d         Production of the first book (7)
{GENESIS}      Double definition.  I would have thought “the first book” should have been capitalised to tell you that it was something special.

23d         A lot of politicians do (5)
{PARTY}  “A lot of politicians” and “do” are your two definitions here.

24d         Join a girl and kiss (5)
{ANNEX}  A girl’s name is needed and X for kiss.  The whole word can mean to join or separate.

Incidentally, for those who follow the Quick Crossword, the first two across answers form something when put together.  Look a bit further and see what else comes together……..