DT 26004

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26004

Hints and tips by Gazza

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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***

At one stage, when writing this review, I suspected that there was another Clued Up cock-up in the 20d clue, and I even went so far as to go out and buy the paper, only to find that the clue there is identical. Apart from that it’s a fairly straightforward puzzle, though with two words which were new to me.
As usual the answers are hidden inside the curly brackets – select the white space to reveal them. Please take the time to vote for the enjoyment factor by clicking on one of the stars at the bottom.

Across Clues

8a  Going round in the morning, criminal pinches one (7)
{AMBIENT} – a synonym for surrounding or going round is produced from AM (morning) followed by BENT (criminal) around (pinches) I (one). ‘Going round’ is a nice piece of misdirection, inviting you to put AM in the middle of the answer.

10a  Very old worker drinking nice bubbly (7)
{ANCIENT} – put ANT (worker) round (drinking) an anagram (bubbly) of NICE to get a word meaning very old.

11a  Fight and cut domineering woman (6-3)
{BATTLE-AXE} – a charade of BATTLE (fight) and AXE (cut) produces this stereotypical domineering woman.

12a  Colonel’s uninspiring after lead of brigadier (5)
{BLIMP} – put LIMP (uninspiring) after B (lead, i.e. first character, of Brigadier) to get David Low’s famous cartoon colonel, who satirised the reactionary British establishment pre-war.

13a  Item of wear girl’s beginning to be very fond of (5)
{GLOVE} – put together G (beginning of Girl) and LOVE (to be very fond of) to get this item of apparel.

14a  Something of a thug, or, I’ll add, an ape (7)
{GORILLA} – this large ape is hidden in (something of) thuG OR I’LL Add.

17a  Amicably drop unresolved argument? Regret idea, as ego affected (5,2,8 )
{AGREE TO DISAGREE} – an anagram (affected) of REGRET IDEA AS EGO gives us a phrase meaning to cease to argue because neither party will compromise. A more common version of this phrase is “agree to differ”.

19a  Ancient Greek city, in North, I suspect, by Cape (7)
{CORINTH} – this prominent city state in ancient Greece (from which we get the adjective Corinthian, meaning maintaining the highest standards of amateur sportsmanship) is constructed from C (Cape) followed by an anagram (suspect) of NORTH I.

21a  Bike was blue (5)
{MOPED} – double definition – a pedal cycle with a motor, and was listless and depressed (was blue).

24a  I’m entering illuminated border (5)
{LIMIT} – put IM inside LIT (illuminated) to get a border.

26a  Speaks about a son and daughter making a musical (5,4)
{SALAD DAYS} – the title of this 1950s musical is formed by putting SAYS (speaks) around A LAD (a son) and D(aughter).

27a  Various aquatic birds by far edge of lake (7)
{DIVERSE} – a synonym for various is constructed from DIVERS (aquatic birds) followed by E (far edge, i.e. last letter, of lakE).

28a  Old card game shown in book in front of Oscar (7)
{PRIMERO} – this old card game, which is a new one on me, is formed from PRIMER (an elementary textbook) and O (Oscar, stands for O in the phonetic alphabet).

Down Clues

1d  An assortment taken from cloth pouch (6)
{RAGBAG} – a charade of RAG (cloth) and BAG (pouch, catch) gives us a term meaning a miscellaneous collection of things (assortment).

2d  A racket, commotion echoing in slaughterhouse (8 )
{ABATTOIR} – start with A BAT (a racket) and add RIOT (commotion) which has to be reversed (echoing) to get a slaughterhouse.

3d  Old song, one rejecting love, by Danielle, possibly (6,4)
{NELLIE DEAN} – this sentimental ballad was written over a century ago and its name comes from oNE (with love, i.e. O, being rejected) followed by an anagram (possibly) of DANIELLE.

4d  Another identical cooking range at home (4,5)
{SAME AGAIN} – a charade of SAME (identical), AGA (cooking range) and IN (at home) generates this request for another. I used to know a pub landlady, who, whenever she was asked for “the same again”, would say “you can’t have the same again, because you’ve drunk it, but you can have similar”.

5d  Blackleg locked in pickets’ cabin (4)
{SCAB} – a synonym for blackleg (strike-breaker) is hidden (locked) in picket’S CABin.

6d  Servant shuffling in, lame (6)
{MENIAL} – an anagram (shuffling) of IN LAME produces a servant.

7d  Deduction in wages resulting from industrial action? (8 )
{STOPPAGE} – double definition – what is deducted from wages before payment, such as tax and national insurance, and industrial action involving a strike.

9d  Vehicle clipped vagrant (4)
{TRAM} – clip the final letter off TRAMp (vagrant) to leave a vehicle.

15d  Spanish footballers, very angry, clear (4,6)
{REAL MADRID} – well it’s a Spanish football club but the footballers themselves, the galacticos,  come from all over the world and not just Spain. It’s name is made from REAL MAD (very angry, in footballer-speak) followed by RID (clear).

16d  Student nun organised hop inside (9)
{SOPHISTER} – nun is SISTER – put an anagram (organised) of HOP inside to get a word for a second or third-year student at some British universities. I’d never heard of this word, although it seems similar to sophomore (a second year student at a US college).

17d  County youth held by expert gives tribute (8 )
{ACCOLADE} – put CO (county) and LAD (youth) inside ACE (expert) to get a tribute.

18d  Continual red tape, ridiculous when Ecstasy’s involved (8 )
{REPEATED} – a word meaning continual is formed from an anagram (ridiculous) of RED TAPE with E (Ecstasy tablet) included.

20d  Take away produce (6)
{REMOVE} – I spent as long on this clue as on all the others put together. I think that it’s a double definition and the answer certainly means take away, but how does it relate to produce, whether as a verb or noun? My best effort, and I still think that it’s weak, is that produce as a noun can mean agricultural products, i.e. a crop, and crop as a verb can mean take away. If you have a better, or alternative, suggestion, please let me know via a comment. I now think that produce is being used as a verb, for example in the sentence “the magician produced a rabbit from the hat”.

22d  Dictator in terminal receiving head of state (6)
{DESPOT} – a rail or bus terminal where the vehicles are kept is a DEPOT – include (receiving) the head (i.e. first letter) of State to get a dictator.

23d  Crash — female cut (4)
{FLOP} – a crash or failure (of a commercial venture, for example) is made from F(emale) followed by LOP (cut).

25d  Go for a short walk (4)
{TURN} – double definition – what each player has in rotation in a board game, for example, and a short walk that is taken.

My favourite clue today is 4d – what about you? – comments, as usual, are very welcome, and please don’t forget to vote below.