DT 26010

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26010

Brush Up on your (Word) Sums!

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

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

Thanks to Gazza for stepping in at short notice yesterday when I remembered that I had a hospital appointment and realised that even I was mortal and couldn’t  cram 15 hours of things to do into 45 minutes.

Quite an entertaining puzzle today and a bit of a challenge.  The clues were well-written and nicely misleading, and it took me a little longer than I would have liked.  There was nothing too taxing in there but a few clues just required a bit more thought than on a Monday.  Mostly word-sum types clue, as well.

As usual, your comments are welcomed at the end of the blog, and you can rate the puzzle by clicking on the star system with your rating,  It is a bit of fun and reflects how people are feeling at that point.  Newer posters should note that first posts take a little while to appear while they are moderated, just to prevent spammers from gumming up the works.

Across
7a      Sentimental drivel about fellow in charge (8)
{ROMANTIC} To start with today, we have a complicated word-sum.  A word meaning “fellow” is usually MAN or DON (here the former).  This  goes inside a word that means drivel (ROT) and add to it a standard abbreviation for “in charge”.  You then have the answer, a word meaning sentimental, or fanciful.

9a      Recall article in periodical (6)
{ANNUAL} A for article goes inside ANNUL

10a     Brown’s back keeping English cool (4)
{NEAT}  A shade of brown (think stockings!) and reverse this.  Insert an E for English and you’ get a word meaning “cool” or okay.

11a     Batman appears after detective’s confused (10)
{DISORDERLY} Nothing to do with Gotham City.  A Batman in the military is an ORDERLY and this follows DI’S for Detective Inspector.  Which brings us to today’s tune:

ARVE Error: need id and provider

12a     Figure United’s in condition (6)
{STATUE}  U for United inside STATE (for condition) gives a figure.

14a     Tender on open river (8)
{OVERTURE}  A word-sum.  OVERT = open + URE = river  gives a word meaning tender as in “tender a resignation, etc”

15a     Criminal act by ring leader getting bird (6)
{CONDOR}  CON (criminal) +  DO (act) + R (ring leader, i.e. first letter) =  The beautiful American bird.

17a     Aim head of arrow tip (6)
{ASPIRE}  A (head of arrow) + SPIRE (tip) = A word meaning aim.  Not sure about SPIRE as “tip”.  Not indicated in Bradford’s, nor Chambers.  Chambers gives it as “something that tapers to a point”, which I think is too removed to describe as “tip”.

20a     Dead people inside, dead and sadly missed (8)

{LAMENTED}  Although it’s quite cleverly worded, would you actually say this?  MEN (people) inside LATE (dead) + D for Dead = word meaning “sadly missed”.  I’ll forgive the “and”, as it could just about be argued that you could say “and sadly missed”.

22a     Shot around goal’s in (6)
{TRENDY}  An old chestnut.  As a Football Referee Assessor (my other secret hobby!),  I see lots of goals from shots around the (penalty) area.

23a     Man with lots on his mind? (10)
{AUCTIONEER}  Another one I have seen before, probably from our Monday Maestro.  A cryptic definition for someone who swings a wooden hammer.

24a     Let rip (4)
{RENT}  Double definition.  Let as in house leasing, and rip as in tear up.

25a     From Iranians we require explanation (6)
{ANSWER}  A hidden answer (indicated by “from”)   “Iranians we require…..”

26a     Metal nuts get replaced by new (8)
{TUNGSTEN}  Quite a nice clue.  Metal is the definition.  Its chemical symbol is W (from its old name, Wolfram).  An anagram (indicated by “replaced by”) of NUTS GET with N for new added at the end.

Down
1d      Daily argument for couple? (8)
{DOMESTIC}  A Daily is another name for a cleaner or charlady/man, so you are looking for a word that has the same meaning and can also, in slang, mean a row between a husband and wife.

2d      Absorbed and immersed in speech (4)
{RAPT}  Homophone clues always fill me with dread, but this one works well.   If you are absorbed in something you are RAPT, while if you are immersed in something your are WRAPPED (up).

3d      Stuff, tasteless or dull, gets eaten initially (6)
{STODGE}  Take the first letters of the first six words and the whole clue defines it.

4d      Hard and close shaven (8)
{HAIRLESS}  H for hard  (as in pencils) + AIRLESS (close as in the weather) = What something looks like when it is shaven.

5d      Lace drink following time in still (10)
[INTERTWINE}  T (time) inside INERT (still) + WINE (drink).  One of my favourite clues, with an excellent surface reading.

6d      Man on smack? (6)
{SAILOR}  Nothing to do with drugs, but a wry cryptic definition of someone who works on a fishing smack!

8d      Star actor’s recast… (6)
{CASTOR}  An anagram of ACTOR’S gives you one of the Heavenly Twins.  The three dots at the end of the clue indicate it is to “run on” with the next one.  However, I was advised by a Great Crossword Setter (not from these parts) that these sorts of clues should always make sense when read together, and this doesn’t quite.  Good try though.

13d     … Hollywood’s new lot isn’t altered (10)
{TINSELTOWN}  Anagram (altered) of NEW LOT ISN’T gives an alternative name for the suburb of LA.

16d     Stood our ground in the open (8)
{OUTDOORS}  Another nice surface reading.  An anagram  (indicated by ground) of STOOD OUR.

18d     Point on needle exposing risk (8)
{ENDANGER}  END (Point, tip) + ANGER (needle) =  a word meaning  “exposing risk” .  Not a bad clue.

19d     Plug hole’s entrance (6)
{ADVENT}  AD (plug, advert) + VENT (hole) =  A word for “entrance”.  This seems a bit weak on a couple of fronts to me.  To describe a VENT as a hole is a bit loose, as is ADVENT for  ENTRANCE.  Mrs Bradford doesn’t show it in her wonderful dictionary.

21d     Manual manipulation needed for old girl (6)
{ALUMNA}  An anagram (shown by manipulation) of MANUAL give a word meaning an old girl of a school.  A word more often used in the plural, but still valid nonetheless.

22d     Bully thankfully ends by crying (6)
{TYRANT}  TY (ends of ThankfullY) + RANT  (crying, use of the noun here) =  a word for a bully or dictator.

24d     Right remains heedless (4)
{RASH}  R (right) + ASH (remains) = heedless.

Overall a good challenge from today’s Tuesday Tormentor called T.  One of those puzzles that took a little while to get into,  but then things started to flow well.  Thanks again to Gazza and apologies for being a bit late.  I now have to hurtle off to watch a football referee, so will be late posting any comments.  See you Thursday!