DT 26011

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26011

Hints and tips by Big Dave

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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment **

This is an easy puzzle, which should leave you plenty of time to tackle today’s Toughie from Cephas, our regular Saturday setter.  This week there is no surfeit of cryptic definitions, but you do find yourself expecting that if it isn’t an anagram then it might be a hidden word!

You can add your assessment by selecting from one to five stars at the bottom of the post.

Across

1a Huge service endlessly wicked to return (7)
{MASSIVE} – a word meaning huge is built up from MASS (church service) and EVI(L) (endlessly wicked) reversed (to return)

5a Breaking glass in indicators (7)
{SIGNALS} – an anagram (breaking) of GLASS IN gives these indicators

9a Doctor with invalid — one likely to be boring (5)
{DRILL} – DR (Doctor) and ILL (invalid) combine for something that is likely to be boring holes

10a Kill Asiatic bird caught by gentry (9)
{ELIMINATE} – a synonym for to kill is derived by putting MINA (Asiatic bird) inside (caught by) ELITE (gentry)

11a Productive meeting (10)
{SATISFYING} – a double definition, but the good surface reading is achieved by stretching the definition of productive a bit

12a Coloured in untidy edges (4)
{DYED} – there are very few words that fit the checking letters, so you probably new what the answer was even before seeing that this word meaning coloured is hidden inside untiDY EDges

14a Assembly speech in which I sang out (12)
{ORGANISATION} – to get this synonym for an assembly put ORATION (speech) around an anagram (out) of I SANG

18a Government guidelines for health (12)
{CONSTITUTION} – a double definition with a system of laws and customs established by the sovereign power of a state for its own guidance on the one hand and a health lifestyle on the other

21a Eggs initially likely to be this? (4)
{OVAL} – combine OVA (eggs) and L (initially Likely) to get a description of the shape of an egg in cross-section

22a Plug for tv? (10)
{COMMERCIAL} – a cryptic definition of an advertisement on TV

25a Statesmen perhaps in car with same reforms (9)
{AMERICANS} – a cryptically defined anagram (reforms) of IN CAR and SAME

26a Twisted elbow downstairs (5)
{BELOW} – an anagram (twisted) of ELBOW gives the downstairs of Upstairs Downstairs!

27a Dissenting body holds “unique selling point” in doubt (7)
{SUSPECT} – SECT (a dissenting body) is put around USP (Unique Selling Point) to get a word meaning to doubt

28a Big ones are usually important dairy products (7)
{CHEESES} – a part-cryptic double definition

Down
1d Shy means timid at first (6)
{MODEST} – a word meaning shy is a charade of MODES (means) and T (Timid at first)

2d Avoids female clothing (6)
{SKIRTS} – a double definition

3d Draw turtle’s tail badly — lack of time (10)
{ILLUSTRATE} – a word meaning to draw is an anagram (badly) of TURTLE’S TAIL without one of the Ts (lack of Time) – the subtractive element is a bit detached, but then almost invariably you need to ignore any punctuation

4d All clever youths captured (5)
{EVERY} – a word meaning all is hidden (captured) inside clEVER Youths

5d CSI sent it to be analysed — by one of these? (9)
{SCIENTIST} – an anagram (analysed) of CSI SENT IT gives someone who might appear on CSI – I’m not very enthusiastic about definitions like “one of these”

6d Unpleasant dirt finally removed (4)
{GRIM} – a synonym for unpleasant is GRIM(E) (dirt) without the last letter (finally removed)

7d Nails, say, hammered for research (8)
{ANALYSIS} – an anagram (hammered) of NAILS SAY gives a word meaning research

8d Excited pigs need moving fast (8)
{SPEEDING} – another anagram (excited) of PIGS NEED gives a word meaning moving fast

13d Promising a flavour mixed with hints of blackcurrant and elderberry (10)
{FAVOURABLE} – a word meaning promising is an anagram (mixed) of A FLAVOUR with B and E (hints of Blackcurrant and Elderberry) – four anagrams in the last five clues, that would be enough for the whole puzzle

15d His job might bring him back to earth (9)
{ASTRONAUT} – a cryptic definition where the uncertainty of his return would be pretty worrying for this chap – if I were him I would prefer “will bring him back”!

16d They could be changing class or holding a bit of homework (8)
{SCHOLARS} – they are an anagram (changing) of CLASS OR and H (a bit of Homework)

17d Those who occupy dives ran to get drunk (8)
{INVADERS} – these unwanted occupants are an anagram (yes, another one) of DIVES RAN which is indicated by “to get drunk”

19d Holding end of barrel, fires off these? (6)
{RIFLES} – these guns come from an anagram (no comment) of FIRES around L (end of barreL)

20d Scowl changes when comedian ultimately enters — they entertain you (6)
{CLOWNS} – an anagram (changes) of SCOWL is placed around N (comediaN ultimately) to get these entertainers

23d From emus I caught pleasant sounds (5)
{MUSIC} – hidden inside eMUS I Caught are these pleasant sounds

24d Finally deliver cooked pie — it’s ready to be eaten (4)
{RIPE} – after R (finally deliveR) put an anagram (cooked) of PIE to get a word meaning ready to be eaten

The overuse of anagrams becomes irritating after a while, although newer solvers will find this one easy to complete.  Look back at the surface reading of the clues – how many of them make no sense at all?

There’s also not much inspiration for YouTube or picture links today, but 20 down reminded me of this classic, which is high in the list of my favourite rock’n’roll hits  (I couldn’t find the original single so you get two for the price of one):

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