Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26133
A full analysis by Big Dave
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment **
This was harder than the usual Saturday puzzle, but after a break last week we have another pangram (see below).
Across
1a Clapped out in the next valley? (4,3,4)
OVER THE HILL – a cryptic definition of clapped out
9a Following law, it can be bent but should not be broken (4)
FLEX – F(ollowing) and LEX (Latin for law) give something that can be bent but should not be broken
10a Create disturbance that could cloud one’s view (4,2,1,4)
KICK UP A DUST – a part-cryptic double definition of a phrase that was new to many
11a Engineer’s company first had part of reactor (4)
CORE – RE (Royal Engineers) preceded by CO(mpany) gives the central part of a nuclear reactor
14a Are dropping one outlet for reprint (7)
REISSUE – (A)RE (are dropping one) with ISSUE (outlet) gives a reprint
16a Nevertheless short time afterwards produced idea (7)
THOUGHT – combine THOUGH (nevertheless) and T (short Time) to get an idea
17a Look round street guide with individual in Rome area (5)
LAZIO – put LO (look) around AZ (the well-known street guide) and I (individual) to get an area in Rome famous for its football club
18a Star lass leaving gambling city (4)
VEGA – this star is the gambling city LAS VEGAS without the letters of LASS
19a Animals rush back (4)
DEER – animals that are REED (rush) reversed
20a Book that’s finally inconclusive (5)
ATLAS – a book of maps that is AT LAST (finally) without the final T (inconclusive)
22a Treasure potential riches with aspiration (7)
CHERISH – a word meaning to treasure is an anagram (potential) of RICHES with H (aspiration)
23a In Laos I disrupted connection (7)
LIAISON – an anagram (disrupted) of IN LAOS I gives a connection
24a Incomplete chirp that is quaint (4)
TWEE – TWEE(T) (incomplete chirp) gives a word meaning quaint
28a Arguing about mere squalor developing (11)
QUARRELSOME – a word meaning arguing (as an adjective) comes from an anagram (developing) of MERE SQUALOR
29a Wicked French town had heart ripped out (4)
VILE – a word meaning wicked comes from ville (French town) without the middle letter (heart ripped out)
30a Even so you need to be present for whole of athletics meeting (2,3,6)
AT ALL EVENTS – a cryptic definition of “even so” – if you read the clue carefully it can’t be “in any event” and the checking letters rule out “in any event”
Down
2d Rearranged live coverage (4)
VEIL – an anagram (rearranged) of LIVE gives a coverage for the face
3d Francis dropped many a tool (4)
RAKE – Sir Francis DRAKE without the D (dropped many / 500 in Roman numerals) gives a tool
4d Promising applicant (7)
HOPEFUL – a double (or maybe a triple) definition
5d Timothy denied entering town near Manchester (4)
HYDE – TimotHY DEnied is hiding a town near Manchester
6d Host Leo coming from the country (7)
LESOTHO – an anagram of HOST LEO gives an African country
7d Hard work at joint using oily matter (5-6)
ELBOW-GREASE – a word meaning hard work is a charade of ELBOW (joint) and GREASE (to use oily matter) – what you might call a messy clue!
8d Anticipating including alternative drug (11)
EXPECTORANT – put EXPECTANT (anticipating) around (including) OR (alternative) to get a drug
12d Tending to excite expert on case (11)
PROVOCATIVE – a word meaning tending to excite is a charade of PRO (expert) and VOCATIVE (the case of a word when a person or thing is addressed)
13d Carol’s ringers give succession of tinkling sounds first (6,5)
JINGLE BELLS – this Christmas song comes from BELLS (ringers) preceded by JINGLE (a succession of tinkling sounds) – there’s little in this clue that I like
15d Terminal’s high cost (5)
EARTH – an electrical terminal on the one hand and part of the phrase “cost the earth” on the other
16d This river goes in opposite directions from time to time (5)
TIDAL – a (cryptic?) definition
20d Onslaught a sailor reported (7)
ASSAULT – a word meaning an onslaught that sounds like (reported) A SALT (a sailor)
21d Not one increase could be genuine (7)
SINCERE – an anagram (could be) of INCREASE without the A (one) gives a word meaning genuine – the anagram fodder appears at first to be (I)NCREASE
25d Dental exam? (4)
ORAL – an examination of the mouth?
26d Man, I’ll say (4)
ISLE – the Isle of Man, and Isle sounds like I’ll
27d Greek character getting in the way of soot (4)
SMUT – put MU (Greek character) inside ST (street / way) to get a word meaning soot
If you haven’t come across the term before, a pangram is a puzzle in which all 26 letters of the alphabet are present in the answers.