DT 26139

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26139

A full analysis by Big Dave

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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***

One of the better Saturday Prize puzzles, but with a handful of difficult answers.

Across

1a    Small quantity of liquid to hit stamping machine (4-6)
DROP-HAMMER – a small rounded blob of liquid combines with a word meaning to hit to get a stamping machine

9a    Bird’s egg found in bed (4)
COOT – I didn’t like egg equating to O, but you put it inside COT (bed) to get a bird

10a    Take too long to take photograph about publication of wrongdoing (10)
OVEREXPOSE – take too long to take photograph is the definition – OVER (about) and EXPOSE (publication of wrongdoing) is the wordplay

11a    Direct route to Alabama (6)
LINEAL – a word meaning direct, in the sense of direct descent from an ancestor, is built up from LINE (route as in the West Coast Line or the Circle Line on the London Underground) and AL (the abbreviation for the US State of Alabama)

12a    Ray’s pup ruined document (7)
PAPYRUS – an anagram of RAY’S PUP gives a document written on the material made from the plant of the same name

15a    Insult a female taking leading position (7)
AFFRONT – this insult is built up from A F (A Female) and FRONT (leading position)

16a    One leaving island employees (5)
STAFF – the island is STAFFA – just remove the final A (one leaving)

17a    Await one’s time to follow this (4)
BIDE – await in the sense of to bide one’s time

18a    Small part of first half of alphabet (4)
ATOM – A TO M is the first half of the alphabet

19a    Ironic to include alternative care (5)
WORRY – WRY (ironic) includes OR (alternative) to get a care

21a    Sign one letter (7)
INITIAL – double definition – to sign or a single letter

22a    Peer over there before much time has elapsed (5,2)
EARLY ON – EARL (peer) combined with YON (over there) gives a phrase meaning before much time has elapsed

24a    Famous London striker (3,3)
BIG BEN – a cryptic (?) definition

27a    Ex-minister struggling at the last gasp (2,8)
IN EXTREMIS – an anagram (struggling) of EX-MINISTER gives a Low Latin expression meaning at the last gasp

28a    As before, gold entrance (4)
DOOR – a charade of DO (ditto / as before) and OR (gold) results in an entrance

29a    Where spectators may see two batsmen scoring highly together (10)
GRANDSTAND – the main definition is where spectators are when watching the two batsmen put together a GRAND STAND (a rather strange way of describing it)

Down

2d    From train view oddly split (4)
RIVE – remove the odd letters from TRAIN VIEW to get a word meaning to split – this doesn’t work for me as it seems to be instructing that the odd letters be used rather than removed

3d    Ninth character entering side on equal terms (6)
PARITY – insert I (ninth character) into PARTY (side in a court case) to get a word meaning on equal terms

4d    Restless one promises to pay ten that have been included (7)
ANXIOUS – a word meaning restless is constructed by putting AN (one) and IOUS (promises to pay) around X (ten in Roman numerals)

5d    Low northern satellite (4)
MOON – MOO (low) and N(orthern) combine for the Earth’s satellite

6d    Say quickly that dance has been cancelled (4,3)
REEL OFF – to say quickly is a charade of REEL (dance) and OFF (cancelled)

7d    Remarkable theory won’t break down (10)
NOTEWORTHY – a word meaning remarkable that is an anagram (break down) of THEORY WON’T

8d    Fellow supporting usefulness of one who can perform many parts (7,3)
UTILITY MAN – MAN (fellow) is preceded by UTILITY (usefulness) to get a useful fellow – an actor who can perform many parts – the parts of a charade should really be further from the definition than this

12d    Organisation has main part open to all first (6,4)
PUBLIC BODY – this organisation is built up from BODY (main part) preceded by PUBLIC (open to all) – same comment as for previous clue

13d    Bear stuffing not replaced (10)
PADDINGTON – the well-known bear is built up from PADDING (stuffing) and an anagram (replaced) of NOT

14d    Three-legged pigeon? (5)
STOOL – a cross between a kitchen stool and a stool pigeon?

15d    Burning a sack (5)
AFIRE – a word meaning burning is built from A and FIRE (to sack, as in to plunder and pillage – and set fire to afterwards!)

19d    Alerting a fleet during flight (7)
WARNING – a word meaning alerting is constructed from A RN (A Royal Navy / fleet) inside WING (flight)

20d    Cad they transported had been sailing (7)
YACHTED – an anagram (transported) of CAD THEY gives an awkward word that means “had been sailing”

23d    Stipulates the inclusion that’s the most recent (6)
LATEST – hidden inside stipulates the is a word meaning the most recent

25d    Awful shame husband left hill (4)
MESA – an anagram (awful) of SHAME without the H (Husband left) gives a flat-topped hill with steep sides, especially in SW USA

26d    Family accepting money from baker (4)
KILN – start with KIN (family) and insert L (the symbol for pounds) to get a large oven for baking