Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2526
A full analysis by Peter Biddlecombe
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
Three Brian Greer trade-mark clues in this puzzle – the long hidden word at 23A, and the two all-in-ones at 3D and 6D. Moderate difficulty and the usual elegant clues – away we go …
A few minutes late with the blog as I couldn’t get onto CluedUp this morning – clues below courtesy of a copy wisely kept by Dave. I’d already decided not to give every last shred of wordplay any more – let me know if I’ve left something out that needs explaining.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Experiences a blow — it helps provide comfort in prayer (7) |
| HASSOCK – HAS=experiences,SOCK=a blow – a hassock is a cushion for kneeling on, pronounced to rhyme with, but not to be confused with, cassock = a church garment | |
| 5 | Make rough version of a score before noon (7) |
| COARSEN – anag. of ‘a score’,N=noon | |
| 9 | People generally good-natured on island (7) |
| MANKIND=”people generally” – MAN=island,KIND=good-natured | |
| 10 | Second of March? (7) |
| INSTANT – 2 defs, March being the current month and therefore “instant” in old-style business letter lingo – “Thank you for your esteemed favour [i.e. letter of complaint] of the 3rd instant” and all that. I hope no-one was tricked into writing TUESDAY! | |
| 11 | European politician aboard the rescue craft in recreation area (5,4) |
| THEME PARK – M.E.P. = European politician, in THE,ARK=rescue craft | |
| 12 | Burning material at the end of three months (5) |
| EMBER – the ending of our 9th, 11th and 12th months | |
| 13 | Type of European city (5) |
| ROMAN – 2 defs – a type(!) of (printer’s) type, and “of European city” | |
| 15 | Soldier solves about ten logical puzzles, apparently (9) |
| PARADOXES – PARA=soldier, then X=ten in DOES (as of xwd) = solves | |
| 17 | After service, male assistant put back TV etc. (4,5) |
| MASS MEDIA – MASS=service,M=male,EDIA = reversal of aide=assistant | |
| 19 | Indicated average temperature (5) |
| MEANT – MEAN=average,T | |
| 22 | Carpenter’s construction accomplished after short time (5) |
| TABLE – T-time,ABLE=accomplished | |
| 23 | Prohibition making some Stateside barmen testy (9) |
| DEBARMENT – hidden word | |
| 25 | A tramp is a kind of ship (7) |
| DRIFTER – 2 defs | |
| 26 | Admit attempt by a Labour leader is gift for opposition (3,4) |
| OWN GOAL – OWN=admit,GO=attempt,A,L | |
| 27 | Elaborate and ornate style, as a rule (7) |
| REGENCY – 2 defs – remember the style/ruler combo from the Brighton Pavilion | |
| 28 | Scots knew why, it’s said, this leader was slain (7) |
| KENNEDY = slain leader (JFK) – KENNED = Scots for knew, Y = “why” | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Hard master maltreated one often seen on treadmill (7) |
| HAMSTER – H,AMSTER = anag. of master | |
| 2 | Daily broadcast that’s illuminating, naturally (7) |
| SUNBEAM – SUN = daily (newspaper), BEAM (vb.) = broadcast | |
| 3 | Source of oil, as it happens (5) |
| OLIVE – O=source of oil, LIVE=as it happens | |
| 4 | Novel youngster dropped off (9) |
| KIDNAPPED – KID,NAPPED=dropped off | |
| 5 | Prison key on ring (5) |
| CLINK – C = (musical) key,LINK (of a chain) = ring | |
| 6 | You can get trams, and Edam, here (9) |
| AMSTERDAM – anag. of (trams, Edam) – an all-in-one with the crucial parts of the definition coming from the anagram fodder | |
| 7 | Speaker’s supporter in fight after TV programme (7) |
| SOAPBOX – SOAP = TV programme (generic term or the US series Soap for those with long memories), BOX=fight | |
| 8 | These characters aren’t involved with us (7) |
| NATURES = characters – anag. of (aren’t, us) | |
| 14 | What Canadian provinces do, in place of political leader (6,3) |
| NUMBER TEN – 2 defs – I’m just going to believe from BG that there are ten Canadian provinces | |
| 16 | Unusually broad forward creating obstruction, in a way (4,5) |
| ROADBLOCK – ROADB = anag. of broad, LOCK = (Rugby Union) forward | |
| 17 | Killer charged in Spain (7) |
| MATADOR – cryptic def. | |
| 18 | Part of same issue is raised by flashy articles (7) |
| SIBLING – SI = reversal of “is”, BLING = flashy articles | |
| 20 | Article, so minute, with tiny cover — amazing! (7) |
| AWESOME – A = (indefinite) arrticle, then (SO,M=minute) in WEE=tiny | |
| 21 | Closed count, coming to 100% (7) |
| TOTALLY – TO=closed (as of a door),TALLY=count | |
| 23 | He’s enjoyed a long partnership in local match, we hear (5) |
| DARBY of Darby and Joan, = “Derby” = local match | |
| 24 | Collapse, divided by new dispute (3-2) |
| RUN-IN = dispute (noun) – N in RUIN = collapse | |