DT 26211

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26211

A full review by Big Dave

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

This puzzle received a mixed reception. My own view is that, although there is room for improvement, the Saturday puzzles have come a long way in the last twelve months.

My advice to all setters, would be as follows: if the first draft of a new puzzle contains phrases like 9a and 14a, words that are in nobody’s vocabulary, boys or girls names, places other than major cities or countries, scrap the puzzle and start again!

Across

1a    One making religious ceremony sound different (6)
WRIGHT – The definition here is, rather cleverly, “one making”, and is usually preceded by a word like wheel, mill etc. that tells you what they are making – it sounds like rite (religious ceremony)

9a    Just what is needed now second person has arrived (4,3,3)
HERE YOU ARE – say no more!

10a    Distracted a celebrant in place of worship (10)
TABERNACLE – an anagram (distracted) of A CELEBRANT gives a place of worship

11a    Once it could offer an opening (4)
EXIT – EX (once) and IT give an opening

12a    Firepower running short (4)
AMMO – shortened form of ammunition

14a    Still like peas in a pod (3,3,4)
ALL THE SAME – a phrase that means still describes peas in a pod

17a    An attack to be faced? (7)
FRONTAL – cryptic? definition

18a    Princess, aficionado in anti-movement (7)
INFANTA – a title borne by every one of the daughters of the kings of Spain and Portugal, except the eldest, comes from FAN (aficionado) inside an anagram (movement) of ANTI

20a    Simple principle Ray manipulated (10)
ELEMENTARY – a word meaning simple is a charade of a principle and an anagram (manipulated) of RAY

21a    Isn’t there much to chew over at this conference? (4)
DIET – a cryptic definition of a conference, like the schoolboy favourite the Diet of Worms

22a    Started enveloping some flower (4)
EDEN – hidden inside started enveloping is a river (flower)

23a    Merely a toff, that’s a good thing (4,2,4)
JUST AS WELL – JUST (merely) A SWELL (a toff) rewritten gives a phrase that means that’s a good thing

25a    Restaurant, second take out before reaching home (10)
STEAKHOUSE – this restaurant is derived from S(econd), an anagram (out) of TAKE and HOUSE (home)

26a    Army craftsmen have 24 hours without a cure (6)
REMEDY – Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers are followed by DY (DAY / 24 hours without the letter A) results in a cure

Down

2d    Winger from Real Madrid (3,7)
RED ADMIRAL – this winger is a butterfly! – indicated once again by that weakest of indicators, from, it’s an anagram of REAL MADRID – but the surface reading is excellent

3d    Look — transparent fabric has middle missing (4)
GAZE – a look is created from GA(U)ZE with the U (middle) missing

4d    Imagine a profit will change one’s opinion (5,5)
THINK AGAIN – combine THINK (imagine) with A and GAIN (profit) to get a phrase meaning to change one’s opinion

5d    Sound expert left on the internet (7)
CRACKLE – a sound is built up from CRACK (expert) L(eft) and E (electronic, as in email)

6d    Extremely heavy drill received shrewd publicity (4)
HYPE – HY (extremely HeavY) followed by PE (drill) gives shrewd publicity

7d    Victoria’s comedown in Australia (10)
QUEENSLAND – QUEEN’S (Victoria’s) and LAND (comedown) gives an Australian state

8d    Moderate Christian I leave (6)
GENTLE – a word meaning moderate comes from GENT(I)LE (Christian without the I / I leave)

13d    Pretty useless (10)
ORNAMENTAL – a double definition

15d    Term of endearment by one consuming bird (10)
HONEYEATER – combine HONEY (a term of endearment) with EATER (someone who is consuming food) to get a bird that consumes the term of endearment!

16d    Mum’s home country? (10)
MOTHERLAND – a cryptic definition?

19d    Man causing friction at work (7)
MASSEUR – a slightly better cryptic definition

20d    Very unusual verse Oscar completed (4,2)
EVER SO – a phrase meaning very is an anagram (unusual) of VERSE then O (Oscar)

23d    Juliet Newton went round Ohio to find a man (4)
JOHN – put J (Juliet in the NATO phonetic alphabet) and N (Newton, the SI unit of force) around OH (Ohio) to find a man’s name

24d    Crawler with no backbone (4)
WORM – a creature that crawls can also be used as a description of a mean, grovelling or contemptible person – the entire clue also reads as a non-cryptic definition!

I have added a new section on SI units to The Mine.