DT 26373

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26373

A Full Review by Gnomethang

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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***

Afternoon All! This was the usual Cephas puzzle that should not cause too many complaints although it was maybe harder than last week’s. A couple of easy cryptic definitions and some good clues along the way.

Please leave a comment and ask any further questions should the need arise

Across

1a           Composer receives court decision (7)
VERDICT – A decision made for or against a defendant in court is a charade of the composer Giuseppe VERDI and CT – the abbreviation for COURT

5a           Again use velocipede after he leaves here (7)
RECYCLE – The construction here may not be what you thought on the day. The velocipede is the CYCLE. Put this after (he)RE – indicated by HE leaves HERE to get the definition which is ‘Again Use’

9a           Georgia replaced headset in town (9)
GATESHEAD – The NE town in the UK is made by taking GA (the US state capital abbreviation) followed by an anagram (replaced) of HEADSET

10a         Endless angry state, a place of unsurpassed beauty (5)
TEMPE – As BD pointed out in the Saturday Hints, this valley of the Peneus in Thessaly was praised by the ancient poets for its unsurpassed beauty. Remove the last letter (endless) of TEMPEr (an angry state)

11a         Anglo-Saxon layer of wood (5)
ASHEN – The standard abbreviation for Anglo Saxon (AS) is placed before HEN (A bird that lays eggs could be described as a layer). The use of layer in this way crops up quite regularly in Crosswordland. The definition – Of wood – is descriptive of the wood from the ASH tree alone.

12a         Joy ride (9)
TRANSPORT – A double meaning here. Enchantment or Joy and also your conveyance or wheels.

13a         High level board touch down (9)
TABLELAND – I dragged this from the back of my head. TABLELAND is a synonym for plateau (high level) and is also a charade of TABLE (board) and LAND (touch down in an aircraft)

16a         Freed revolutionary put off (5)
DEFER – A revolutionary anagram of FREED gives a verb meaning to put off or leave for a later time

17a         Something at which one excels loudly (5)
FORTE – Another double meaning. An activity that you are good at and also the musical notation for Loud (usually seen as the letter F in crosswords)

18a         Moisture brought in twice a day, we rated it differently (9)
TIDEWATER – Difficult to clue the definition without using ‘water’ so ‘moisture’ will have to do!. An anagram (differently) of WE RATED IT leads to the twice daily ebb and flow along the coast.

20a         Do not put on enough clothes (9)
UNDERWEAR – One’s smalls. A definition and Cryptic definition. Clothes being the straight definition. If you don’t put enough on you may have UNDER WORN

23a         Sort of pay that is obscene (5)
GROSS – Your earnings before tax and stoppages is also an adjective for obscene or repulsive

25a         Alarm from reportedly icy deity first (5)
PANIC – Start with the god of Shepherds and Flocks, then add a homophone of icy “I C” to set the alarm bells ringing!

26a         Person on lookout for more green (9)
EXTRAVERT – ‘Person on lookout’ is nicely used here as someone who is looking out for opportunities e.g being open to people. The cryptic part is a charade of EXTRA (more) and VERT (green in heraldry)

27a         Footballer who brushes aside his opponents? (7)
SWEEPER – A cryptic definition for a football player in the backs who is responsible for collecting and moving the ball to the forwards

28a         Herb round with squashed orange (7)
OREGANO – Start with O for round then add an anagram (squashed) of ORANGE

Down

1d           Virginia gets allowance from wanderer (7)
VAGRANT – Another US State abbreviation – VA for Virginia. The allowance is a GRANT, the charade yielding a synonym for tramp, hobo and sometimes, amusingly, bum!

2d           Toothed wheel found by rector at church (5)
RATCH – This toothed wheel (usually seen as ratchet) is hidden in rectoR AT CHurch

3d           Not out because engineers were deceitful (9)
INSINCERE – Another charade. If you are not out (yet) in cricket you are IN (sorry ladies!). Follow this with SINCE (for or because) and the ubiquitous Royal Engineers to get a word for deceitful

4d           Taking offence (5)
THEFT – One of Cephas’ not very cryptic definitions to get you started!

5d           How one might be caught with only diamonds and hearts (9)
REDHANDED – A definition and cryptic definition, Hearts and Diamonds being Red cards that you may have in a hand.

6d           Skin one’s damaged first (5)
CUTIS – The outermost layer of skin (synonymous with dermis). Take CUT (an example of damage, particularly for the skin) and then add IS for ‘one’s’

7d           Don’t be ridiculous, get down from your high horse (4,3,2)
COME OFF IT – A gentle double meaning but nicely put together

8d           One may be put out by this seat (7)
EJECTOR – The emergency evacuation seat in a fighter plane

14d         Steps on granary floor (4,5)
BARN DANCE – A granary is a barn and the steps in question could be a hop!

15d         A sailor going round that place behind (2,3,4)
AT THE REAR – The definition is ‘behind’ or ‘ at the back’. Take A TAR (one of our many crossworland words for sailor – Jolly Jack Tar) and put it around THERE (that place)

16d         In confusion, dead wrong to belittle (9)
DOWNGRADE – A confused anagram of DEAD WRONG gives a word that means ‘To exchange a current device for one of inferior specification’ – usually for reasons of economy

17d         Slip made by fellow taking step round gold cross (4,3)
FAUX PAS – An originally French phrase for slip or mistake. Take F for Fellow and PAS – another originally French word for step or pace, and insert AU (chemical symbol for Gold) and X for cross

19d         Dish motorist did not start cooking (7)
RISOTTO – This rice dish can be prepared by taking a motorist, cutting his head off, and cooking (making an anagram) – Don’t forget the oil!

21d         Summary about European farm policy (5)
RECAP – A summary or précis is a charade of RE (on or about, Reference) and an abbreviation of the Common Agricultural Policy (that was devised in France for the French on behalf of Europe)

22d         Proportional representation (5)
RATIO – Another gentle cryptic definition of the mathematical result of a fraction

24d         Time after work for entertainment (5)
OPERA – A (possibly chestnutty!) charade of ERA (time) after OP(us) gives a musical presentation (which is also the plural of OPUS in Latin)

Thanks to Cephas for the archetypal Saturday workout. Crypticsue is in the chair next week so over to her.