DT 26564

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26564

A Full Review by Gnomethang

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

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

Morning All!. I think that this week it was the turn of our mystery setter for the Saturday entertainment. There were a few clues that caused some trouble on the day but nothing too difficult. I made it up to 3 stars based on my own solving time and comments from the ‘blog.

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.  You can also add your assessment by selecting from one to five stars at the bottom of the post.

Across

1a           Form of study is a challenge to those driving in Kent (8,6)
SANDWICH COURSE – A definition and Cryptic Definition to start with. The former is a course of study that comes in structured chunks of study and placement work, the latter refers to either Royal St Georges or Princes Golf Course in Sandwich (where people drive off on the tee).

9a           Instrument producing introduction to ballad equally well (7)
BASSOON – A few problems for people spotting this on the day. Start with B, the introduction to Ballad, then add AS SOON meaning equally well (as in the phrase ““I’d as soon as have tea as coffee””)

10a         Inadvertently revealed what could be retold quietly (3,4)
LET DROP – A phrase meaning ‘Inadvertently revealed’ is an anagram (what could be) of RETOLD then P for quietly (piano in musical notation)

11a         Rows rise up, head to tail (4)
OARS – Rows a boat. Start with SOAR (rise up) and move the first letter (head) to the end (tail).

12a         Drive into rough building left half falling down (10)
RAMSHACKLE – A nicely put together charade with a good surface reading. RAM (drive into), SHACK (rough building) and half of LE(ft). The result is an adjective for ‘falling down’, much like the old building once it has been rammed into!

14a         Pulse observed in virulent illness (6)
LENTIL – A leguminous vegetable seed (pulse) is hidden within viruLENT ILness.

15a         Mark a footballer endlessly, source of danger cut off (8)
MAROONED – An adjective meaning cut off or isolated (e.g. on an island) is a charade of M for Mark (the former German currency), A (in the clue) ROONEy (the footballer with his last letter removed) and the start (source) of Danger.

17a         Drink’d get consumed in great tribute (8)
ACCOLADE – A bit of lateral thinking required due to the ‘Drink’d’ construction. Sometimes this needs you to expand the apostrophe ‘d to mean would but in this case it simply requires you to add a D to COLA (drink). Put this inside (it is consumed by) ACE for great to get a tribute or plaudit.

18a         Gunman again pegs back (6)
SNIPER – A simple reversal of REPINS (again pegs back) gives an accurate single shot gunman.

21a         Craftsman cracking whip’s not mistaken (10)
SHIPWRIGHT – Another that caused some headaches on the day. A SHIPWRIGHT  is a skilled worker of wood on ships. A ‘cracking’ anagram of WHIPS followed by RIGHT (not mistaken)

22a         Independent teacher gets over bloomer (4)
IRIS – A regular Crosswordland flower is formed from I (Independent) and the reversal (gets over) of the correct form of address for a male teacher)

24a         It helps psychologist to blink wildly (3,4)
INK BLOT – The splodgy designs used by psychologists to identify maniacs (formally called a Rorschach test) is an anagram (wildly) of TO BLINK

25a         Old radio receiving unknown dictatorship (7)
TYRANNY – A despotic regime or dictatorship. Place Y (one of the unknowns X, Y or Z in algebra) inside TRANNY, an abbreviation of TRANSISTOR radio (which I guess are old now with the advent of the awful DAB digital affairs)

26a         Investigator working on Crime Stoppers half-heartedly (9,5)
INSPECTOR MORSE – The answer is the most famous creation of Colin Dexter. He is an anagram (working) of ON CRIME STOP(p)ERS – half heartedly meaning remove one of the double letters from stoppers.

Down

1d           Regular payments on fossil fuel — it’s found under ground (7)
SUBSOIL – A charade of SUBS (an abbreviation of subscriptions – a regular payment) and OIL (fossil fuel). Subsoil, as its name suggests, is found under the topsoil!

2d           Rather old concern kingship engendered (2,6,7)
NO SPRING CHICKEN – An excellent anagram (engendered) of OLD CONCERN KINGSHIP is a description of (usually) a woman whose best years are behind her.

3d           Seduce daughter in club (4)
WOOD – A concise but diverting charade of WOO (seduce) and D for Daughter gives you a golf club that might be used at 1a.

4d           Tintin’s knees-up (6)
CANCAN – This one caught me out for a long time although I can’t think why. Repeat CAN (tin) twice to get a dance (knees-up)

5d           Salad cheers, getting eaten by nipper (8)
COLESLAW – A very nice clue that needs you to insert OLES (cheers in Spain) into (getting eaten by) CLAW – a cryptic definition of a nipper

6d           Insect imago finally appearing in pupation metamorphosing to some extent (2,2,1,5)
UP TO A POINT – Probably my least favourite clue as I found it very wordy and not very smooth. We need to add the last letters of insecT and imagO into an anagram (metamorphosed) of PUPATION. The result is a phrase meaning ‘To some extent’

7d           What Keegan was to Toshack’s attractive girlfriend? (8,7)
STRIKING PARTNER – Anyone who is good looking may be described as ‘striking’ and one’s girl/boyfriend is one’s partner.  Kevin Keegan and John Toshack were a formidable pair of forwards (strikers) for Liverpool F.C. in the late 70’s

8d           Broadcast odds understood (6)
SPREAD – Broadcast or disseminate. Start with SP (Starting Price or odds in turf accountant’s parlance) and READ for understood/tacit (take it as read)

13d         Some bedding plant’s head knocked off by ball (10)
PILLOWSLIP – Some bedding, that fits over the headrest. Start with COWSLIP, remove the C (head knocked off) and replace with PILL – A ball of medicine. This was probably the hardest clue for me to work out. There is a very good ‘lift and separate’ required between the definition (some bedding) and ‘plant’ as ‘bedding plant’ is a recognised gardening term. Also PILL for BALL (of medicine) is not so well known.

16d         Jerk following man leaving off North Sea (8)
ADRIATIC – quite straightforward but some people suggested that ADRIAN was not a very common man’s name – I disagree. Remove the N (North) and add TIC – the usual Crosswordland synonym for ‘jerk’ to get a Sea in the Mediterranean between Italy and Croatia (etc).

17d         Go down ill catching cattle disease (6)
ABSEIL – A verb meaning to go down (via rope). Take AIL (ill) and add (it is catching) BSE or ‘mad cow disease’

19d         Others see turnover in fashion again (7)
RESTYLE – Another nicely misleading clue until you realize that you have forgotten SEE as a Church of England diocese (of which ELY is a common example in crosswords). Reverse ELY (turnover) and add it to REST (the others or remainders) to get a verb meaning to ‘fashion again’ or makeover.

20d         Going round Hungary reach poor quarter (6)
GHETTO – A verb meaning to reach (GET TO), when placed around H (the IVR code for Hungary) gives a poor quarter (of a city) or ‘shanty town’

23d         Concert for millions (4)
PROM – A nice easy word sum to finish. Pro (for) and M(illions) gives a concert or performance.

I am back on Sunday detail with Virgilius next week. Crypticsue will be picking the Saturday puzzle back up after a Sicilian refreshment.