Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26672
A full review by crypticsue
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BD Rating –Difficulty * – Enjoyment **/***
Our Saturday Mysteron provided us with another straightforward but enjoyable start to Saturday morning. However did it contain, as Prolixic pointed out, a hidden message commenting on the problems with the Telegraph Puzzles site? Have a look at the solutions to 26a, 5d and 3d and see what you think.
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 Discharge from army as protest is breaking into bad blood (10)
DEMOBILISE – To get an informal term meaning to discharge from the army, first you need a DEMO (protest) followed by BILE (bad blood, bitterness) into which is inserted IS (from the clue – IS breaking into).
6a Busy person with loud complaint (4)
BEEF – A loud complaint or quarrel – the busy person here is the proverbial BEE which is followed by F, the musical abbreviation for forte or loud.
9a Having sung a glee not entirely free to talk again (5)
UNGAG – Hidden (not entirely) in sUNG A Glee, is a term meaning to remove a gag which would, of course, leave one free to talk again.
10a Taoism’s foremost philosopher collected things before match (9)
TROUSSEAU – Here the match is a wedding – the foremost or first letter of Taoism followed by the philosopher ROUSSEAU makes a collection of clothes and linen made by a bride in preparation for her wedding.
12a Skill working two boats round southern isle (13)
CRAFTSMANSHIP – Skill in working at or making something – two terms referring to boats: CRAFT and SHIP put round S (southern) and MAN (the Isle of Man). Anyone else initially try to fit the Isle of Wight in here somewhere before the penny dropped? Just me then!
14a Incline to keep misfortunes in concealed place (8)
HILLSIDE – Insert ILLS or misfortunes into a HIDE (a concealed hiding place) to get an inclined slope up the side of a hill.
15a What’s singular in Italian lake’s everything there is (6)
COSMOS – Everything there is refers to the COSMOS – the world or universe as an orderly or systematic whole. Insert S (singular) into COMO[’]S (relating to Lake Como in Italy).
17a Program for computer company connected to internet finally (6)
APPLET – A small computer program that runs within another application – the computer company APPLE followed by, or connected to, the last letter of interneT .
19a Finish off crossword finally is what you hope to do (8)
DISSOLVE – a verb meaning to break up or disperse. The last letter of crossworD (finally) IS (from the clue) and SOLVE (which is indeed what we all hope to do with this or any other crossword).
21a Performance in the Hippodrome a colourful display received by acclaim (13)
CHARIOTEERING – In Roman times, the Hippodrome was the venue for many a chariot race. Insert (received) A (from the clue) and RIOT (colourful, striking display) into CHEERING (acclaim).
24a Time to break up having met fonder fancy (3,2,4)
END OF TERM – An anagram (fancy) of MET FONDER describes the time when schoolchildren break up for the holidays.
25a Advertising individual lying (5)
PRONE – A charade of PR (public relations or advertising) + ONE (individual) makes an adjective meaning lying with one’s face downwards.
26a Place skittles regularly used (4)
SITE -a place set aside for a specific activity is found in the odd (regular) letters of SkItTlEs.
27a Lender wanting security manipulated person with no money, right? (10)
PAWNBROKER – Someone who lends money while taking valuable articles as security for the loan – a PAWN (easily manipulated person) followed by BROKE (having no money) and R (right).
Down
1d Dope enjoyed consuming bit of roast (4)
DRUG – Insert R (a bit of roast) into DUG, part of a verb meaning enjoyed or appreciated – dope being an alternative word for DRUG.
2d Enchanting Christmas visitors peaceful mostly (7)
MAGICAL – the Christmas visitors the MAGI and CAL – most of CAL(M) or peaceful.
3d Mendicant’s faith is incredible (7,6)
BEGGARS BELIEF – An expression meaning to be impossible to believe, or a phrase meaning a mendicant or beggar’s faith or belief.
4d Commonplace remark not starting to show tolerance (8)
LATITUDE – To get a noun meaning tolerance or freedom from restraint, remove the first letter (not starting) from a PLATITUDE or empty remark made as if it were important.
5d Violently attack Ulster castle, knocking out nearly half (5)
STORM – Removimg (knocking out nearly half) the last three letters of the eight letter STORMONT Castle in Northern Ireland leaves a noun meaning a violent attack either by the army or the weather.
7d Radio operator after first lady’s place in Worcestershire (7)
EVESHAM – A nice charade – EVE’S or belonging to the first lady in the Bible and HAM (an amateur radio operator) makes a town ‘just down the road a bit’ from Big Dave Towers.
8d Ancient resting place for Bill round University (4-6)
FOUR-POSTER – An old type of bed – FOR [a] POSTER or bill round U for university.
11d I spurn shower cavorting around ‘plage’ primarily (13)
SUNWORSHIPPER – An &Lit or all-in-one clue where you have to read the whole clue to get the definition. Someone who prefers to avoid showers of rain and instead cavort on a sunny beach (plage is the French for beach) is an anagram (cavorting) of I SPURN SHOWER around a P (plage primarily). The picture is for Gazza so that he can’t complain my illustrations are not up to the required standard!!
13d Time to listen to singer/actress’s radio show (3,7)
THE ARCHERS – Our favourite singer is back – not sure whether she would be a fan of this long-running radio show – T (time) HEAR (listen) CHER’S (belonging to the singer/actress) split 3, 7.
16d Sports officials from Nine Elms erratic (8)
LINESMEN – These officials play their part in games of football. It’s a fairly obvious anagram (erratic) of NINE ELMS. I believe that as they have allowed ladies to undertake this role, they are now called Assistant Referees!
18d Enthusiastic approval and praise in area in front of stage (7)
PLAUDIT – An act of praise or enthusiastic approval – Insert LAUD (praise) into the PIT or area in front of the stage usually occupied by an orchestra or band.
20d Set of records appear to contain nothing on Great Britain (7)
LOGBOOK – A set of official records. A verb meaning to appear or seem – LOOK is put around (contains) O (nothing) and GB (Great Britain).
22d Greek character in the reserves (5)
THETA – The eighth letter of the Greek alphabet – THE (from the clue) and TA (the Territorial Army consists of part-time volunteer soldiers who are kept in reserve and called up in case of war.
23d Noble look (4)
PEER – A double definition – A noble of the rank of baron upward or a verb meaning to look narrowly or closely.
Having solve this one quite quickly, it took the review writing process to work out the enjoyment rating No special favourites amongst the clues, just a nice all-round good solve. Gnomey will be back on Saturday duty next week while I will be trying to see if Virgilius has hidden a theme for me to find.