DT 26906

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26906

A full review by crypticsue

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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ****

A very nice crossword for a busy Saturday – not at all difficult but very enjoyable.

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Across

1a           Disaster for a Los Angeles maiden in New York perhaps (8)
CALAMITY  –  New York is an example (perhaps) of  a CITY.   Insert into CITY:  A (from the clue) LA (Los Angeles)  and M (Maiden, used in cricket scores for a maiden over) to produce another word for a great disaster.

5a           Promote novel that lacks nothing for the time being (3,3)
PRO TEM –  The short form of the Latin expression meaning for the time being – an anagram (novel) of PROMOTE after one of the O’s has been removed (lacks nothing).

9a           Give car a new home (8)
VICARAGE –  A home for a member of the clergy is derived from another anagram (new) of GIVE CAR A.

10a         Springlike! (6)
SPIRAL – Winding like a spring.

11a         Withdraw religious education pamphlet (7)
RETRACT –   RE (Religious Education) and TRACT (a religious leaflet) go together to make a verb meaning to withdraw.

12a         Island get-together (7)
REUNION  – A double definition – an island in the Indian Ocean or a social gathering of friends or persons with something in common.

13a         Lose one’s grip perhaps and take no further action (4,3,4)
DROP THE CASE  –   A double definition again –  to lose one’s grip on a piece of luggage so that it drops to the ground or not to proceed any further with a court case.

16a         American caught by border, taking on debts to get bitter (11)
ACRIMONIOUS –  A (American) C (Caught) RIM (border) ON (from the clue) and IOUS (debts) go together to form an adjective meaning bitter.

21a         Misery for man getting duck in both innings (7)
DESPAIR –  Misery or hopelessness.   DES (a man’s name) and PAIR (not scoring in a cricket innings, known as a duck, so not scoring twice would be a PAIR [of ducks].

22a         King advanced to face revolutionary Korea wannabes on show (7)
KARAOKE –  The best description yet  of this form of ‘entertainment’ – wannabes on show!     K (King) A (Advanced) plus an anagram (revolutionary) of KOREA.

23a         Wanting more than one’s share, rush in generally heartlessly (6)
GREEDY – Inserting a REED (a rush being an example of a marsh or water grass) into G and Y (the outside or heartless letters of generally) produces an adjective meaning wanting more than one’s share of something, usually food.

24a         Make room for opponent’s turn? (4,4)
MOVE OVER –  A double definition and description of one thing you might do to facilitate the other.   You move over to make room for someone, and if your move or go in, for example a game of chess, was over, you might then get out of the way to give your opponent a turn.

25a         Mark has a way to produce dope (6)
DOTARD  – Someone stupid or weak –   DOT (very small mark)  A (from the clue) and RD (the abbreviation for road, which is of course a way).

26a         Surprisingly sweatier in a way (2,2,4)
AS IT WERE –   An anagram (surprisingly) of SWEATIER produces a phrase meaning in a way.

 

Down

1d           Hollow word of warning reaches the fleet (6)
CAVERN –   The Latin interjection meaning beware: CAVE plus  RN (the abbreviation for the Royal Navy, fleet referring to a number of ships such as those used by the Navy) go together to make a hollow such as a large cave or underground chamber.

2d           Place where Leo gallops around, carrying whip (6)
LOCATE – To put in a particular place –  Insert (carrying) a CAT (whip, cat o’nine tails) into an anagram (gallops around) of LEO.

3d           French sea-girl? (7)
MERMAID –  A girl of the sea is obtained from the French word for sea:  MER and MAID (young girl).

4d           Half-cut turning in a jam (5,6)
TIGHT CORNER –  In a difficult situation –  TIGHT (an informal term meaning intoxicated, as is half-cut) and CORNER (turning).

6d           Romeo must have appropriate river transport (7)
RAPTURE  – Transport of extreme delight.   R (Romeo)  APT (suitable or appropriate) and URE (River).

7d           Where tramline could have finished up (8)
TERMINAL –  An anagram  of TRAMLINE gives us the place where one end of the tramline might finish.

8d           Heather, after a disturbing second half of summer, gets to swing the lead (8)
MALINGER – Insert into MER (the second half of sumMER) A (from the clue) and LING (heather) to get a verb meaning to swing the lead or avoid duty or work).

12d         Main speed (4,2,5)
RATE OF KNOTS –  The speed at which we travel at sea – main here referring to the high seas.

14d         Dressed old players first (8)
BANDAGED –   Wearing some form of medical dressing – BAND followed by (players first) AGED (old).

15d         No one goes straight along this street (8)
CRESCENT  – It isn’t possible to travel along a curved street or terrace in a straight line.

17d         Maybe sewer goes round a winding course (7)
MEANDER –  Someone who uses sewing to mend could be called a MENDER.   Insert an A (round A) to get term for a rambling winding course, usually applied to a river.

18d         Malicious person vandalised present (7)
SERPENT –  Cephas does use the  best anagram indicators.   Vandalised indicates that we should rearrange PRESENT to get a treacherous or malicious person.

19d         Learning about type of light needed for art gallery (6)
LOUVRE  –  One of the world’s most famous art galleries –    Insert UV (ultra violet light) into LORE (traditional  learning).

20d         Judicial decision from French Indian (6)
DECREE – A judicial decision – DE (the French word for from) and CREE (a member of a Native American tribe living in Montana and Canada.

I will be reviewing next Saturday’s puzzle too – when hopefully I won’t be so busy but the puzzle will be just as enjoyable.