DT 26936

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26936

A full review by crypticsue

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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment **

I don’t think it was just the distraction of all that exciting Olympic viewing but I found this crossword trickier than expected for a Saturday and not quite as much fun as usual either.

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 Flashy performer who’s dressed up with hat (10)
SHOWBOATER – an anagram (dressed up) of WHOS followed by a BOATER (hat) produces a someone who shows off.

6a Old group making comeback is just the same (4)
ABBA –  The palindrome that is the Swedish pop group.

10a Note money given backing television etc. (5)
MEDIA –  A channel such as television or the press through which information is transmitted to the public.   ME (a musical note) and a reversal (backing) of AID (money given).

11a Did needlework before wedding announced in London suburb (5,4)
MAIDA VALE –  Part of London sounds like one might have MADE (or sewn with a needle) A VEIL for a bride.

12a Hair gets Miliband taken aback (7)
SHOCKED – A thick mass of shaggy hair – SHOCK  plus ED (Miliband) go together  to produce part of a verb meaning  caused an unpleasant surprise.

13a  Great brain — mine familiarly enjoyed acquiring bit of erudition (7)
EGGHEAD –  EGG (a slang term for a mine or bomb) followed by HAD (enjoyed) into which is inserted E (a bit of erudition).

14a Doctor here treats the poorly not the poor! (6,6)
HARLEY STREET –  A cryptic definition of the place where rich people go to visit the doctor.

18a Investors told shockers fraudulently (12)
STOCKHOLDERS  –  People who hold stocks in a company – an anagram (fraudulently) of TOLD SHOCKERS.

21a Name Child Support Agency for backing hermit (7)
ASCETIC – A strict hermit is obtained from a reversal of CITE (name) and  CSA (the initials by which the Child Support Agency is known).

23a Put work in to get beating sugar (7)
LACTOSE –   Insert ACT (work) into LOSE (get beating) to produce a type of sugar produced by evaporating milk whey.

24a Liven up former Argentine leader with a bit of Italian pizza topping (9)
PEPPERONI –  The spicy sausage put on top of a pizza –   PEP (liven up) PERON (old leader of Argentina) and I (a bit of Italian).

25a Trendy group’s small figure (5)
INSET –  IN (trendy) plus SET (group) go together to make a small map or figure inserted in the corner of another.

26a Character in Morse makes mild expletive (4)
DASH –   A polite euphemism for damn has the same name as the long element in Morse code.

27a Insect in certain level of development eating vegetable line (4,6)
STAG BEETLE –  A large insect is obtained by inserting BEET (vegetable) and L (line) into a STAGE of development.

 

Down

1d Southern prophet gets a snack from India (6)
SAMOSA –   An Indian savoury stuffed with spiced vegetables or meat – S (Southern) AMOS (the Biblical prophet) and A (from the clue).

2d More than likely lad goes after rum (4-2)
ODDS-ON   – In betting, a better than even chance of winning – ODD (rum) plus SON (lad) split 4-2.

3d Dodgy dealer to miss trade in alcoholic drink (5-9)
BLACK-MARKETEER – Someone who deals  in buying and selling of products against the law or official regulations.   Insert LACK (miss) and MARKET (trade) into BEER (alcoholic drink), splitting the result 5-9.

4d A jolly fuss about sick creature from South America (9)
ARMADILLO –  A South American mammal – A (from the clue) RM (jolly being a slang way of referring to a Royal Marine) and ADO (fuss), the latter having ILL (sick) inserted.

5d Best selection of Chinese literature (5)
ELITE –  Hidden in a selection of ChinesE LITErature is a noun meaning the pick or best of anything.

7d Handcuff gives couple obstruction (8)
BRACELET  –   BRACE (couple, two) plus LET (obstruction or hindrance) produce an informal term for a handcuff.

8d One acted in reconstruction as description of incident (8)
ANECDOTE  – An anagram (in reconstruction) of ONE ACTED gives us a short narrative of an incident in private life.

9d Worked out great tactic per training session for the Gunners (6,8)
TARGET PRACTICE –  Another anagram  (worked out) of GREAT TACTIC PER –   I suppose TARGET PRACTICE would work for both meanings of Gunners – privates in the Artillery or footballers playing for Arsenal.

15d One lonely goatherd’s first and last quirky singing style (9)
YODELLING –   A lovely &Lit –  the song  about the lonely goatherd whose yodelling was heard by a ‘girl in a pale pink coat ’  made famous by the Sound of Music, although I am sure I remember it before that.   An anagram (quirky) of ONE LONELY and the first and last letters of GoatherD.

16d Cut into hill having got away without resistance (8)
ESCARPED – Cut into a hill to make a steep slope or ditch.   Insert R (resistance) into  ESCAPED (got away)

17d Ideas from music shows with piano not right (8)
CONCEPTS  –  Removing the R (not right) from CONCERTS (music shows) and replacing it with a P (piano) produces a synonym for ideas and inventions.

19d Two TVs a source of much entertainment (3,3)
BOX SET –   Two ways of referring to televisions – BOX and SET go together to make a collection of similar items such as a complete television series on DVD packaged as a single unit.

20d Nuisance left quarter pounder (6)
PESTLE –   An instrument for pounding or grinding – PEST (nuisance) plus L (left) and E (one quarter of the compass)

22d Caught yob a hard blow (5)
CLOUT –   C (caught in cricket scoring) plus LOUT make a hard blow or strike with the open hand.

Thank you to the Saturday Mysteron.   I am off back to Sundays for a couple of weeks.