ST 2651

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2651

Hints and tips by gnomethang

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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***

Morning All!. I found this puzzle reasonably straightforward although I couldn’t remember how I arrived at 2d when writing the review and there was a bit of controversy on 5d on another site – it does appear to contain a factual error although that didn’t really affect the ability to solve the clue – more of a niggle.

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 Works of Warhol, every year, displayed in New York, say (3,3)
POP ART – The genre to which Andy Warhol’s artworks subscribed. P.A (Per Annum, every year) inside PORT of which New York is an example.

4a Secured a loan without interest outside bank (8)
BORROWED – The insertion of ROW (bank) into BORED (without interest) for a verb meaning ‘secured a loan’.

10a Scot who’s landed, set down across river (5)
LAIRD – The Scottish equivalent of a Lord (a member of the landed gentry) is found from placing LAID (set down) around (across) R for River.

11a Watch piece of action in court, whence one can see how the land lies (9)
VIEWPOINT – A charade of VIEW (watch) and POINT (piece of action in a Tennis court) to give

12a Bad clues are mostly profane (7)
SECULAR – The definition here relies on profane being the antonym of ‘spiritual’ or ‘holy’. It originally meant something like ‘base’ in this regard as opposed to the newer ‘Sweary’ definition. In any case it is an anagram (bad) of all but the last letter (mostly) CLUES AR(e).

13a Cheese in list included by child (7)
STILTON – TILT for ‘list’ inside (included by) SON for ‘child’ gives the lovely English cheese.

14a Become absent-minded? That’s how organisation may be broken up (14)
DEPARTMENTALLY – How a large organisation can be broken up into different areas of responsibility. When split into DEPART MENTALLY one gets a phrase meaning ‘become absent-minded’.

17a Indicate foul play, as strike is followed by cut in plant (4,3,7)
BLOW THE WHISTLE – As a referee might do to indicate a foul. Start with BLOW (strike) amd then add HEW (cut) inside the THISTLE plant. One of my favourite clues today.

21a Part of spiritual system (7)
RITUALS – An &Lit (all-in-one) clue where the definition is the whole sentence and also the full wordplay – part of spiRITUAL System.

23a Favourite included in short order to enter race (7)
COMPETE – The definition here is only the word race. Place PET (favourite) inside COME ,a short or terse order to enter.

24a Cheat in bar — not right, minute drink’s over pound (9)
BAMBOOZLE – Fairly complicated wordplay here. Remove the R (not Right) from BAR then add M for Minute and finally place BOOZE (drink) around or over L for Librum, a pound sterling abbreviation. The whole thing means ‘Cheat’ or ‘Stymie’.

25a Law expert who performs timidly, not reaching conclusion? (5)
RABBI – A teacher and expert in Jewish law. Take a RABBIT (someone who behaves or performs timidly) and remove the last letter (not reaching a conclusion).

26a What recluse enjoys that can never be shared (8)
SOLITUDE – A pretty straightforward cryptic definition. Once shared with another one’s solitude disappears

27a King careless about warning device (6)
KLAXON – K for King (from the Chess abbreviation) then LAX ON (careless about) gives the hooter that goes ARROOOOGAAAH!.

Down

1d Stakes minimal money as I deal crookedly (8)
PALISADE – A series of stakes or railings. Start with P for Pence (minimal money) and then add an anagram (crookedly) of AS I DEAL.

2d Leading teacher’s original advance (9)
PRINCIPAL – The head of a (usually American) school and also the initial sum borrowed on a loan.

3d Setter of puzzles who sorts out finer material? (7)
RIDDLER – Two definitions here – the person that sets the riddle and also a fine sieve that sorts out finer material.

5d Golf club, English, used in major events — they don’t get closing rounds (4,10)
OPEN SANDWICHES – These items of food that are dispensed in ’rounds’ are not closed with a final slice of bread. Take SANDWICH (a golf “club”)and E for English and place them inside OPENS (competitions including Golf that are in principal open to all. The main grumble here is that SANDWICH is not a golf club but rather a location for one of two clubs: Princes and Royal St George’s (which is the course where the Open Championship has been played).

6d Finishes off reply in car, making a copy (7)
REPLICA – Remove the end letters from REPL(y) I(n) CA(r) to make the facsimile or copy.

7d Watch position son’s taken in legal document (5)
WRIST – The watch position is where you wear it!.) Place S for Son in WRIT (legal document)

8d Romantic activity that’s becoming old-fashioned (6)
DATING – The romantic activity of wooing also means ‘getting old’ or ‘old-fashioned’

9d Given excessive weight, very large map he stupidly put inside (14)
OVEREMPHASIZE – Place an anagram of MAP HE (stupidly) inside OVERSIZE (very large) to find a word meaning ‘given excessive weight’.

15d Recipient of post and I, for instance, fight (6,3)
LETTER BOX – Where one posts ones mail. I is an example of a letter and to fight is to BOX.

16d Polo, say, in an event I organised (8)
Polo is placed at the start in order to disguise the capitalisation. Marco Polo was a famous venetian, which is an anagram (organised) of AN EVENT I.

18d Exhaust pair in game with a heavy defeat (4,3)
WEAR OUT – A word meaning exhaust or tire. Start with W(est) and E(ast) – a pair in the game of Bridge – then add A ROUT (heavy defeat).

19d Bad marks repeatedly in one kind of exam (7)
IMMORAL – We need to place two Ms (Marks) inside I for one and ORAL (A type of spoken examination). The definition is simply bad/sinful.

20d Under pressure, formally covers up investigations (6)
PROBES – A noun for investigations. Underneath P for Pressure put ROBES (formally dresses or covers up)

22d Indian Mutiny’s leader imprisoned in end (5)
TAMIL – An Indian region and its inhabitants. Place the leading letter of Mutiny in the TAIL or end.

Thanks to Virgilius for the entertainment. I am back tomorrow and next week on Saturday detail.