Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27061
A full review by gnomethang
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BD Rating – Difficulty *– Enjoyment **
Morning All! This is the review of last Saturday’s Prize Puzzle. I really found this too straightforward to be a real challenge and reviewing found an awful lot of charades and anagrams of a very similar form. A couple of nice cryptic definitions though.
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[NB This post has been restored from a back-up copy. Unfortunately the comments made on the day are no longer available.]
Across
8a Things drifting, not turned round by board (8)
PLANKTON – A reversal of NOT after PLANK for board gives floating microorganisms.
9a In reception (2-4)
AT HOME – A cryptic definition referring to being ‘At home to callers’.
10a Agile Romeo embraced by Mata Hari? (4)
SPRY – The International call sign for R – Romeo inside SPY – of which Mata-Hari is one example (indicated by the question mark.
11a Fancy divorcee at ground (10)
DECORATIVE – An anagram, indicated by ‘ground’ (to pieces) of DIVORCEE AT.
12a Horse, cob Ron tamed (6)
BRONCO – Another anagram, this time indicated by tamed, of COB RON.
14a Not good-looking! (4-4)
EVIL-EYED – Another cryptic definition. I had to wait for a few checking letters before this one went in.
15a Comment on late news? (7)
EPITAPH – A slightly easier cryptic definition once you have remembered that ‘late’ also means dead or passed on.
17a Plants in this place may conceal trap (7)
HERBAGE – General flora or vegetation. Place BAG (trap or nab) inside HERE (this place)
20a Cleaner’s mother welcoming one’s special appeal (8)
CHARISMA – CHAR’S (cleaner’s) and MA (mother) with I for One introduced.
22a Discrimination shown by second divorcee one’s married (6)
SEXISM – A charade of S(econd), EX (divorcee/former partner), I’S (one’s) and the abbreviation M for Married.
23a List of items turns Liberal off (4,2,4)
BILL OF FARE – An anagram (turns) of LIBERAL OFF for a menu, for example.
24a Cut to remove bird’s tail (4)
SNIP – Remove the tail from the SNIP(e)
25a Being virtuous, he acts out of character (6)
CHASTE – Make an anagram (out of character) of HE ACTS.
26a Teacher’s account seen by the man as source of worry (8)
HEADACHE – A charade of the HEAD (teacher), AC (the abbreviation of account as in A/C Payee Only on a cheque) and finally HE for ‘the man’.
Down
1d Nonsense to applaud with role backfiring (8)
CLAPTRAP – CLAP for applaud and then a reversal (backfiring) of PART for role.
2d Just nothing left in New York (4)
ONLY – O for zero/nothing then L for Left inside the abbreviation for New York
3d Boss takes leader of industrialists round workroom (6)
STUDIO – A stud is also a boss when it is a small metal popper. Add the leading letter in I(ndustrialists) and then O for round.
4d Hammer on the door? (7)
KNOCKER – Another cryptic definition where the hammer is the thing that knocks rather than the action of knocking.
5d Type of crack that’s parting? (8)
HAIRLINE – A definition plus cryptic (or simply two definitions). A very thin crack and the front of one’s barnet.
6d Gossip in phone kiosk? (10)
CHATTERBOX – A gossip in a telephone box/kiosk would be a chatterbox!.
7d Film mob I’ve roused (1-5)
B-MOVIE – An anagram (roused) of MOB I’VE for a second rate film.
13d Tailless tarantula is bothering botanist (10)
NATURALIST – An anagram (bothering?) of TARANTUL(a) without its tail letter and IS from the clue.
16d Situation vacant, no stamp required (4-4)
POST-FREE – I didn’t see why people were considering the ‘alternative’ answer of (freepost) which as BD rightly pointed out is not hyphenated and is a trade-name of a Royal Mail service. What we need here is a straight charade of POST (situation/job) and FREE (vacant/unoccupied).
18d Georgia’s portable lamp (8)
GASLIGHT – A charade of GA’S for Georgia’s and then LIGHT for portable/easy to carry.
19d Flair giving Peter pain (7)
PANACHE – add ACHE (pain) to PAN (Peter Pan but not indicated by example – other Peters are available).
21d Hospital overlooks number for summit (6)
HEIGHT – Very simply H(ospital) on EIGHT (a cardinal number).
22d Witness woodcutter’s up-and-down motion (6)
SEESAW – A charade of SEE (witness) and SAW (woodcutter).
24d Close main line (4)
SEAL – A charade of SEA (the Spanish Main) and L for Line to close with.
Thanks to the setter. Things are now pretty much back on track on the blog fronts.