Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27066
Hints and tips by Gazza
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
No themes today, just a straightforward puzzle from our usual Friday setter. Let us know how you got on.
If you need to reveal an answer just highlight the gap between the brackets under the troublesome clue.
[NB This post has been restored from a back-up copy. Unfortunately the comments made on the day are no longer available.]
Across Clues
1a How reader catching up on back issues of magazine proceeds occasionally? (4,4,2,4)
{FROM TIME TO TIME} – what the reader is looking through are copies of a US current affairs magazine.
9a Little energy, feeling more dead? It shows you what’s in the food! (1-6)
{E-NUMBER} – the abbreviation for energy followed by a comparative meaning more dead or with less feeling.
10a Girl about 10 may be one receiving a signal (7)
{ANTENNA} – a girl’s name (that of Ms. Friel, the actress, perhaps) goes around TEN.
11a River going down a long way with no small power (3)
{DEE} – remove the P (with no small power) from an adjective meaning going down a long way.
12a I may help someone with their accounts (5-6)
{GHOST-WRITER} – cryptic definition of someone who produces written material (typically an autobiography or a newspaper column) for a celebrity who can’t write.
14a Like a sort of friend — that’s what the traditional building society is! (6)
{MUTUAL} – double definition, the second a description of a traditional building society owned by its customers.
15a Disease in part of Greater Manchester repeatedly, we hear (4-4)
{BERI-BERI} – this tropical disease sounds like (we hear) one of the boroughs of Greater Manchester repeated. As someone who used to live in said borough I have to say that this is not the way the locals pronounce it – they make it sound more like flurry than merry.
17a A competitor receiving honour according to the old records? (8)
{ARCHIVAL} – A (from the clue) and a competitor contain (receiving) the abbreviation for an honour bestowed for outstanding achievement.
19a Seaman meets nurse in foreign port (6)
{OSTEND} – the abbreviation for an ordinary seaman followed by a verb to nurse.
22a Talk by volunteers before a stupid person is taken around US city (11)
{CHATTANOOGA} – in Wednesday’s Toughie we had a choo-choo and today we have the city in Tennessee which was associated with it in a once-popular song. Start with informal talk and the abbreviation for our volunteer army then reverse (taken around) A and a stupid person.
23a Carrier bringing note back (3)
{HOD} – reverse (bringing … back) one of the notes in tonic sol-fa.
24a Tributes came in after accident, full of love (7)
{ENCOMIA} – an anagram (after accident) of CAME IN containing (full of) the letter that looks like zero or love.
26a Rob needs tablet — declining years? (7)
{PILLAGE} – rob is placed first so that it is capitalised, thus trying to mislead us into thinking of a proper name rather than a verb. A type of tablet is followed by a word for the later stages of life.
27a Author unread — lad’s exam going badly (9,5)
{ALEXANDRE DUMAS} – an anagram (going badly) of UNREAD LAD’S EXAM produces the French author of The Three Musketeers.
Down Clues
1d One taking steps to make others aware of injustice? (7,7)
{FREEDOM MARCHER} – this is a cryptic definition of someone demonstrating, especially someone protesting as part of the Civil Rights movement in the USA.
2d Little work for the toffs — time to cut back on indulging, being rich? (7)
{OPULENT} – string together the abbreviation for an artistic work, the letter used to describe the behaviour of toffs and the time of year when Christians are supposed to indulge less.
3d Boasting got out of hand — one may be on the slippery slope (11)
{TOBOGGANIST} – an anagram (out of hand) of BOASTING GOT.
4d Wine obtained in summer lottery (6)
{MERLOT} – a variety of red wine is hidden (obtained) in the clue.
5d Sandwiches and wine consumed by little piggies (8)
{TOASTIES} – an informal word for hot sandwiches comes from inserting a sparkling wine into what a child may use the word piggies to describe.
6d Shoddy stuff which hospital chucked out (3)
{TAT} – an alternative to the relative pronoun ‘which’ (in a clause like ‘the music which I like …’) loses its H (hospital chucked out).
7d Mammal grazed with hair hanging round (7)
{MANATEE} – this is a marine mammal, a type of sea cow. A verb meaning grazed or nibbled goes inside (with … round) the hanging hair of a horse or lion.
8d Lack of prejudice fan is reminded about before start of season (4-10)
{FAIR-MINDEDNESS} – an anagram (about) of FAN IS REMINDED is followed by the starting letter of S(eason).
13d Everyone entertained by wandering resident back in place (11)
{REINSTALLED} – a synonym for everyone is contained (entertained) by an anagram (wandering) of RESIDENT.
16d Chief going around isn’t getting support (8)
{MAINTAIN} – an adjective meaning chief or principal goes around a contracted and informal way of saying isn’t.
18d Part of the church making fortune — pounds! (7)
{CHANCEL} – this word for the business end of a church can be split to make a) a synonym for fortune or opportunity and b) the single-letter abbreviation for pounds sterling.
20d Record weird hair on male in ancient tribe (7)
{EPHRAIM} – this is one of the historical twelve tribes of Israel. Start with an old vinyl record format and follow this with an anagram (weird) of HAIR. All that precedes (on, in a down clue) the abbreviation for male.
21d Bobby is a good conductor (6)
{COPPER} – double definition – what’s being conducted is electricity.
25d This person’s upset and cross — it’s a mess (3)
{MIX} – the contracted form of ‘this person is’ (this person being the setter) is reversed (upset, in a down clue) and followed by the sort of cross you’d make in a voting booth.
The clues I liked best today were 12a, 26a and 5d. How about you?
Today’s Quickie Pun: {CASQUE} + {AIDE} = {CASCADE}