Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2676

A full review by crypticsue

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BD Rating – Difficulty */** – Enjoyment ****

Not the hardest Virgilius ever but full of the usual high level of enjoyment throughout.

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           Inappropriate solution when one is dog-tired? (6)
CATNAP –  A lovely cryptic definition of the kind of short sleep that humans and cats, but apparently not dogs, might enjoy.

4a           Building    the bases for arguments (8)
PREMISES –   A double definition clue – either a building, especially a place of business, or some  propositions stated for the purposes of argument.

10a         Produce picture with a backing that produces Oscar, say (5)
AWARD –  A from the clue followed by a reversal (backing) of DRAW (produce a picture) – Oscar being the ‘nickname, of the statuette awarded by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

11a         Drunk is no match for computer (9)
MACINTOSH –   A make of computer is a drunk anagram of IS NO MATCH.

12a         Cook’s vessel? Yes and no (7)
STEAMER –    Yes – a cook may use a steamer to cook food more healthily (unless it is my favourite treacle pudding) but No – you couldn’t go to sea in it!   I quite liked being temporarily  misled into thinking of Captain James Cook, whose vessel, the Endeavour, wasn’t a steamer either!

13a         Early morning caller‘s ring in resort misdirected (7)
ROOSTER –  We have one of these early morning callers in our village !    Insert an O (ring) into an anagram (misdirected) of RESORT.

14a         They store documents, proceeding in line with ministerial groups (6,8)
FILING CABINETS –   Walking in line one behind the other plus a group of senior ministers who formulate government policy.

17a         Not bound to put in force a principle of capitalism (4,10)
FREE ENTERPRISE –  FREE (not bound) plus ENTER (put in) and PRISE (force open [with a lever])

21a         On first course study only a little (7)
SOUPCON –   A hardly perceptible quantity –   what people often choose as a first course – SOUP – followed by CON (to study carefully).

23a         Family doctor at home is essential person (7)
KINGPIN –  KIN (family) GP ([family] doctor) and IN (home).

24a         Before trial he bungled, that man could be in better shape (9)
HEALTHIER –  HE (that man) is placed before an anagram (bungled) of TRIAL HE.

25a         Excising even parts of carcasses can make one so insensitive (5)
CRASS –   The every-other letter one – this time, a word meaning very tactless or insensitive is obtained by removing or excising the even parts of CaRcAsSeS.

26a         Flourishing group within party holding unemployed back (8)
WIELDING –   Flourishing in the sense of waving about like a weapon –   Insert a reversal of IDLE (unemployed) into a WING or section of a political party.

27a         Article penned by small youth providing glossy material (6)
SATEEN –  A glossy fabric resembling satin – Insert the indefinite article – A – between S for small and  TEEN (youth).

 

Down

1d           Restrict access to young woman if within country’s borders (8)
CLASSIFY – To make secret for security reasons –   Insert between the first and last letters (borders)  of CountrY  first LASS (young woman) and then  IF (from the clue).

2d           Presumably broad-minded salesperson (9)
TRAVELLER –  Because as we know, travel broadens the mind.

3d           Belly dancer initially covered by sailor on sign (7)
ABDOMEN –    The initial letter of Dancer should be inserted between (or covered by) AB (Able Seaman, sailor) and OMEN (sign).

5d           Top performers make film of waves? (6-8)
RECORD-BREAKERS –  RECORD (film) BREAKERS (waves broken on the  shore).

6d           First of mud appearing before long in rainy season (7)
MONSOON –  M (first of Mud) ON SOON (appearing before long).

7d           Snappish husband, kind on the outside (5)
SHORT –   Inclined to be quick-tempered – Insert H into SORT (kind in the sense of type).

8d           Primarily sandy, a hot and not half arid area (6)
SAHARA – A nice &Lit –  the first letter of Sandy,  A from the clue, H (hot) AR (the first half of ARid) and A (the abbreviation for area).

9d           Miner in Canada I represented as brave? (8,6)
AMERICAN INDIAN –  An anagram (represented) of MINER IN CANADA I.

15d         Articulated story without embellishment as part of craft (9)
TAILPLANE –   Two homophones – firstly TALE (story) and secondly PLAIN (without embellishment).

16d         Curious new trap set up for poet (8)
TENNYSON –  A reversal (set up in a down clue) of NOSY (curious) N (new) and NET (trap).

18d         Conservative interrupting left is turned on (7)
EXCITED –  Insert C (Conservative) into EXITED (left).

19d         Every year bringing in an expert that can fix everything (7)
PANACEA –  A cure for all things –  Insert into PA (per annum, each or every year) AN (from the clue) and ACE (expert).

20d         Refrain from laying directions on champ (6)
ESCHEW – To abstain or refrain from –   Put two directions – E(ast) and S(outh) onto CHEW (champ).

22d         Linguistic practices that could take setter and solver a lot of time (5)
USAGES – Normal or acceptable language or speech patterns – US (the setter and the solver) and AGES (a lot of time).

I’ll be back next Thursday with a review of ST 2677.   Oh… and  just in case Gnomey is reading this, you should be here  tomorrow morning with the blog of DT 27091 from last Saturday