Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27169

A full review by crypticsue

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***

A lovely straightforward inside backpager  – just right for a busy Saturday   Lots to smile at  –  I assume the setter was Cephas as there are a number of his inventively-indicated anagrams 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           Mum’s outfit, with antique flower (8)
MARIGOLD – A charade to start with – MA (mum) RIG (outfit) and OLD (antique).

5a           Peg and I obtained starting price first (6)
SPIGOT  – Follow  SP (the abbreviation used in betting circles for starting price)  with I GOT ( I obtained).

9a           Reserve team up to take a dive? (8)
SUBMERGE –  SUB (substitute, reserve) and MERGE (team up).

10a         One in seven in need of a tissue? (6)
SNEEZY –  A splendid cryptic definition.   My ‘smile of the day’.

11a         Cups set out — perhaps he did it (7)
SUSPECT –  An anagram (out) of CUPS SET.

12a         Cold, icy floor leads the French to crease up (7)
CRINKLE –  C (cold) RINK (icy floor) and LE (the French word for the).

13a         One’s installed to observe production (7-4)
THEATRE-GOER – A cryptic definition  – installed referring to the fact that a theatrical production might be viewed from the stalls.

16a         Collapse and wake up by good fire, confused (4,2,5)
COME TO GRIEF – COME TO (wake up), followed  by  G (good) and an anagram (confused) of FIRE.

21a         Up the longest? (7)
TALLEST – Longest in stature.

22a         Astronomer from Italy caught between girl and stars (7)
GALILEO –  Insert I (Italy) between GAL (girl) and LEO (the constellation).

23a         Sounded similar, conclusively (6)
RHYMED  –   Having endings (conclusively) that sound similar or rhyme.

24a         Journalist resisted changes (8)
EDITRESS –  An anagram (changes) of RESISTED.

25a         Rambling diatribe by the Queen! (6)
ERRANT –  ER (the cipher of our current Queen) and RANT (diatribe).

26a         Elaborate presentation of badger’s domestic tranquillity for audience? (3,5)
SET PIECE – Two homophones (for audience)  – firstly a badger’s home and secondly of tranquillity or calmness.

Down

1d           Ponder about one’s ill-treatment (6)
MISUSE – Insert  I[‘]S, a shorter way of writing one’s into a verb meaning to ponder.

2d           Inverted or broken strapping (6)
ROBUST –   Reverse (inverted) OR and follow with BUST (broken).

3d           Yet Reg’s prepared to become most gloomy (7)
GREYEST  –  An anagram (prepared) of YET REGS.

4d           A contender?   One cannot be serious! (11)
LIGHTWEIGHT – A  contender for a particular title might be said to be lacking in substance or earnestness.

6d           Thinking of pounds I have laid out (7)
PENSIVE –   PENS (pounds in the sense of enclosures) followed  by IVE  (I have).

7d           Orthodox deity? (5,3)
GREEK GOD –   A lovely cryptic definition.

8d           Terence goes round bay getting wild fruit (8)
TAYBERRY – Insert an anagram (wild)  of BAY into the diminutive form of Terence.

12d         Cockney’s doing topiary, using latest technology (7-4)
CUTTING-EDGE –  My favourite clue.    A Cockney might indeed say that he was cutting the ‘edge or doing some topiary.

14d         Secret of criminal that’s completely unpunished (4-4)
SCOT-FREE – A criminal anagram of SECRET OF.

15d         Engaging person (8)
EMPLOYER – Someone who engages people to do a job of work.

17d         Neither liquid could be contained by that (7)
THEREIN –  There isn’t a  liquid to be contained, it’s the anagram indicator telling you to rearrange NEITHER.

18d         Writer touched on mine being turned round (4-3)
FELT-TIP –   FELT (touched) on, or followed by, a reversal of PIT (mine being turned round).

19d         Rip off   coat (6)
FLEECE –  A double definition.

20d         Whipped us some dessert (6)
MOUSSE – An anagram (whipped)of US SOME produces a whipped dessert.