Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27169
A full review by crypticsue
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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.
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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.
Hi sue, thanks for review and for holding the fort so to speak, last week
Excellent! Not too difficult and yet still interesting and fun to do. **/****.
Thanks to compiler and Cryptic Sue, although did not need any hints today.