Big Dave's Crossword Blog

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.