ST 2693

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2693

A full review by crypticsue

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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ****

As Heno said, a Virgilius puzzle always puts you in a good mood and this one was no exception.   All the usual trademark clues were there although it was probably a good job that Mary was on her holidays so that she couldn’t be offended by 27a 

 

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Across

1a           Kind person like me, one working for newspaper (10)
TYPESETTER –   TYPE (kind) and SETTER (a person like Virgilius himself).

6a           Young child may lie in this   card game, or cheat (4)
CRIB –   Triple definition –  a young child’s cot; a card game;  to cheat or steal another’s work.

9a           Complaint porter, perhaps, intended to be heard (7)
AILMENT –  ‘to be heard’ indicates homophones of ALE (porter perhaps, porter being a type of dark beer) and MEANT (intended).

10a         Old kingdom captured in coup — Russians moving capital West (7)
PRUSSIA –  The old kingdom can be found in coup Russians, although as the clue says, you do have to move the capital  ‘west’ from the R to the P.

12a         Area affected by a certain force I am deflecting somehow (8,5)
MAGNETIC FIELD –   An anagram (somehow) of I AM DEFLECTING.

14a         Unrefined piece of primitive art hyped (6)
EARTHY  – found hidden in a ‘piece’ of primitivE ART HYped.

15a         Russian fighter evaluates moves to US or Canada, say (8)
MIGRATES –   The Russian fighter plane, the MIG, followed by RATES (evaluates).

17a         Exemplarily cool climber (8)
CUCUMBER –    The fruit of a climbing plant (we have several of these plants in our greenhouse as Mr CS loves the revolting things!)  –  the phrase ‘cool as a cucumber’ is used to exemplify someone calm and imperturbable.

19a         Clergyman in case accepting central part in court (6)
CURATE –   Insert the middle letter (central part) of coUrt into a CRATE or case.

22a         Experts changing order of pair of lessons (13)
PROFESSIONALS –   Is there a clearer anagram indicator than ‘changing order of’ ?   Just rearrange PAIR OF LESSONS.

24a         I am stupid fellow, grabbing pawn — game’s ending in stalemate (7)
IMPASSE –  IM (I’m, I am)   P  (pawn) ASS (stupid fellow) and E (game’s ‘ending’).

25a         One surprisingly raised as Cockney intellectual, we hear (7)
EYEBROW –   How a Cockney might say HIGHBROW or intellectual.

26a         Standard choice between centrally placed characters (4)
NORM –    A choice between two characters in the middle of the alphabet – N   OR   M.

27a         Confounded woman that gets mixed up in bar (6,4)
BLOODY MARY –   Not that anyone would describe ‘our’ Mary as confounded!!  I wonder if she drinks the mixture of vodka, tomato juice and seasoning?

Down

1d           One of the effects of global warming that we endlessly must connect (4)
THAW –   Remove the last letters (endlessly) from THAt and We and connect what’s left.

2d           Employer without capital foolishly making synthetic material (7)
POLYMER –   Remove the E from Employer (without capital) and rearrange (foolishly making) the remaining letters.

3d           People pretending to hold large advantage as heavy hitters (13)
SLEDGEHAMMERS –   Insert L (large) and EDGE (advantage) into SHAMMERS (people pretending).

4d           Secure section of route there, else evacuate the road (6)
TETHER –   Hidden twice – firstly in a section of rouTE THERe and secondly in evacuaTE THE Road.

5d           European vote on power, valid and clear (8)
EXPLICIT –   E (European) X (you vote with a X) P (power) and LICIT (valid).

7d           Particular    esteem (7)
RESPECT –   Double definition.

8d           Flourishes as bachelor, having organised lots of food (10)
BRANDISHES –  B (bachelor) RAN (having organized)   DISHES (lots of food).

11d         Your aunt felt badly about cousin’s final letter, alas (13)
UNFORTUNATELY –   An anagram (badly) of YOUR AUNT FELT plus the final letter of cousiN.

13d         Impression formed in last of bronze — copper/tin alloy (10)
PERCEPTION – An anagram (alloy, of course, being a mixture) of E (the last letter of bronze) COPPER TIN.

16d         Partners holding partners dance in informative film (8)
NEWSREEL –   The bridge partners N and S hold the other partners E and W and are then followed by a REEL (dance).

18d         Person who harvests in fall (7)
CROPPER –   Another double definition.

20d         Courts covering a lot of states in European country (7)
AUSTRIA –   Insert US (lot of states) into  ATRIA (courtyards).

21d         Happen prior to warning from bad driver on journey (6)
FOREGO –   FORE (shouted by a golfer who has just hit  a poor drive shot and GO (journey).

23d         Influence of wise leader within state (4)
SWAY –   SAY (state) into which is inserted W (the leader of Wise).

 

If you are the person lucky enough to blog a Virgilius puzzle, then you get to be in a good mood twice.   However, this is the end of my current run on the Sunday rota – Gnomey will be here in due course to explain the next Virgilius masterpiece.  I’ll be back tomorrow morning to explain last Saturday’s puzzle.