ST 2695

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2695

A full review by gnomethang

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

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

Just a super puzzle this Sunday. Some splendid clues with the surface readings so smooth as to make solving both difficult and extremely enjoyable. Everything a puzzle should be on a Sunday (or any day)

 

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           One of many so-called religious leaders, pure and harmless (8)
INNOCENT – Three definitions really. There were plenty of Pope INNOCENTs and the two other definitions are synonyms.

9a           As source of help, a set of spiritual lessons? (8)
RECOURSE – Split as (2,6) and you get perhaps a Religious Education COURSE (spiritual lesson).

10a         Top way to make quick point in court about male (4)
ACME – To ACE a serve in tennis is the fastest way to score a point. Place it around (about) M for Male.

11a         New multinational money to encourage skilled operator (12)
NEUROSURGEON – A lovely charade of N (for New), EUROS (international money in Europe) and URGE ON (to encourage). The choice of ‘skilled operator’ as a definition is nicely diverting as well.

13a         Where to get ready for pledge (8)
PAWNSHOP – ‘Ready’ here is slang for money and should be remembered for crosswords!. You pledge the article to receive money and redeem the article when you pay up. A very nice cryptic definition.

15a         Quantity that Richard fatally lacked (6)
AMOUNT – Just remember Richard III and ‘My Kingdom for a Horse!’

16a         Kind of phone message nobody hears (4)
TEXT – Another good cryptic definition unless your phone is over 15 years old!!.

17a         Writer of annuals, sort of (5)
HARDY – Thomas Hardy and a description of certain types of plant.

18a         River starts in tiny trickle, ends in great torrent? (4)
TEES – Read the clue and realise that the starting letters of Tiny Trickle and the ending letters of greaT torrenT are all the letter T. In plural they can be written as TEES. Great clue!

20a         Returned amount of money in a feeling of hostility (6)
ANIMUS – A reversal of SUM (amount of money) and IN A from the clue.

21a         Wave article written in newspaper for abnormally gifted hero (8)
SUPERMAN – A lovely clue when the penny dropped!. Place PERM (short for a Permanent Wave hairstyle) and A for Article inside the SUN newspaper.

23a         Part of swami’s state, mentally, that’s improperly expressed (12)
MISSTATEMENT – A hidden word inside swaMI’S STATE, MENTally, indicated by ‘part of’.

26a         Object endlessly, getting too little to eat? (4)
THIN – Take the end letter from THIN(g) for article – simples!.

27a         Killer facing charges has to register with old lawyer, finally (8)
TOREADOR – A lovely definition (denoting charges from the bull). A good charade of TO (from the clue) READ (register), O for Old and the final letter in lawyeR.

28a         Inclined to absorb a part of elementary education for this? (8)
LEARNING – A semi-all-in-one. Place any one of the three Rs (Reading, ‘riting and ‘rithematic – the elementary educational starters being absorbed) inside LEANING (inclined)

Down

2d           Arrest European holding guy up in the Big Apple, for instance (8)
NICKNAME – NICK for arrest and E for European containing the reversal (holding up) MAN (a guy).

3d           Looking beyond front page of paper when locals start operating (7,5)
OPENING TIMES – A cryptic definition plus definition. To open the Times newspaper (i.e. look beyond the front page. Yer ‘local’ is yer pub/battle-cruiser.

4d           After one’s upset, expression of disgust – no more! (6)
ENOUGH – An anagram (upset) of ONE then UGH – an expression of disgust.

5d           Piece of music encored in histrionic patriotism (4)
TRIO – Not just the ensemble but a name for the music itself. It appears twice in (encored in) hisTRIOnic paTRIOtism. I do like Virgilius’ observational clues!.

6d           Faithfulness in a key church position (8)
ACCURACY – Split this as A C (the musical key) and CURACY – a church position/appointment.

7d           Torture, oddly enough, that’s constant (4)
TRUE – The odd letters (oddly enough) of the first word.

8d           Main themes in section of good book grasped by economist (8)
KEYNOTES – Place the abbreviation of the Old Testament inside (grasped by) John Maynard KEYNES

12d         Like work of unacknowledged author, worth testing out (5-7)
GHOST-WRITTEN – It took me a while to unravel the great anagram here. Out indicates an anagram of WORTH TESTING. Super smooth clue.

14d         Capital that’s minister’s responsibility? Not quite (5)
PARIS – The capital city. Remove the last letter (not quite) from PARIS(h), the responsibility of a vicar or minister.

16d         Fellow-player is kind of tame, repeatedly (8)
TEAMMATE – Another lovely observation. Make an anagram (kind of) of TAME  twice (repeatedly).

17d         They’re not included among singles from hot American groups (8)
HUSBANDS – This is my absolute favourite clue in the puzzle.  Make the charade of H (abbreviation of Hot) then US (American) and BANDS (musical beat combos)

19d         Vote in English lawsuit for enforcement of payment (8)
EXACTION – An X (cross to signify a vote) in(side) the abbreviation E for English and ACTION (lawsuit).

22d         Course from Spain — a long hop going North (6)
PAELLA – A food course. Reverse (going North in a down clue) A L LEAP (A then the abbreviation of Long and finally leap for hop).

24d         Garment that’s fitting in Amritsar, India (4)
SARI – A well worked hidden word. The traditional Indian garment for women fits inside AmritSAR, India. Also an all-in-one (&Lit) as the definition comprises the whole clue as does the subsidiary indication.

25d         Bertrand Russell, for example, mostly ahead of his time? (4)
EARL – Besides being a philosopher and mathematician Bertrand Russell was also the 3^rd Earl Russell. Remove the last letter (mostly) from EARL(y) – ahead of his time.

Thanks Virgilius! I’ll see you all tomorrow for the Saturday Review (my caps!)