Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27323
Hints and tips by Big Dave
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty **/*** – Enjoyment ****
I thought this was another of Ray T’s easier puzzles, but then I would wouldn’t I!
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
7a Extremely wrong to be consumed by stunner? Indeed (8)
{DEVILISH} – an adjective meaning extremely wrong inside (to be consumed by) a stunner or good-looking girl – indeed seems to indicate that the whole clue provides the definition, but is it necessary?
9a State benefit right’s accepted (6)
{ASSERT] – a benefit or resource with R(ight) inside (accepted)
10a Worry about Queen making comeback (4)
{CARE} – the two-letter Latin abbreviation for about followed by the reversal (comeback) of the Queen’s regnal cipher
11a The compiler’s second time bringing in Queen — excessive! (10)
{IMMODERATE} – the two-letter abbreviation for “the compiler is” (1’1) followed by a two-letter second or brief period and a time around (bringing in) the Queen’s regnal cipher
12a Rendezvous with planet circling Earth (6)
{VENUES} – rendezvous is one of those words where the plural is the same as the singular, so guess what it is here! – put a planet around E(arth)
14a Honesty is giving my word! (8)
{GOODNESS} – two definitions – another word for honesty and an exclamation similar to “my word”
15a Force conversation for the audience (6)
{TORQUE} – sounds like (for the audience) conversation
17a Allow for a man’s initiation before sex (6)
{PERMIT} – a three-letter word meaning a, as in 50p a lb, followed by the initial letter of Man and a two-letter word for sex
20a Slaughter embraced by fanaticism as sacred (8)
{MASSACRE} – hidden (embraced by) inside the clue
22a Run off following start of school run (6)
{SPRINT} – a verb meaning to run off copies of a publication preceded by the initial letter (start) of School
23a Subsequently getting farther with tee shot (10)
{THEREAFTER} – an anagram (shot) of FARTHER with TEE
24a Only possessing small bosom … (4)
{BUST} – an adverb meaning only around (possessing) S(mall)
25a … recent naturist ends hidden (6)
{LATENT} – an adjective meaning recent followed by the outer letters (ends) of NaturisT
26a Rest not holding a cue (8)
{REMINDER} – a word meaning the rest or what is left without (not holding) the A
Down
1d Degenerate act ended badly (8)
{DECADENT} – an anagram (badly) of ACT ENDED
2d Wait for Blind Pew on and off (4)
{BIDE} – the odd letters (on and off) of two words in the clue
3d Notes male absorbed by short skirts (6)
{MINIMS} – M(ale) inside (absorbed by) some short skirts
4d Give a little, being generous (8)
{HANDSOME} – a charade or words meaning to give or deliver and a little amount
5d One studying temperature in rare moons, perhaps (10)
{ASTRONOMER} – T(emperature) inside an anagram (perhaps) of RARE MOONS
6d Deserter imprisoned by American soldiers without charge (6)
{GRATIS} – a deserter inside (imprisoned by) some American soldiers
8d Husband’s got over old lady, say, returning admiration (6)
{HOMAGE} – H(usband) followed by O(ver), a two-letter word meaning the old lady and the reversal (returning) of the Latin abbreviation for say / for example
13d Even ruder dancing round pole is explicit (10)
{UNRESERVED} – an anagram (dancing) of EVEN RUDER around one of the poles
16d Launch astern holds fast (8)
{UNCHASTE} – hidden (holds) inside the clue is an adjective meaning fast or immoral
18d Metal nuts get twisted by centre of spanner (8)
{TUNGSTEN} – an anagram (twisted) of NUTS GET followed by the middle letter (centre) of spaNner
19d In France I almost back buffoon (6)
{JESTER} – the French for I followed by most of a word meaning the back or rear
21d A quiet force in religious retreat (6)
{ASHRAM} – the A from the clue followed by an exhortation to keep quiet and a verb meaning to force
22d Lot of people quietly steal apples (6)
{SCRUMP} – a lot of people, perhaps playing rugby, followed by the musical notation for quietly
24d Group reportedly censored (4)
{BAND} – sounds like (reportedly) a verb meaning censored
Back later with the Toughie.
The Quick crossword pun: (more} + {good} + {issue} = {Mogadishu}
Found this a pleasant puzzle with no real issues.25A came to me as in a previous existence I was a refrigeration engineer & we had latent heat & sensible heat.
Thanks to the setter & BD for the review . Might have a crack at the toughie.
Note to all the strugglers- start with the Downs!! Thanks to BD and RT.
The Toughie is very entertaining too.
3* for difficulty / 4* for enjoyment. Many thanks to Ray T for another superb puzzle. I got very few answers on my first pass, but persevering paid off as everything slowly fell into place.
10a was my last one in. What a master Ray T is to be able to devise such a devious clue for a simple 4 letter word!
21d took longer than it should simply because the answer is one of those words I know but keep forgetting :-(.
5d was my favourite.
Many thanks to BD for his review.
*** difficulty for me this morning, as I got stuck in the NE corner, with 4d, 8d and 14a the last in.
Thanks to Ray T and BD.
Dave, I think your hint for 16d needs amendment. The answer is 8 letters long, and you’re only showing 6 of them. The definition is ‘fast’, as in ‘fast women and slow horses’.
More haste, less speed! Now corrected
Is there an error in the hint for 16d? CHASTE has only six letters, where the clue requires eight. The answer should be UNCHASTE, with fast meaning immoral, as in a fast woman.
How UNcharecteristic of Big Dave to give a wrong solution to 16d!! He should not remain UNchastened!
In total contrast to Beam’s toughie last week, which I found pretty ferocious, I managed to get through this one in 1* time this morning. My only query, which BD has answered, was whether the word rendezvous in 12a can be both singular and plural. Many thanks to RayT, and to BD.
Another fine puzzle by the Master. Great clues as usual of which I enjoyed 11 the best. Also liked 5 1416 18 20 22a 22d and 24. Long time since I heard 22d – i remember getting my ears clipped on a regular basis during my clandestine forays. Thought the hidden words in 16 and 20 were very good but I am on the lookout for those now. Thank you, RayT for a good contest.
It won’t be one of his easiest but I’ll have a bash anyway
It’s nothing like as difficult as his crosswords can be sometimes.
Thanks Kath, I’m encouraged by that and here I go
I agree with BD that this is on the easier side of normal for Ray T. 2* for difficulty and 4* for enjoyment.
14 and 15a were my last ones in. I missed the anagram indicator in 23a for far too long and only got the answer when I had alternate letters in, and then realised that it was an anagram.
I’ve got so many little red blobs – clues that I particularly liked – that I’ll have to do a bit of ‘pruning’ or I’ll just put far too many down.
Pruning done! 14, 17 and 22a and 16 and 18d. My favourite was 13d and it reminds me of another Ray T clue from a very long time ago.
With thanks to Ray T and BD.
Could some kind person tell me if it’s even worth attempting the Toughie – I have no idea how difficult Messinae is and could really do without any more Toughie discouragement after yesterday!
Captain Scarlet says that Messinae could be one of the Mysterons! Say no more.
I don’t understand but will probably have a bash – thanks anyway.
More fun than yesterday but held up in SW corner mainly because penny didn’t drop on 16d – doh! ***/***. For some reason I have always pronounced final ‘s’ on rendezvous when in the plural and now I see Chambers does in fact give “rendezvouses” as obsolete plural. Thanks Ray T and BD.
This was the easiest of the week, but nonetheless delightful. My particular favourite was 5D.
I hope BD won’t take it amiss when I say that another reviewer wouldn’t have missed the picture opportunities presented by 3D and 24A
BD had to finish this quickly in order to do the Toughie.
Hats off, blogging one in a day is beyond me but two…….Cheers
Yes andy and stan – I agree. I don’t know how he does it but thanks to him anyway. He deserves a day off.
Double Duty? Shouldn’t be allowed!
Got a reasonable start before lights out last night (which was extended by watching the last game of the baseball season over here on TV) and completed without reference to the hints this morning which is somewhat unusual for a Thursday for me. But, I did need the BRB and electronic sources. Last in was 15a and I think that it is a bit of stretch that the answer is a homophone for a form of conversation. I suppose it depends on which regional dialect is used. Thanks to Ray T and BS.
All my usual problems with a Ray T. Just cannot get on his wavelength.
Managed eventually to get top left and bottom right but the rest are a complete mystery. He seems to come at clues very differently from other setters ie 9a, 14a and 16d. However, I did like 6d so that’s better than nothing.
Thx to BD for the excellent hints.
Thanks to Ray T and to Big Dave for the review and hints. An enjoyable puzzle from Ray T, but a bit on the tricky side. I was beaten by 14a, just couldn’t see it, and by 25a, I had the wrong definition, thought it was recent, so would have put in latest, but thought it was wrong, the hint confirmed my suspicions. Favourites were 19d and 24a. Was 4*/4* for me. Rain stopped play on the pigeon spikes.
Like Heno, I put “latest” in for 25a, fortunately not messing up any other clues. I did, however, get 26a wrong and consequently never got 24d, wanting to put “bloc” in there but couldn’t make it fit. All in all, a very successful puzzle and I did, almost, get there in the end with help from gizmo.
Thanks to RayT for today’s entertainment and to BD for helping me to put right my wrongs.
I was Ok until I got to the SW corner where I fell off the wavelength!
Thanks to both
RayT at his best we thought. Started putting a little mark beside the clues that had a suggestion of innuendo in them and gave up after 8 candidates. Chuckles and chortles all the way through. All in order with the word count too, no more than eight per clue.
Thanks RayT and BD.
So enjoyable, and a tussle.
But we got there eventually.
Many thanks, Ray T and BD for the review.
Just done the quick. Last across clue is “shambles (4) Couldn’t fit “telegraph puzzles for ipad” into 4 letters.
Late today as went to see the film Captain Phillips about Somali pirates with Tom Hanls. Very exciting film.
For some reason I rarely enjoy or complete Ray T puzzles. It seems I struggle to get an answer, and get “rewarded” with a rather unhelpful “E” or “I”. That is part of his skill I guess, and probably a reflection of my ability!
Many thanks to BD for the review, and to all who left a comment.
RayT
I still think it’s very quiet around here at the moment – wake up, everyone – it’s far too early to go into hibernation!
Shhh!
I’m only sleeping!
After a long drive , made a very poor fist of this, Thanks BD for help with the many unsolved clues.
What a chortle-filled RayT puzzle! Enjoyment ****.
I was very glad of your hints, Big Dave. I needed an explanation for two of the letters in my answer for 8d. Was scuppered by the second half of 4d — simply could not think of that **** letter word for ‘a little’… 
Not very bright! Those apart, there were no problems. 
Difficult to choose a fave, perhaps a tie between 7a and 3d.
Thanks to both RayT and Big Dave.
Thank you Ray T – Managed to finish this eventually with help from Mrs SW. I found that doing my duty and following her round the shops for a day in Bath dulled the brain and I almost gave in ! Thanks BD for the review and hints.
I’ve been battling away at this for the last 2 days whilst away at Alton Towers. And what a roller coaster it’s proved to be. Sadly I can’t say I completed it as I made a mess of 14A, but it was satisfying getting as far as I did, as I wouldn’t have done this well 12 months ago