Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2726
A full review by gnomethang
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
A fine crossword that took a bit of unravelling for me.
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 Another penny put in drunkard’s hat (6)
TOPPER – A drunkard is a TOPER (one who drinks/topes). Add a second P for Penny to get the Top Hat.
4a Following second conversation (8)
STALKING – A charade of S for Small and TALKING for conversation.
10a Make too much money as academic, always concealing it (9)
PROFITEER – Start with a PROF(essor)/Academic and then take E’ER (a poetic contraction of ever) but place IT in between (the two synonyms conceal the word IT).
11a Fail to justify inconclusive opinion (5)
BELIE – The actual definition id the 6th in Chambers but I think that it Is better known than that would suggest. Remove the end of (inconclusive) BELIE(f) for opinion.
12a Declared result of carrying out decimal conversion (7)
CLAIMED – An anagram (i.e. the result of carrying out a conversion of) DECIMAL. (thanks to Catnap for the correction I was thinking about anagrams at the time!)
13a Least disciplined author joining Lawrence or James, say (7)
WILDEST – Take Oscar WILDE (the author) then add ST, the abbreviation (abb) of Saint. Lawrence and James are examples of both.
14a Get wind of small change in Washington (5)
SCENT – S for Small then a CENT – the smallest coin (change) in the US e.g.Washington (D.C. or state)
15a Source of books in computer catalogue for one month, in short? (8)
NOVELIST – Okay – Go slow and take a friend. The short month is NOV(ember) and a computer (or online) catalogue might cryptically (and in short) be an E-LIST given E-Mail as a starter. So we are looking for a NOV E-LIST
18a Wherein a critic, theoretically, gets support from both sides (8)
ARMCHAIR – Like a back-seat driver but with films!. The support being the arms of his seat.
20a What’s got us animated? (5)
GUSTO – A beautiful all in one (&Lit). An animated anagram of GOT US.
23a Visionary‘s return, as announced (7)
PROPHET – A homophone (as announced) of ‘profit’ for return on investment.
25a Legs of round trip in uninhabited area (7)
OUTBACK – If you make a return trip you go OUT and then you come BACK. These are the individual legs.
26a Woven fabric needing time and determination (5)
TWILL – T for Time (abb) then WILL for determination. TWEED next, you mark my Worsted!
27a Not straight about signs of debt, oddly (9)
CURIOUSLY – Place IOUS (Evidences of Debt) inside CURLY (not straight).
28a Female clothing near male clothing (8)
NIGHTIES – A lovely charade of NIGH (near) and TIES (male clothing)
29a Part of string that’s new in old violin (6)
STRAND – Place an N for Number inside the abb. of a STRAD(ivarius) which is the old violin of choice.
Down
1d Mechanically write bad acts with no variation in roles (8)
TYPECAST –TYPE (write on a mechanical device e.g. typewriter or computer) and then CAST – an anagram (bad) of ACTS.
2d Lying about note enclosed by me, so irreverent (7)
PROFANE – I loved this. The note between SO and ME in the tonic sol-fah scale is FA. Place this inside PRONE or ‘lying/on the floor.
3d Presenting a puzzle in English, I’m acting strangely (9)
ENIGMATIC – E for English then an anagram (strangely) of I’M ACTING.
5d Reject most of the argument concerning committee (5,9)
THROW OVERBOARD – All but the last letter (most of) TH(e), then ROW (argument) and then OVER (concerning) and BOARD (the business committee).
6d Offence produced by false statement about British learner (5)
LIBEL – A criminal offence. Place a LIE (false statement) around (or about) B for British (abb) and then add L for Learner (think L plates)
7d I’m going to head to make complaint (7)
ILLNESS –‘ I’m going to’ can mean ‘I will’ or as an abbreviation I’LL. Add NESS for a head, cape or headland.
8d Anger about hospital in poor part of town (6)
GHETTO – To anger someone is to GET TO them. Insert the H for Hospital.
9d Playing first recital badly — that’s what editor writes (7,7)
LEADING ARTICLE – LEADING means playing first (as in the lead act). Add an anagram (badly) of ARTICLE.
16d Leaves when one should be ready to retire (6,3)
LIGHTS OUT – BD’s clue on the day was “This verb meaning leaves or decamps is also the time to retire for the night, in a boarding school, barracks, etc.”.
17d Bird observed cuckoo (8)
COCKEYED – A charade of a COCK (male bird) and EYED (seen/observed).
19d Men on board overlapping in the middle? That’s cheating (7)
ROOKING – ROOK and KING (Two chess pieces or men on board), when the middle overlaps, looks like ROO(K)ING.
21d For this British city, what’s bigger than a Tchaikovsky masterpiece? (7)
SWANSEA – A lovely clue. Tchaikovsky wrote SWAN LAKE but sure ly SWAN SEA would be bigger!
22d What articles uncovered have turned up? Exactly! (4,2)
SPOT ON – Removing articles of clothing might result in NO TOPS. Reverse or turn that up.
24d Large-hearted entertainer, musical writer (5)
HOLST – Start with your HOST or entertainer then add L for Large in the heart or middle.
I’ll see you all next Thursday for another Virgilius puzzle.
Just going through the copy of my completed crossword against your review, Gnomethang. Surely the answer to 12a is ‘CLAIMED’ not ‘DECLAIM’? A typo perhaps?
Your review is much appreciated as I find checking the word play invaluable. I enjoyed this Virgillius puzzle a great deal.
You are perfectly correct Catnap . I was running through other anagrams as I was writing in. Unfortunately I didn’t look at my solution at the time!.
I’ll change it this evening.
Thanks!
And many thanks to you, too, for your super reviews.
Corrected (the same as my auto-corrected wurbles above!!)