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 6^th 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.