Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2742
A full review by gnomethang
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
This puzzle was published on Sunday, 4th May 2014
Morning All!. This strayed into 3 star territory for me. I had a slow start but the progress was steady to the end with the usual array of solid and fun clues.
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 How chap who’s lost his shirt may be seen to speculate? (6)
INVEST – A lovely clue to start with. A bad investor or gambler will have lost his shirt colloquially hence being IN a VEST.
4a Stern in front of vessel? That’s difficult to take (8)
HARDSHIP – Place HARD (stern) in front of SHIP (vessel). Nice nautical synonym.
10a Type of character that’s in minority in Europe, America, or Asia (9)
CONSONANT – Typical Mr Greer!. All three words have more vowels then CONSONANTs in the letters – the cryptic bit is to work this out and remember that ‘characters’ are letters.
11a Extremely incomplete draft, initially, by one composer (5)
VERDI – All but the last letter in VER(y) or extremely being incomplete, then the initial letter in D(raft) and finally I for one.
12a Test 50 per cent of people, for instance (7)
EXAMPLE – An EXAM (test) then the latter half/50% of (peo)PLE.
13a Male operating without delay in heavy rain (7)
MONSOON – A charade of M(ale), ON (operating/working) and SOON (without delay).
14a Influenced, we hear, material used in gloves (5)
SUEDE – A nice homophone of swayed or influenced.
15a Smelly fish is getting up one’s nose (8)
RANKLING – RANK for smelly/high and the useful crossword fish LING.
18a Person who tests dunces, mostly kind (8)
ASSSESSOR – ASSESS for dunces and almost all of the word SOR(t) for kind.
20a Hot food unfinished, becoming cold (5)
CHILL – Remove the last letter (unfinished) of CHILL(i) for hot food.
23a Collected charts fellow sailing in ocean brought back (7)
ATLASES – place a SALT (fellow sailing) inside SEA (ocean and then reverse the lot).
25a Judicial process making sense (7)
HEARING – Two definitions, one a trial and the other one of the five senses.
26a Fleece providing warmth after cold (5)
CHEAT – HEAT for warmth placed after C for Cold.
27a Attacking person as paragon of virtue outside US city (9)
ASSAILANT – A SAINT (paragon of virtue) placed around the outside of LA for Los Angeles.
28a Set off, having assignation outside school (8)
DETONATE – A DATE or assignation outside ETON for school.
29a Hears why, so to speak, you shouldn’t believe it (6)
HERESY – A homophone of hears and why = HERE’S Y
Down
1d Popular result of pressing for raise (8)
INCREASE – In for popular and CREASE, the result of pressing a fold.
2d Graves, for example, dating from particular year (7)
VINTAGE – A definition and a cryptic definition, the former being a wine district in the Gironde region of France.
3d Doctor Who’s gun, fine specimen of its kind (9)
SHOWPIECE – Make an anagram (doctor) of WHOS then add a PIECE – slang for a gun.
5d Converted Christian man to revolutionary, perhaps (14)
ANTIMONARCHIST – An anagram (converted) of CHRISTIAN MAN TO.
6d Great singer and musician’s last resting place (5)
DIVAN – A DIVA (great singer) and the last letter of (musician)N.
7d Keep talking tediously about old whaling equipment (7)
HARPOON – To keep talking tediously is to HARP ON. Place that around (about) O for Old.
8d Current in factory easily controlled (6)
PLIANT – I is the S.I. unit for current. Place that inside a PLANT or factory.
9d Stupidly sat in wet trainers, poorly protected from rain (5-9)
WATER-RESISTANT – An anagram , indicated by stupidly, of SAT IN WET TRAINERS. Poorly refers to the fact that it is not waterproof.
16d Profitable, as vital cure could be (9)
LUCRATIVE – Another anagram (indicated by could be) of VITAL CURE.
17d A little lady disheartened after insult (8)
SLIGHTLY – Hard to spot this at first. Remove the inside letters (disheartened) of L(ad)Y and place that after SLIGHT for insult/slur.
19d Front of vessel in sea near Cowes, not on the rocks (7)
SOLVENT – V (front of Vessel) inside the SOLENT, the name of the channel near Cowes.
21d Parrot from island — it’s carried by officer on board (7)
IMITATE – I for Island then place IT (from the clue) inside a ship MATE or officer on board
22d Turned and fled, pursued by police force (6)
RANCID – RAN for fled being chased by the CID or police force
24d Was model wearing silk? (5)
SATIN – If you were a model than you have SAT/posed. Follow that with IN for wearing (She was in a rose coloured dress for example).
Thanks to Virgilius for the entertainment, I’ll see you all next Thursday.
Thanks to Virgilius and Gnomethang. This was yet another superb puzzle from the master. My favourite clue was 7d.
Having the opportunity to go through this superb puzzle a second time with the full review is both invaluable and a big treat.
I have my paper copy to hand. For once, I have made no mistakes!!! Parsing all correct, and definitions accurately marked. I am well pleased. Faves were 1a, 3d and 22d.
Much appreciation to you both, Virgilus and Gnomethang.