DT 27516

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27516

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

This puzzle was published on Saturday, 14th June 2014

A slightly trickier prize puzzle from Cephas this week.   My favourite was the nicely defined and well-hidden 8d.

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Across

1a           Top hard men having a row (6)
HEIGHT – H (hard) EIGHT (the number of people in a rowing crew).

4a           Item worn on divers occasions? (8)
SWIMSUIT – As worn by divers and other swimmers!

9a           Fan not working, having had grease removed (3-3)
NON-FAT is an anagram (working) of FAN NOT.

10a         Indifference to pleasure or pain as sitcom is switched over (8)
STOICISM –   An anagram (switched over)of SITCOM IS.

11a         Military band (6)
STRIPE – as worn on a military uniform.

12a         Sticking with the woman in a depressed area (8)
ADHERENT –   Insert HER (the woman) into a DENT or depression.

14a         Awesome moment set back a French intellectual (10)
MONUMENTAL –   MO (moment) NU (a reversal – set back – of the French word for ‘a’ – UN) and MENTAL (intellectual).

18a         Skinflint‘s collection hidden in odd-looking casket (10)
CHEAPSKATE –   HEAP (collection) hidden in an anagram (odd-looking) of CASKET.

22a         Bit of food Greek character and I found in river (8)
NUTRIENT –   NU (the Greek letter N) and I (from the clue)  inserted into the river TRENT.

23a         Land of make-believe found in mountain range on the way back (6)
NARNIA is hidden and reversed (on the way back) inmountAIN RANge.

24a         Ration he cooked in a TV show? (2,3,3)
ON THE AIR is an anagram (cooked) of RATION HE.

25a         A way that’s right initially and left of the stars (6)
ASTRAL – A (from the clue) ST (street, way) R (right initially) A (and) L (left).

26a         Playful banter unsuitable for the elderly (8)
BADINAGE –   An ‘old friend’ of the crossword solver – split 3, 2, 3 to get the ‘unsuitable for the elderly’ bit.

27a         Marksman put down rook after another bird (6)
SNIPER –   Follow a SNIPE (bird) with R (rook in chess notation).

Down

1d           Good-looking employee takes part (8)
HANDSOME – HAND (employee) SOME (part).

2d           Blissfully unaware? (8)
IGNORANT – Because as we all know ignorance is bliss.

3d           Kinky tape in back projection — that’ll raise temperature (4,4)
HEAT PUMP –   Insert an anagram (kinky) of TAPE into HUMP (a projection on the back).

5d           Taking money from the bank for retirement (10)
WITHDRAWAL – A double definition clue which was the cause of much discussion on the day (and a sending to the Naughty Corner!).

6d           Miss     as the result of tight bowling? (6)
MAIDEN –   A unmarried  lady (miss) or an over in cricket where no runs are scored, possibly as the result of some tight bowling.

7d           Joined forces in one side of Sheffield (6)
UNITED –   Worked together as a football team in Sheffield might.

8d           Naturally one goes from green to red — custom at overpass is to hold it (6)
TOMATO – Lovely definition – the solution is hidden in cusTOM AT Overpass.

13d         Working, for a spell? (10)
ENCHANTING –   A cryptic definition.

15d         One kills two animals in the end (8)
ASSASSIN –   ASS ASS (two animals) with IN (from the clue) at the end.

16d         Spot of drizzle perhaps (8)
RAINDROP – And another cryptic definition.

17d         Seller of gossip? (8)
RETAILER – Someone who sells things sounds like they might be re telling a piece of gossip.

19d         Place in grave surroundings (6)
ENTOMB –   A definition of the verb meaning to place in a tomb.

20d         Said gallery will be in South Dakota (6)
STATED –   The TATE gallery inserted into the abbreviation for South Dakota.

21d         Porker, remarkable one that flies (6)
PIGEON – PIG (porker) and an anagram (remarkable) of ONE.

 

Hopefully Gnomey should be back in his right blogging spot next week –  a very early start for him today (Thursday) (plus some sort of football nonsense on the TV?? ;) )  means that he owes me (another) drink or two in due course.