Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27540

A full review by crypticsue

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BD Rating – Difficulty **– Enjoyment ***

This puzzle was published on Saturday, 12th July 2014

Emergency stand-in blogger here so I can’t remember how difficult I found this as my solved grid is at home.  I do remember it didn’t seem like a Cephas puzzle, although it was in theory ‘his’ week.

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

1 Suit you’ll need when entering church (4)
CASE  –  AS (when) entering or being inserted into CE (Church of England) to get a legal suit.

3 Cool number, new song about the French female (10)
NONCHALANT –   NO (number) N (new) and CHANT (song) with LA (French female form of ‘the’) inserted.

9 Orderly to have a snack after end of session (4)
NEAT –  N (the end of session) followed by EAT (have a snack).

10 Coping with supporters a bad result upset? (10)
BALUSTRADE –   An anagram (upset) of A BAD RESULT

11 Another court passage (7)
EXTRACT –   EXTRA (another) and CT (abbreviation for court).

13 Questioning of physicist cut short by old American (7)
CURIOUS –   Either of the physicists with the name of CURIE (minus the last letter – cut short) followed by O (old) and US (American).

14 Assembly of peers, triumvirate reforming economic policy? (11)
PERESTROIKA –   An anagram (assembly) of PEERS followed by a TROIKA (a triumvirate – from the Russian word troe = three).

18 Pep pill taken by one before endless criticism makes one become violently angry (2,9)
GO BALLISTIC –  GO (pep, energy) BALL (pill) I (one) and STICK

21 Turtle avoiding soft ground (7)
TERRAIN –  Remove (avoiding) the P (soft) from a TERRAPIN (turtle).

22 Legislator spilt no tears (7)
SENATOR is an anagram (spilt) of NO TEARS.

23 Derision cast about politician behind bars (10)
IMPRISONED –   An anagram (cast) of DERISION with an MP (politician) inserted.

24 Asian neckwear, by the sound of it (4)
THAI – sounds like a TIE

25 Member of 15’s band, Ms Fitzgerald, back touring Canada, left for clubs (5-1-4)
ALLAN-A-DALE –   A reversal (back) of ELLA (Fitzgerald) going round (touring) CANADA once you have changed the C at the front for an L (Left for Clubs).

26 Nimble agent catching leader in race (4)
SPRY –  The ‘leader’ of Race is ‘caught’ by SPY (agent).

Down
1 Disdain shown by prisoner over bait (8)
CONTEMPT –   CON (prisoner) and TEMPT (bait).

2 Top of the bill set off on vessel (4,4)
STAR TURN –   Or split 5, 3  START (set off) and URN (vessel).

4 Love role in abstract school (2,3)
OP ART  – O (love) and PART (role).

5 Statesman in place of worship, unwell (9)
CHURCHILL –  CHURCH (place of worship) and ILL (unwell).

6 Change involving degrees Centigrade causes argument (11)
ALTERCATION –  Insert C (the abbreviation for degrees Centigrade) into an ALTERATION (change).

7 Female soldier in river (6)
AMAZON –   Double definition time.

8 Insect set free by misguided set (6)
TSETSE –   An amalgamation of two anagrams of SET (free and misguided being the anagram indicators).

12 A small gesture by topless people in clandestine meeting (11)
ASSIGNATION –  A (from the clue) S (small) SIGN (gesture) and NATION (topless being the indicator that the first letter should be removed).

15 Much associated with this outlaw (5,4)
ROBIN HOOD –  Much being one of the Merry Men!

16 Falsely incriminate rather small chap taken in drink (6,2)
STITCH UP –  Insert a TITCH (rather small chap) into SUP (drink).

17 Inadequate supply from Detroit perhaps following onset of strike? (8)
SCARCITY –   S (the ‘onset’ of Strike) and CAR CITY (Detroit being the home of many American car manufacturers).

19 A dry one around Greek region (6)
ATTICA –  A (from the clue) TT (dry, tea total) and CA (the Latin abbreviation for circa, around).

20 Drive mostly right, then left (6)
PROPEL –   PROPER (most of proper, right) and L (left).

22 Blow up second fountain (5)
SWELL –   S (second) and WELL (fountain).

Apologies if there are any errors – they aren’t deliberate.   When I next meet a certain Gnome at a crossword gathering, I can tell you exactly who’ll be buying all the drinks!

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