Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27624
A full review by crypticsue
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BD Rating – Difficulty **– Enjoyment ***
This puzzle was published on Saturday, 18th October 2014
This Cephas puzzle was solved on the High Speed train to London on Saturday morning. Later in the day, it turned out that our setter and I both achieved the same position in our respective heats in the Times Crosswords Championships, which must mean something but neither of us is quite sure what!
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Across
1a Not even Irishman goes to church before start of Yule (6)
PATCHY – PAT (Irishman) CH (the abbreviation for church) and Y (the ‘start’ of Yule).
4a Result of lifts getting heated (6)
UPSHOT – UPS (lifts) and HOT (heated).
8a Deluge with literature, receiving dazzling illumination (8)
FLOODLIT – FLOOD (deluge) and LIT (literature).
10a Lay in wait and enticed king to get drawn in (6)
LURKED – Insert K (King to get drawn..) into LURED (enticed).
11a Stare, seeing women in space (4)
GAWP – The abbreviation for Women inserted into a GAP (space).
12a Some savant gardener breaking new ground (5-5)
AVANT-GARDE is hidden in some of sAVANT GARDEner.
13a Recovering fleece found by valley track (12)
CONVALESCENT – CON (fleece in the sense of charge exorbitantly) VALE (valley) and SCENT (track).
16a Vulgar riches seen in international club? (12)
COMMONWEALTH – COMMON (vulgar) and RICHES (wealth).
20a Melting ice lolly that could be used as a bribe? (5,5)
SLUSH MONEY – SLUSH (melting ice) and LOLLY (an informal term for money).
21a Robin dropping end off new pen (4)
BIRO – ‘Drop’ the N from the end of ROBIN and make an anagram (new) of the remaining letters.
22a Cycle at university given precedence — that’s an improvement (6)
UPTURN – UP (at university) goes before (given precedence) TURN (cycle).
23a Tour ended in fall (4,4)
TRIP OVER – TRIP (tour) OVER (ended).
24a Fusion of the rod at a very high temperature (3-3)
RED-HOT – An anagram (fusion of) THE ROD.
25a Invite to come over stream to get on (6)
BECKON – BECK (a Northern English dialect word for a stream) and ON (from the clue).
Down
1d Pattern of work over, aimlessly talk about party (5-3)
POLKA-DOT – A reversal (over) of OP (operate, work) followed by an anagram (aimlessly) of TALK into which is inserted a DO (party).
2d Soldiers right to work outside (5)
TROOP – Insert R (right) into TO (from the clue) and OP (work).
3d Only item of luggage needed? (7)
HOLDALL – A cryptic definition of a piece of luggage.
5d Head holds permit for painting device (7)
PALETTE – LET (permit) inserted into PATE (head).
6d Infusion mixed at heel bar (6,3)
HERBAL TEA is an anagram (mixed) of AT HEEL BAR.
7d Attempt to guard goal with it (6)
TRENDY – TRY ‘guards’ or has inserted END (goal).
9d Had a ripping time? What a nuisance! (5,4,2)
THAT’S TORN IT – Something that might mean you’d had a ripping time, is an expression of annoyance meaning that something has spoiled one’s plans etc.
14d Second team in force for red-light district? (4,5)
VICE SQUAD – VICE (second, deputy) and SQUAD (team)
15d Doctor has consumed last of flat fish (8)
STURGEON – The ‘last’ of flat inserted into SURGEON. Not only a chestnut but one that’s been seen a lot in Crosswordland in the last few weeks.
17d It reminds me repeatedly not to get drunk (7)
MEMENTO – ME ME (me repeatedly) and an anagram (to get drunk) of NOT.
18d I swayed over edge of road (7)
WAYSIDE is an anagram (over)of I SWAYED.
19d Intended taking flight (6)
ELOPER – A lovely cryptic definition of someone aiming to get married (intended) running away to do so (taking flight).
21d Second-class security device for group of buildings (5)
BLOCK – B (second-class, A being first-class) and LOCK (security device).
Thanks to Cephas for both the crossword and your company in the pub on Saturday afternoon.