Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2766
A full review by gnomethang
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty **– Enjoyment ****
This puzzle was published on Sunday, 19th October 2014
Morning All! THere were some lovely cryptic and double definitions here and the rest worked really well as well!
.
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 Use lurid style that’s essential, as in novel about love? (14)
SENSATIONALISE – A great clue to start and an anagram (indicated by novel) of ESSENTIAL AS IN around the outside of (about) O for love.
9a Female who enters and exits, inserting key in a lock (7)
ACTRESS – The musical key of C is placed inside A TRESS (A Lock of hair).
10a Port in goblet unfinished before journey West (7)
GLASGOW – Start with a GLAS(s) or a goblet that is missing its last letter (unfinished). Then add GO for journey and W for West.
11a Quietly move boat in front of ship (4)
PROW – P for P(izzicato) or quietly in musical notation then ROW, meaning to move a boat with oars.
12a Depressed when put on bench, become calmer (6,4)
SETTLE DOWN – Place DOWN (depressed/blue after (on in an across clue) SETTLE for a bench or settee.
14a Backward area traversed by tiny pack animals (6)
LLAMAS – This took me a while! Take A for Area and then place SMALL (tiny) around the outside before reversing the lot (it is backward!). LLAM (A) S.
15a Recording device placed within social group (8)
CASSETTE – SET (placed) inside a CASTE or social group (e.g. in India).
17a Maiden article needing revision in relation to length perhaps (8)
METRICAL – Start with M for a M(aiden) over in cricket then make an anagram (needing revision) of ARTICLE.
18a Announcement of simplified combination of languages to be used in flier (6)
PIGEON – Terribly good clue that I spotted just in time. A homophone of PIDGIN (any simplified dialectical language or combination). I always remember an evening in Haifa, Israel listening to the late, great Ken Campbell translating a Ken Dodd joke into pidgin English (the one with the cucumber through the letterbox and an announcement that the Martians had landed)
21a For example, including extremely narrow or widest possible category (10)
EVERYTHING – Place VERY THIN (extremely narrow) inside of E.G. (for example).
22a Vegetarian food contributing to cost of upkeep (4)
TOFU – A hidden word inside of (contributing to) the last three words.
24a Misprint in a line at end of American volume (7)
LITERAL – A from the clue and then L for Line after the American volumetric Litre, or LITER
25a Noble monarch embracing one on a previous occasion (7)
EARLIER – An EARL (noble) and ER (our Queen or monarch) containing (embracing) I for One.
26a Room at college I arranged in way that’s weather-related (14)
METEROLOGICAL – Easier to get than to spell!. An anagram (arranged) of ROOM AT COLLEGE I
Down
1d Start operating with this set of notes covering page 50 (7)
SCALPEL – Tricky to parse but not hard from the checking letters. SCALE (a set of notes) around (covering) P for page and then finish with L for 50 (from the Roman Numerals) – SCAL (P) E L
2d Scene of dramatic events for our country near Waterloo (8,7)
NATIONAL THEATRE – This theatre is just close to Waterloo Station in London. On the South Bank. The cryptic definition relies on the Waterloo Battle.
3d Second child as epitome of soundness, mostly (4)
ABEL – The second born of Adam and Eve (according to most Bibles) is all but the last letter of A BEL(l) – The epitome of soundness is ‘as sound as a bell’)
4d Put out, faces legal action (6)
ISSUED – Split as (2,4) and you will get IS SUED.
5d Not quite on time, glass of beer for singer (8)
NIGHTJAR – I will never be on “What’s my Bird/Plant” etc. Nigh for ‘not quite’ or near then T for Time (from the clue) and finally a JAR of beer.
6d In general, it’s an essential ability (10)
LEADERSHIP – A lovely cryptic definition of someone in authority. It was kinda spoilt by the bad printing in the online version.
7d More than 50% of libraries, from either end, for instance (4,2,3,6)
SIGN OF THE ZODIAC – Another greater Spotted Clue!. Start with the word LIBRARIES then take just more than half of the word from the front and you get LIBRA(ries). Do the same from the back and you get (libr)ARIES, both of which are examples (instances) of the clue answer.
8d Uncomfortable feeling, briefly, among right-wingers (6)
TWINGE – Another hidden word inside (among) the last two words.
13d Diagram showing results of multiplying (6,4)
FAMILY TREE – Another lovely cryptic definition alluded to from the biblical phrase “Go Forth and Multiply”
16d Great composer turned up part for single person (8)
BACHELOR – Bach (one of the great composers) then a reversal (turned up) of ROLE or theatrical part.
17d Mixture for mule is combination of oats, etc (6)
MUESLI – An anagram (mixture) for MULE IS gives the tiresome breakfast combination.
19d Car is still in this indeterminate colour (7)
NEUTRAL – A double definition. The first is the idling gear in a car when the drive is not engaged and the second is descriptive of the colour that does not jar but blends in.
20d You pronounced new source of water not healthy (6)
UNWELL – A homophone U (you pronounced) then N for New and finally a WELL for a source of water.
23d Vessel taking major across river (4)
BRIG – BIG (major or large) including (across) R for River.
I’ll see you all next Thursday for another cracker. Thanks to Virgilius!