DT 27719

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27719

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BD Rating – Difficulty ***– Enjoyment **

This puzzle was published on Saturday, 7th February 2015

I wonder if I was the only person not to be held up in the NE corner of this fairly typical Saturday Prize Puzzle?

Across

5a           Husband in Christmas show, Marley at first, then ghost (7)
PHANTOM –   Insert H (husband) into a PANTO and then finish with the first letter of Marley.

7a           Birds chatter about new bag (7)
GANNETS –   GAS (chatter) put round N (new) and NET (a type of bag)

9a           Only admitting copper at the right moment (2,3)
ON CUE –   ONE (only) admitting the chemical symbol for copper – CU.

10a         Candidate‘s cold sore, one almost being concealed (9)
CONTENDER –   C (cold) and TENDER (sore) concealing ONe (one almost).

11a         First to spot a spot of misguided flattery (4,4)
SOFT SOAP –   The first letter of Spot followed by an anagram (misguided)of A SPOT OF.

13a         Fungus among bundle brought back (3-3)
INK-CAP –   IN (among) followed by a reversal (brought back) of PACK (bundle).

16a         Right to ring head of faculty after answer relating to a Greek mathematician (11)
ARCHIMEDEAN –   R (right) CHIME (ring) and DEAN (head of faculty) go after A (answer).

20a         Practically everyone, contrary to expectation (3,3)
ALL BUT –   ALL (everyone) and BUT (contrary to expectation).

21a         Something from the watercolourist? (8)
SEASCAPE –   a nice cryptic definition.

24a         Rector has confused band (9)
ORCHESTRA –   An anagram (confused) of RECTOR HAS.   Usually people grumble about the cluing of this old chestnut, on Saturday the main concern was that members of an orchestra would be offended at being referred to as a band!

26a         Photographs ten broad flat fish (1-4)
X-RAYS –   The Roman numeral for ten – X – followed by some RAYS (flat fish).

28a         A pound, cash thus far (7)
ALREADY -A L (£, pound) and READY (cash).

29a         Heather coming round to put back risqué books (7)
EROTICA –   A reversal (put back) of TO (from the clue) inserted into ERICA (the genus of the plant Heather).

Down

1d           Powder used by Faust (alchemist) (4)
TALC is hidden in FausT (ALChemist)

2d           Strain shown by rest at sea on steamship (6)
STRESS –   An anagram (at sea) of REST followed by SS (steamship).

3d           Houseman, English, twice confined suspected terrorist (8)
INTERNEE –   INTERN (houseman, resident doctor) followed by two lots (twice) of the abbreviation for English.

4d           Heavy metal    guitar accessory? (4)
LEAD –   Double definition – a heavy metal, or something you might need to play an electric guitar.

5d           Writer in favour of American technique, initially (6)
PROUST –   PRO (in favour of) US (American) and T (the initial letter of technique).

6d           One employed by F1 team, male, by newly-built chicane (8)
MECHANIC –   M (male) followed by an anagram (newly-built) of CHICANE.

7d           Bell sounding? I must leave (4)
GONG –   Remove (must leave) the I from GOING (sounding as a bell might).   One of the definitions of go in the BRB is “(of a bell…) to sound”.   I’ve been a bellringer for over thirty years and wasn’t entirely convinced by this but can’t argue with the BRB, can I?   It was suggested on Saturday that the solution could be obtained by removing the I from GOING in the sense of leaving.   As BD indicated, ‘leave’ here would be doing double duty as both the word from which something had to be removed, and the instruction to remove it!

8d           Waste energy making jam (6)
SCRAPE –   SCRAP (waste) and E (energy) produces an informal term for a difficult or embarrassing predicament (which is almost exactly how the BRB gives one of the definitions of jam).

12d         Weak female needs to get on track (5)
FRAIL – F (female) and RAIL (track).

14d         Dance clubs round northern Georgia (5)
CONGA –   C(clubs) O (round) N (northern) and GA (the abbreviation for the US State of Georgia).

15d         Tea, say, and beer gave out (8)
BEVERAGE –   An anagram (out) of BEER GAVE.

17d         Paved footpath in grounds, wide, leading to a yard (8)
CAUSEWAY – CAUSE (grounds) W (wide in cricket scoring) A (from the clue) and Y (yard).

18d         Temple of a deity in Pennsylvania (6)
PAGODA –   Insert A GOD (a deity) into PA (the abbreviation for Pennsylvania).

19d         A professional companion his age, surprisingly (6)
GEISHA –   An anagram (surprisingly) of HIS AGE.

22d         Church officer attacked carrying cross (6)
SEXTON – SET ON (attacked) carrying an X.

23d         Speak about short time in lodge (4)
STAY – T (the ‘short’ abbreviation for time) inserted into SAY (speak).

25d         Study involving the origin of rye and another crop (4)
CORN –   The ‘origin’ of rye inserted into CON (study).

27d         Song from Callas needing no introduction (4)
ARIA –   Remove the ‘introduction’ from MARIA Callas and you get a type of song she used to sing.

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