DT 27737

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27737

A full review by gnomethang

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

BD Rating – Difficulty **– Enjoyment ***

This puzzle was published on Saturday, 28th February 2015

Morning All!. There were a few good misdirections in the surface readings of these clues. Overall an enjoyable solve.

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           Extra lavish meal is customary (10)
WIDESPREAD – A WIDE (an extra run in cricket) followed by SPREAD for a lavish meal last witnessed by the Famous Five.

6a           Fight Pole (4)
SPAR – Two definitions – one generally on a boat and the other in a boxing ring.

9a           Good-looking girl fit to seduce the Italian with scanty clothing (10)
DISHABILLE – A DISH (an ancient term for a good looking girl) with IL (The masculine definite article for THE in Spanish) inside ABLE (or fit) – DISH AB (IL) LE.

10a         Song beginning missed by girl in West Side Story (4)
ARIA – (m)ARIA! I’ve just met a goil called (m)ARIA!!

12a         In Berlin Germans hang around (6)
LINGER – The hidden word is IN (contained in) berLIN GERmans.

13a         Somehow liaises engaging good Spanish singer (8)
IGLESIAS – Take your pick – Julio or his boy. It is an anagram (somehow) of LIASES with G for good being inserted (or engaged).

15a         Some Christians surreally portrayed by artist in rain (12)
TRINITARIANS – An anagram (surreally portrayed by) of ARTIST IN RAIN. Includes the Catholic faith.

18a         Round of applause for every managing body giving signal for action (12)
CLAPPERBOARD – A charade of CLAP (round of applause) then PER (for every) and finally a managing BOARD of Directors.

21a         Those hearing poet keeping one in church (8)
AUDIENCE – Keep I for one inside AUDEN (W.H. the poet) and then add CE for the Church of England. AUD (I) EN +CE.

22a         Book regularly produced answer in reverse (6)
ANNUAL – Place A for Answer inside ANNUL or reverse.

24a         Bill the schoolmaster (4)
BEAK – Two definitions. The first I was aware of as a quacking thang’s bill but the second I had only heard of as a Judge not a Headmaster,

25a         Desired win, fired missile (10)
SIDEWINDER – An anagram (fired) of DESIRED WIN.

26a         Yet later in the day (4)
EVEN – The first definition is a synonym for even (yet/even so) and the second cryptic def is an archaic word for EVEN(song) or EVEN(tide) or EVEN EVEN(ing)!.

27a         At home son meets pressure, causing rebellion (10)
INSURGENCY – A charade of IN (at home), S for Son and then URGENCY for pressure.

Down

1d           Silly walk makes wife go off (6)
WADDLE – W for Wife and ADDLE for go off/rot.

2d           Request to confess providing drugs (6)
DOSING – When split as DO SING this is a request to confess/sing like a canary.

3d           Farmer has accident under blade of plough (12)
SHARECROPPER – Place a cropper (accident, to come a) under the SHARE or blade of a plough. Very nice surface reading that tells a gruesome story!

4d           Bar bird (4)
RAIL – Two definitions that have been sen a few times in crosswords!.

5d           Charge a liberal group of diplomats (10)
ALLEGATION – A and L for Liberal followed by a LEGATION or a mission of diplomats.

7d           Guerrilla fighter aspirant to revolt (8)
PARTISAN – An anagram, indicated by to revolt, of ASPIRANT.

8d           Judge again makes notes about fools (8)
REASSESS – The plural of the second note in the tonic sol-fa scale – RES – around the outside/about ASSES for fools.

11d         Try becoming popular on social media — it’s agonising (5-7)
HEART RENDING – A charade of HEAR (try in court) and TRENDING (becoming popular on e.g. Twitter.

14d         Breaking resistance getting into trendy group (10)
INFRACTION – Place R for Resistance inside IN for trendy and FACTION for group.

16d         One of S Coe’s rivals breathed heavily not finishing disorderly race (8)
SCRAMBLE – One of S(eb) Coe’s rivals was S(teve) CRAM. Add BLE(w) – all but the last of breathed heavily.

17d         Person died — search thoroughly for poisonous plant (8)
MANDRAKE – A charade of MAN (person), D for Died and then RAKE or search.

19d         One’s carried part of song (6)
BURDEN – Two definitions. The first is the obvious one but the second is also ‘The part of a song repeated at the start of every stanza, a refrain’ according to Chambers.

20d         Sudden gust in full pelt round lake (6)
FLURRY – Place FURRY (in full pelt/fur) around L for Lake. Nice misdirection.

23d         Boyfriend‘s spoken of Cockney area (4)
BEAU – A homophone (spoken) of the BOW area of that London.

Thanks to the setter – I’ll see you all in a couple of weeks.