DT 27851

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27851

A full review by gnomethang

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BD Rating – Difficulty */** – Enjoyment ***

This puzzle was published on 11th July 2015

Morning All! I found this a pretty standard difficulty puzzle for Saturday just falling in the two star difficulty. There were plenty of easy clues to get you started and a few to make you think.

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           Equip pal to create ornamental work (8)
APPLIQUE – An anagram (to create) of EQUIP PAL.

9a           Ardent male meeting me in passage (8)
VEHEMENT – Put HE (male) next to (or meeting) ME from the clue and place both inside VENT for passage.

10a         Prophet: ‘Before noon you will return amazingly’ (4)
AMOS – Before noon is A.M. – Then return SO for amazingly (Soooo Graham Norton!).

11a         Secretly, trendy needs self-assurance (2,10)
IN CONFIDENCE – A charade of IN for trendy and CONFIDENCE for assurance.

13a         Lasses returning to big pile refuse to get dropped by mine (4,4)
SLAG HEAP – Reverse (returning) GALS/lases and then MINE (a big pile i.e. gold mine).

15a         Small canine — greyhound perhaps? (6)
LAPDOG – The first is the straight definition and the cryptic definition refers to the dogs that run laps of a circuit.

16a         It’s hot and smoky at times in Vietnam (4)
ETNA – The usual crosswordland volcano is hidden IN viETNAm.

17a         Bill avoids bird — one’s given a close shave? (5)
RAZOR – Remove the ‘bill’ from a RAZOR(bill).

18a         Foolhardy in spots (4)
RASH – Two definitions and not much more to say!.

20a         School sandwiches used to be cut in half in station (6)
EUSTON – Place ETON School around half of US(ed).

21a         Lasting three months beyond the prime? (8)
AUTUMNAL – The Prime here being the prime of life i.e. in one’s autumn. The first definition is the straight one.

23a         Make fewer complaints about practical demonstration (6,6)
OBJECT LESSON – To make fewer complaints is to OBJECT LESS and follow that with ON for about/reference.

26a         Fox in Scotland trapping a small creature (4)
TOAD – I managed to remember that a TOD is a fox in Scotland. Insert (trap) A from the clue.

27a         Heather, after twelve months, gets young animal (8)
YEARLING – LING is a regular synonym for heather. Place that after a YEAR (twelve months).

28a         See April disentangling trellis (8)
ESPALIER – An anagram (disentangling) of SEE APRIL.

Down

2d           It is not bound to appeal to readers (8)
PAMPHLET – A cryptic definition (as in it might not appeal) of a loose-leaf or unbound publication.

3d           Logs in to play — action that’s a hopeless endeavour! (6,6)
LOSING BATTLE – An anagram (to play) of LOGS IN followed by BATTLE for action.

4d           Flan made by French who put by Argentinian red (6)
QUICHE – A charade of QUI (the French for who) then CHE Guevara – the Red (communist) from Argentina.

5d           Not once coming up, bypassing right flat (4)
EVEN – Reverse (coming up in a down clue) NEVER (not even once) and remove (bypass) the R for Right.

6d           Sensational story giving tingle to that female Cockney (8)
THRILLER – A THRILL (tingle) followed by ‘ER – HER (that female) as spoken by a Cockney.

7d           Eager Nan’s left cotton cloth (4)
KEEN – Remove nan from the (nan)KEEN cotton.

8d           Full complement of grit (8)
STRENGTH – Two definitions – One at full STRENGTH and the second a synonym for grit.

12d         Old fairytale being intellectual? Not yet fully proved (12)
EXPERIMENTAL – An old fairytale BEING (CHARACTER)might be described as an EX-PERI (from A Midsummer Night’s Dream). Add MENTAL for intellectual.

14d         Not a square meal for Italians (5)
PIZZA – A cryptic definition for the round Italian food. [PIAZZA (square) without (not) the A from the clue.  BD]

16d         How agreement could be made across bridge (3,2,3)
EYE TO EYE – The first is the straight definition, the second cryptic defines the end points when traversing the bridge of ones nose.

17d         Like a lemur, trailing badly (4-4)
RING-TAIL – An anagram (badly) of TRAILING.

19d         Ankle was dislocated in ballet (4,4)
SWAN LAKE – Another anagram (indicated by dislocated) of ANKLE WAS.

22d         Raise money — it’s a risk either way (4-2)
TOSS-UP – A fifty-fifty (either way risk) where the money is raised in the air during the flip.

24d         Jack round with a new woman (4)
JOAN – J for Jack (in bridge shorthand) then O (circle) and then A from the clue and finally N for New.

25d         Advantage of four-speed gears (4)
EDGE – A hidden word (indicated by of) inside four-speED GEars.

Thanks to the setter – I will be back next Friday for more of the same.