Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27863
A full review by crypticsue
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BD Rating – Difficulty *– Enjoyment **
This puzzle was published on 25th July 2015
An ‘entry level’ puzzle that pleased many on the day.
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
7a Leading at home with assurance (2,5)
IN FRONT – IN (at home) FRONT (assurance, boldness or impudence).
9a Military unit ordered to install equipment (7)
BRIGADE – RIG (equipment) installed in BADE (ordered)
10a Turn of phrase fool almost used facing Bond’s boss (5)
IDIOM – Almost all of an IDIOt (fool) followed by M (James Bond’s boss is known as M).
11a Hoax victim taken from pool, frail, shivering (5,4)
APRIL FOOL – An anagram (shivering) of POOL FRAIL.
12a Gent in best hotel resolved to live more frugally (7,4,4)
TIGHTEN ONES BELT – An anagram (resolved) of GENT IN BEST HOTEL.
13a Keep back, quietly avoiding jam (7)
RESERVE – Remove the P (musical instruction piano to play quietly) from PRESERVE (jam).
16a Opening of these centres is what interests a culture vulture (3,4)
THE ARTS – The ‘opening’ of These followed by HEARTS (centres).
19a Factors, perhaps abroad, restricting daughter much in need of money (8,3,4)
STRAPPED FOR CASH – An anagram (abroad) of FACTORS PERHAPS into which is inserted D (restricting Daughter).
23a Excellent food fish –- a tin unexpectedly produced (9)
BRILLIANT – BRILL (food fish) followed by an anagram (unexpectedly produced) of A TIN.
24a Old boy with beaker returned for soup (5)
GUMBO – A reversal (returned) of MUG (beaker) and OB (old boy).
25a Trendy? That girl must be with it to succeed (7)
INHERIT – IN (trendy) HER (that girl) with IT (from the clue).
26a Late series of deliveries? Exactly (7)
OVERDUE – OVER (series of deliveries in a game of cricket) and DUE (an adverb meaning exactly).
Down
1d Left its reins flapping (8)
SINISTER – An anagram (flapping) of ITS REINS.
2d One may train each day before and after work (8)
COMMUTER – A cryptic definition of someone who uses the train to get to and from work.
3d Separate line of descent (6)
STRAIN – To separate by squeezing, or a breed, race or line of descent.
4d Musical instruments belonging to a ‘Twelfth Night’ character (6)
VIOLAS – Musical instruments which, if an apostrophe was inserted – VIOLA’S , it would mean belonging to one of the characters in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.
5d Destroyer worried boat user (8)
SABOTEUR – An anagram (worried) of BOAT USER.
6d Small pill the Parisian found in shower (6)
PELLET – LE (French, as used in Paris word for ‘the’) inserted into PELT (shower).
8d Cast having fish after starter of figs (5)
FLING – F (the ‘starter’ of figs) followed by LING (fish).
9d Titled man, right individual to be accepted by club (7)
BARONET – R (right) and ONE (individual) accepted by or inserted into BAT (club).
14d Conventional poker hand (8)
STRAIGHT – Conventional, or a hand in a game of poker with a sequence of five cards regardless of suit.
15d Beginning to egg on worker showing class (7)
ELEGANT – The ‘beginning’ of Egg, LEG (the ‘on’ side in a game of cricket) and ANT (worker).
17d Tea eagerly ordered round middle of afternoon (4,4)
EARL GREY – An anagram (ordered) of EAGERLY and R (the middle letter of afteRnoon).
18d Check into earlier vessel (8)
SCHOONER – As I said in my Sunday puzzle review yesterday, variations on this ‘old friend’ in various places definitely make this chestnut of the month – CH (check) inserted into SOONER (earlier).
19d Present doctor turned up in case (6)
SUBMIT – A reversal (turned up in a down clue) of MB (Bachelor of Medicine, doctor) inserted into SUIT (law case).
20d Poor mate shot (6)
PALTRY – PAL (mate) TRY (shot).
21d Plump domestic, not quite sound (6)
FATHOM – Sound here being a verb meaning to measure depth – FAT (plump) and HOM (not quite all of HOME – domestic).
22d Intended to help me inside (5)
AIMED – ME (from the clue) inserted into AID (help).
S1
I thought that this one suffered from a distinct famine in the d’oh department. The best clue for me was 16a. Thanks to Mr Ron and Mrs CS.
Thanks CS. Total agreement here. It was dead easy but still very enjoyable. Sometimes it’s nice to get them over and done with quickly, unlike today’s offering from Virgilius which we adored.
A bit odd (a cry for help?) that the two long across answers are TIGHTEN ONES BELT and STRAPPED FOR CASH!