DT 27893 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 27893

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27893

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BD Rating – Difficulty *Enjoyment **

This puzzle was published on 29th August 2015

Fairly average Saturday puzzle – well I thought so anyway.

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           Note sum charged in unauthorised occupation of quantity of floor space (6,4)
SQUARE FEET –   RE (musical note) and FEE (sum charged) inserted into SQUAT (unauthorised occupation).

6a           Fraud from flipping computers (4)
SCAM –   A reversal (flipping) of MACS (computers).

9a           Dandy to get fat (5)
SWELL – A slang term for a fashionably dressed person (dandy) or a verb meaning to expand or increase in volume.

10a         Eccentric directors of stiff material (9)
CARDBOARD –   CARD (eccentric person) BOARD (directors).

12a         The woman records trial wherein some get fleeced (5-8)
SHEEP SHEARING –   SHE (the woman) EPS (records) HEARING (trial).

14a         In support, learner left with care of plumbing item (8)
BALLCOCK – Insert into BACK (support) L (learner) L (left) CO (care of).

15a         Artist has entry cut short (6)
INGRES –   A regular in Crosswordland – this artist’s name is obtained by cutting short or leaving off the last letter of INGRESS (entry).

17a         Austen novel to get from office (6)
UNSEAT – An anagram (novel) of AUSTEN.

19a         Ecstasy gets a hip roue smashed (8)
EUPHORIA –   An anagram (smashed) of A HIP ROUE.

21a         Where one’s tried to get round report of royals (5,8)
COURT CIRCULAR –   COURT (where one’s tried) CIRCULAR (round).

24a         An elector undermined liberal position (9)
TOLERANCE –   An anagram (undermined) of AN ELECTOR.

25a         Detective on public transport (5)
REBUS – RE (on the subject of) BUS (public transport).

26a         Rejected love that produces pain (4)
SORE –   A reversal (rejected) of EROS, the Greek god of love.

27a         Estimate on repairing starter home? (10)
MAISONETTE –   An anagram (repairing) of ESTIMATE ON

Down

1d           Window frame made by son, with wood (4)
SASH – S (son) ASH (wood).

2d           Able to take a stretch briefly after university, one’s employed in the kitchen (7)
UTENSIL –   U (university) followed by TENSILe (briefly indicating that you need nearly all the adjective meaning stretchable.

3d           Bloomer after posh car company gives scary ride (6-7)
ROLLER-COASTER –   ROLLER (posh car) CO (company) ASTER (bloomer, flower).

4d           Oppose rugby forwards getting cosmetic treatment (4,4)
FACE PACK –   FACE (oppose) PACK (rugby forwards).

5d           Make electrics safe in underground shelter (5)
EARTH –   Make an electrical device safe or an underground shelter for a wild animal.

7d           Caught old tennis star pocketing one keyboard (7)
CLAVIER –   C(caught) LAVER (Rod the tennis player) into which is inserted (pocketing) I (one).

8d           Island bananas to be put on old Turkish officer’s vehicle (10)
MADAGASCAR –   MAD (bananas) AGAS (old Turkish officer’s) CAR (vehicle).

11d         Original ideas from hit issue (13)
BRAINCHILDREN – BRAIN (hit on the head) CHILDREN (issue).

13d         Arranges a best focus? Not at all! (10)
OBFUSCATES –   An anagram (arranges) of A BEST FOCUS.

16d         More masculine, given second look (8)
BUTCHERS –   Cockney rhyming slang – BUTCHERS HOOK = look:   BUTCHER (more masculine) S (second).

18d         One has a row in kitchen mostly (7)
SCULLER –   Almost all (mostly) of a SCULLERy

20d         Snack, lightly cooked — something boring (7)
RAREBIT –   RARE (lightly cooked) BIT (part of a drill, something boring).

22d         Vacation I arrange includes ancient region of Eastern Mediterranean (5)
IONIA –   Hidden in (includes) vacatION I Arrange.

23d         Man perhaps that follows Carl in Northern city (4)
ISLE –   My favourite clue – the Northern city being, of course, CARLISLE.

S2

1 comment on “DT 27893

  1. Pretty straightforward, in the tradition of the Saturday puzzle. Thanks to Mr Ron and CS. I agree that 23d was the best clue. I don’t recall ever seeing or hearing the answer to 11d, but what else could the plural of brainchild be?

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