ST 2839

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2839

A full review by gnomethang

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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***

This puzzle was published on Sunday, 13th March 2016

Morning All! This was a VERY quick solve but there were some great clues in there!

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           Monet rated badly in new gallery (4,6)
TATE MODERN – An anagram (badly) of MONET RATED. Quite like him meself.

6a           Leaders of social workers are threatening strike (4)
SWAT – The leading letters of S(ocial) W(orkers) A(re) T(hreatening). To strike a social worker such as a bee, perhaps!

9a           Place in series for old movie star (7)
CHAPLIN – The abb. of PL(ace) inside a CHAIN or series.

10a         Wise crossing immense country in banger? (7)
SAUSAGE – Place SAGE for wise around (crossing) the US – a large country.

12a         Scientist whose work is on shaky ground? (13)
SEISMOGRAPHER – I blithely typed in the –OLOGIST until I realised I was a letter short. In any case this is a straightforward but nice (in the old sense of the word) cryptic definition.

14a         Preparing for combat with male in a place for fighting (6)
ARMING – M for Male inside A RING (a place for pugilism for example).

15a         Non-Asian movies that may have roles for Indians (8)
WESTERNS – Sort of two cryptic definitions.  The latter is the Cowboys and….

17a         Inspected cotton fabric cut the wrong way (8)
EXAMINED – A reversal (the wrong way) of DENIM (a cotton fabric) and AXE (cut).

19a         Fighting that follows direction to start shooting (6)
ACTION – The first is the straight definition – the second is from Hollywood.

22a         Somebody complaining about favourite undergarment and footwear (6,7)
CARPET SLIPPER – This is a CARPER (a complainer) around PET for favourite and SLIP for undergarment.

24a         One can’t remember if one has it (7)
AMNESIA – I have forgotten how many times I have seen a similar clue!

25a         An irritatingly silly bloke in European city (7)
ANTWERP – AN from the clue then a TWERP – Nice and easy.

26a         Weapon people get, ignoring the odds (4)
EPEE – Lose the odd letters from pEoPlEgEt.

27a         Support brass, for example, as requirement for renewed effort (6,4)
SECOND WIND – A charade of SECOND (back/support) and WIND – the brass instruments being one example of the wind section in an orchestra.

Down

1d           Course of action queen, perhaps, set up with king (4)
TACK – Reverse a CAT (an example – perhaps – of a Queen) and add K for King from Chess notation.

2d           Ready for release after time in part of ship (7)
TRANSOM – Place a RANSOM (the ready money used to release a hostage) after T for Time. Great clue.

3d           Diversified combination of minerals and oil is making someone very rich (13)
MILLIONAIRESS – A superb clue. Make an anagram (diversified) of the combination of MINERALS and OIL IS. Not many setters would be so kind to us!

4d           Energetic type upset lots of people in party (6)
DYNAMO – Reverse (or upset) MANY – lots of people – inside a DO or party.

5d           Prevailed over son that’s abandoned post (8)
RESIGNED – Place REIGNED/prevailed around or over S for Son.

7d           Survive as partners, heart-broken? (7)
WEATHER – W and E for the usual partners in Bridge followed by a broken anagram of HEART.

8d           Proposing explanations in article on old rebellion (10)
THEORISING – A charade of THE (an article), O for Old and a RISING for rebellion.

11d         United captain changed? That’s surprising (13)
UNANTICIPATED – An anagram (CHANGED) of UNITED CAPTAIN.

13d         Sporting pursuit excited ace, perhaps (5,5)
PAPER CHASE – I read too much into this clue on the day. It is merely an anagram (excited) of ACE PERHAPS. The use of ‘perhaps’ in the anagram fodder is particularly misleading and great!.

16d         Main picture airline’s first showing in second flight (8)
SEASCAPE – Never forget the (Spanish) Main in crosswords as it means the sea! Place the first letter of A(irline) inside S for Second and ESCAPE for flight.

18d         Period in which monarch managed to produce desired order (7)
ARRANGE – The desired order is to put R for Rex or Regina (monarch) and RAN (managed ) inside an AGE or period of time.

20d         Frantically liaise about resistance from part of Middle East (7)
ISRAELI – A frantic anagram of LIAISE around the outside of R for Resistance.

21d         Star group disrupted by a violent female (6)
VIRAGO – That will be the VIRGO cluster of stars broken into by A from the clue.

23d         Copied contents of paper with note appended (4)
APED – Finally we need to start with the interior letters (contents of) pAPEr and then add D for the musical note.

Thanks to Mr Greer Again – I will see you tomorrow