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ST 2853

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2853

A full review by crypticsue

This puzzle was published on 19th June 2016

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

 

I found this slightly trickier than some recent Sunday puzzles but as enjoyable as ever.

Please 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           Not working, fusses about a lower level position (10)
DOWNSTAIRS –  DOWN (not working) and STIRS (fusses) put about A (from the clue)

6a           Prepares to fight — that’s a promise, ignoring the odds (4)
ARMS –   A from the clue and the even letters (ignoring the odds) of pRoMiSe

9a           With endless amusement, directed part of Scottish outfit (7)
SPORRAN –   ‘endless’ SPORt (amusement) and RAN (directed)

10a         One making definite choice to be less slim (7)
PLUMPER –   Someone making a definite choice or an adjective meaning less slim.

12a         In hardship, it’s a restructuring that’s often opposed by unions (13)
PRIVATISATION –   An anagram (restructuring) of IT’S A inserted into PRIVATION (hardship)

14a         Musician has to quickly run around piano, right? (6)
HARPER –   I’d always called these people ‘harpists’ but the HARPER definition is the first one in the list in the BRB.   HARE (quickly run) goes round P (piano) and the result is then finished by R (right)

15a         As religious leader, Edward talked at length (8)
RABBITED –   RABBI (religious leader) TED (Edward)

17a         What can become ruined without male guard (8)
WATCHMAN –   An anagram (become ruined) of WHAT CAN goes outside (without – I can hear BD’s teeth grinding from here) M (male).

19a         Flier for magician (6)
MERLIN – A bird of prey or King Arthur’s magician

22a         Preparing to substitute for player, not learning enough (13)
UNDERSTUDYING –   Split 5, 8 to understand the second part of the clue.

 24a         Something body needs for energy put in container (7)
PROTEIN – PRO (for) E (energy) put in TIN (container)

25a         In part of Africa once, you are reportedly not affected (7)
NATURAL –   U R (you are ‘reportedly’ or said out loud) inserted into NATAL (a former province of South Africa)

26a         Visible indication of ill feeling that’s overhasty (4)
RASH –   Another of several double definition clues in this particular crossword.

27a         Pressure leading to post in hospital in top office (10)
PRESIDENCY –   P (pressure) goes before (leading to) RESIDENCY (post in hospital) 

Down

1d           Ready to perform call for peace (4)
DOSH –   DOSH and ready are both informal terms for money.  DO (perform) SH (call for peace)

2d           Wide container for something very big (7)
WHOPPER – W (wide) HOPPER (container)

3d           Extra cost to pay as Army, say, goes on attack (7,6)
SERVICE CHARGE –  SERVICE (Army, say, one of the armed services) CHARGE (attack)

4d           Needing to be replanted — like dates, with one exception (6)
ANNUAL –   Plants you have to replant every year or dates in the calendar apart from a leap year when February has an extra day.

5d           Counter-attack putting queen in peril as ordered (8)
REPRISAL –   R (queen) put in an anagram (as ordered) of PERIL AS

7d Ribbed fabric is not commonly put on new coat (7)
REPAINT –   REP (ribbed fabric mainly found in crosswords) and AINT (is not ‘commonly’)

8d           Playing to win hand (10)
SERENADING –   This nice cryptic definition earned a * from me.

11d         Not quietening down, including one part of speech turned up full (13)
UNABBREVIATED –   UNABATED (not quietening down) includes a reversal (turned up in a Down clue) of I VERB (one part of speech)

13d         Display garment for horse or rider (10)
SHOWJUMPER – SHOW (display) JUMPER (garment)

16d         It secures safe rent as arranged (8)
FASTENER –   An anagram (as arranged) of SAFE RENT.

18d         What we did, ultimately, with record of loans generating little interest (7)
TEDIOUS –   The ultimate letters of whaT wE diD plus IOUS (records of loans)

20d         Roman soldiers holding king in chain (3-4)
LEG-IRON –   LEGION (Roman soldiers) holding R (Rex, king)

21d         I’d a son, awfully handsome boy (6)
ADONIS –   An anagram (awfully) of ID A SON

23d         Severely criticise loud song for beat with excessive force (4)
FLAY –   Two definitions put round the wordplay – F (loud) LAY (song)

3 comments on “ST 2853

  1. Yes I agree with the review, for which thanks. A long, hard grind to the finish, with too many clues of the ‘partial anagram and insert a letter’ variety. Not as enjoyable, for me, as some Sunday puzzles, which prompts a 3*/2*rating. I am a generous marker usually but I was suffering from man flu at the time and perhaps not in the best of moods, so a bit mean.
    Incidentally I discovered that on completion of the online version, before submitting my solution, if I come out of the puzzle briefly and then return it tells me if my solution is correct or not. I can then go back and check for errors/ silly spelling mistakes which have been my undoing in the past. You all probably knew that, but I didn’t!

  2. I was slow to start on this but once I had the SW corner done, the rest went fairly smoothly. BTW, in 5d it’s just R in PERIL AS, not in IN PERIL AS.

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