Daily Telegraph No 28156
A full review by crypticsue
This puzzle was published on 2nd July 2016
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BD Rating – Difficulty **/*** – Enjoyment ***
Just me or are Saturday puzzles increasing (if only very slightly) the difficulty level and thus the enjoyment factor too??
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.
Across
1a Rugby team needing a drink missing second score for Murray perhaps (6-7)
THIRTY-FIFTEEN – FIFTEEN (the number of players in a rugby team goes after THIRSTY (needing a drink) without the S (missing second)
9a Rascal finishing in store (9)
IMPENDING – IMP (rascal) ENDING (finishing)
10a Dance beat with energy (5)
TANGO – TAN (beat) GO (energy)
11a Article about my revolutionary herb (5)
THYME – THE (definite article) goes ‘about’ a reversal (revolutionary) of MY.
12a What you might have in a pub that’s just opened (4)
AJAR – A JAR, of course, being an informal term for an alcoholic drink, especially beer.
13a Come together for service (4)
MASS – A verb or a church service
15a Clear sailor to get answer (7)
ABSOLVE – AB (Able-Bodied Seaman, sailor) SOLVE (get answer)
17a Saw dog restrained by lead (7)
PROVERB – It might turn up on a regular basis, but I do like this clue and its variations. ROVER (dog) restrained by PB, the chemical symbol for lead.
18a Type of creature that is wearing glasses (7)
SPECIES – IE (id est, that is) ‘wearing’ SPECS (glasses)
20a Thief takes bullock round a pound (7)
STEALER – STEER (bullock) goes round A L (£ sterling)
21a Man with a mother? Yes and no (4)
ADAM – A (from the clue) and DAM (animal mother) – Most of the boys/gentleman called Adam obviously (yes) have a mother, but not (no) the one in the Old Testament.
22a Be obsequious to women hugged by admirer (4)
FAWN – W (women) ‘hugged’ by FAN (admirer)
23a Decorative material — gold — found in well-known London restaurant (5)
IVORY – OR (the heraldic term for gold) ‘found’ in the IVY (a well-known London restaurant)
26a Tenor and daughter split (5)
DRIFT – D(daughter) and RIFT (split)
27a Outlaw dared pose in disguise (9)
DESPERADO – An anagram (in disguise) of DARED POSE. Has anyone spotted a desperado anywhere other than in a Crossword in recent times??
28a Hoteliers lost straying cat (13)
TORTOISESHELL – An anagram (straying) of HOTELIERS LOST
Down
1d Try Danish novel about public transport vehicles, or this book (8,6)
TRISTRAM SHANDY – An anagram (novel) of TRY DANISH goes about TRAMS (public transport vehicles)
2d Suggest merely losing the top (5)
SIMPLY – Lose the top of SIMPLY (merely)
3d Lacking starter, hotel dinner is cooked meat (10)
TENDERLOIN – Remove the starter of hotel, and then an anagram (cooked) of HOTEL DINNER produces a cut of meat.
4d Naval vessel needing fortune to fix inside (7)
FRIGATE – FATE (fortune) with RIG (fix) inside.
5d Light music genre of the 1970s adopted by showy dresser (3,4)
FOG LAMP – GLAM (music genre of the 1970s) ‘adopted’ by a FOP (showy dresser).
6d Frank Spencer’s wife loses head for artist (4)
ETTY – BETTY Spencer loses her ‘head’
7d Online rap played without equal (9)
NONPAREIL – An anagram (played) of ONLINE RAP
8d Sweet kid after unwanted company (10,4)
GOOSEBERRY FOOL – FOOL (kid) goes after GOOSEBERRY (unwanted company)
14d Being good-looking appears to secure actor’s part (10)
COMELINESS – COMES (appears) ‘secures’ LINES (actor’s part)
16d Scriptwriter moving actress in (9)
SCENARIST – An anagram (moving) of ACTRESS IN
19d Nuisance gives needle repeatedly when talking (2-3-2)
SO-AND-SO – A homophone (when talking) of SEW AND SEW (needle repeatedly)
20d Vice exploits parts of the body (7)
SINUSES – SIN (vice) USES (exploits)
24d Lecture delivered by mayor at election (5)
ORATE – Found in (delivered by) mayOR AT Election.
25d Prison riot (4)
STIR – An informal term for a prison or a riot.
S2
just about right this one. fog lamp did me.