Big Dave's Crossword Blog

Daily Telegraph No 28162

A full review by gnomethang

This puzzle was published on 9th July 2016

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

 

Morning All! There were some very enjoyable clues here but for the life of me I cannot understand 24D!

Across

7a           Left home to be nursed by sibling (8)
SINISTER – Place IN for home inside your SISTER.

9a           Short in bar groggily put away (6)
ABRUPT – A groggy anagram of BAR followed by an anagram (away) of PUT. Good surface reading.

10a         Shortened Darren’s odds ahead of victory (4,2)
DREW IN – The odd letters of DaRrEn in front of/ahead of WIN for victory.

11a         Opinionated setter, perhaps, starts to moan about themes in crosswords (8)
DOGMATIC – A lovely surface reading!. Start with a DOG (perhaps a setter) and then add the starting letters of (starts to) Moan About Themes In Crosswords. My favourite here.

12a         Bureaucrat on line about round fruit (8,6)
MANDARIN ORANGE – A Mandarin or Bureaucrat in government then RANGE or line about O for round/zero.

15a         Cost of polish, not good (4)
LOSS – Sort of an all in one clue. If you take the G from (g)LOSS or polish which was not good then you would be out of pocket having to buy a new tin. Hence the answer.

17a         Hot rock mass shown in colour supplement article (5)
MAGMA – Place M for Mass inside a MAG(azine) or colour supplement) and then add A, the indefinite article.

19a         Choke about record (4)
CLOG – C for Circa or about and then LOG for record.

20a         Knowing someone else’s mind, even if plodding? (7-7)
THOUGHT-READING – The cryptic definition is THOUGH TREADING or ‘even if’ and ‘plodding’

23a         Gathering for dancing after easy game (8)
SOFTBALL – Place a BALL or gathering for dance after SOFT for easy.

25a         Batting order for cricket? (6)
INSECT- A charade of IN (batting) and a SECT or religious order. The question marl denotes the definition of a cricket by example. Other insects are available but would not help the good surface reading of the clue!..

27a         See 16 Down
See 16 Down.

28a         Do nicely for so long (8)
FAREWELL – To rub along or ‘do’ nicely might be to FARE WELL. The definition is FAREWELL from the same stem.

Down

1d           Row it over English river (4)
TIER – reverse (over) IT from te clue and then add the abbreviations for E(nglish) and R(iver).

2d           Watched rival, United? (6)
VIEWED – A charade of VIE (rival) and WED (United in marriage)

3d           Elbow maybe making piano stick (4)
PROD – P for Piano and a ROD or stick.

4d           Run-down saloon, say, may cause bishop exasperation (6)
BANGER – B for Bishop and then ANGER for exasperation.

5d           Anagram remarkably cold drink (8)
A remarkable anagram of ANAGRAM and then C for Cold (from the tap designation).

6d           In disarray, riding team losing (6,4)
UPSIDE DOWN – A charade of UP (riding, on a horse), SIDE for team and DOWN for losing.

8d           Paddy, dry, swallowing an alcoholic drink (7)
TANTRUM – TT for Teatotal including AN from the cluefollowed by RUM for alcoholic drink.

13d         You can see me in John o’ Groats, and in Land’s End, but not in between! (10)
APOSTROPHE – Just a nice observational clue with a good surface reading.

14d         Near base of minaret, in darkness (5)
NIGHT – NIGH for near and the bottom or base of (minare)T

16d         and 27 Across: Reasonable opportunity of succeeding person catching criminal (8,6)
SPORTING CHANCE – A criminal anagram of PERSON CATCHING.

18d         Terribly irate about the Spanish artist’s workroom (7)
ATELIER – An anagram (terribly) of IRATE around EL, ‘the’ in Spanish.

21d         Mass of small stones in burial place close to Balmoral (6)
GRAVEL – A GRAVE or burial place and the closing letter in (balmora)L

22d         Deny any connection with row involving broadcast (6)
DISOWN – A DIN or row including/involving SOW or broadcast

24d         Take a journey in someone else’s vehicle (4)
LIFT – I’m not quite sure what this is all about!

26d         Ring clubs, the lot (4)
CALL – C for Clubs and ALL for the lot.

Thanks to the setter.