ST 2859

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2859

A full review by gnomethang
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This puzzle was published on Sunday 31st July
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****

 

Morning All! There were, as usual, some lovely simple clues with great surface readings here and much to recommend to someone new to cryptic crosswords.

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           Kind of ball fashioned around square, oddly (10)
MASQUERADE  – MADE for fashioned around an anagram (oddly) of SQUARE.

6a           Appear in place of bishop, taking mass (4)
SEEM – A Bishop’s place/diocese is a SEE. Add M for Mass.

9a           HQ for force in Waterloo, say (7)
STATION – Two definitions, the HQ for a Police Force and also a train STATION of which Waterloo is an example.

10a         Poke fun at a politician in flier (7)
LAMPOON – An MP or politician inside a LOON (a bird or flier).

12a         Attractive urgent coverage for legal support team (13)
PREPOSSESSING – PRESING or urgent is covering (around the outside of) POSSE or a support team.

14a         Surfing, maybe at equator (6)
ONLINE – Surfing (the Web) is the definition, and cryptically if you were at the equator you would be ON (an imaginary) LINE.

15a         PC, for example, frantically cut rope binding maiden (8)
COMPUTER – A frantic anagram of CUT ROPE including (binding) M for Maiden.

17a         Former partner having case for enforcement of payment (8)
EXACTION – A charade of an EX (or former partner) and an ACTION or case/lawsuit.

19a         In war, can accept things being kept secret (6)
ARCANA – Things secret are hidden IN wAR CAN Accept.

22a         Group of swimmers before the race upset instructor (13)
SCHOOLTEACHER – Place a SCHOOL or group of fish before/in front of an anagram (upset) of THE RACE.

24a         Academic penning papers is tiresome (5,2)
DRAGS ON – A DON /academic surrounding (penning) RAGS or tabloid papers.

25a         Clubs make certain statement attributing blame (7)
CENSURE – C for Clubs and then ENSURE for ‘make certain’.

26a         Home for nocturnal creature fixed ahead of time (4)
SETT – SET for Fixed in front of T for Time.

27a         Have second thoughts about condition covering European disadvantages (10)
RECONSIDER – A condition can be a RIDER. Place that around (covering) E(uropean) and COND for disadvantages.

Down

1d           Get engaged repeatedly in schemes Holmes hatched (4)
MESH – A hidden word found twice (repeatedly in) scheMES HolMES Hatched.

2d           It’s used for opening act in theatre (7)
SCALPEL – A cryptic definition of the surgeon’s tool that opens the body at the start of an operation.

3d           Global organisation badly tainted within alliances (6,7)
UNITED NATIONS – An anagram (badly) of TAINTED inside/within UNIONS for alliances.

4d           Organised party membership, initially unsystematic (6)
RANDOM – A charade or RAN (organised), DO (party) and then the first letter (initially) of M(embership).

5d           Study about soul I misrepresented in error (8)
DELUSION – A DEN or study around/about a misrepresented anagram of SOUL I.

7d           I’ll feature prominently in his speech (7)
EGOTIST – Another cryptic definition, the me – man using the words I and me a lot.

8d           Like those in charge, chap set over African country shifting left (10)
MANAGERIAL – A MAN or chap above (set over in a down clue) A(l)GERIA(L) , the African country with the L(eft) shifted down to the bottom.

11d         Doesn’t understand I’m upset, perhaps wrongly, over aims (13)
MISAPPREHENDS – Revers (upset) I’M to MI , then add an anagram (wrongly) of PERHAPS and finally add ENDS for aims.

13d         Serious type, in this way, also embracing monarch (10)
SOBERSIDES – Not a familiar word to me but straightforward enough – SO for ‘in this way’ and then BESIDES/also including/embracing R for Rex or Regina – either monarch.

16d         Carry on once unit is given new order (8)
CONTINUE – An anagram (given new order) of ONCE UNIT. Great surface reading.

18d         Put the ‘A’ in art, essentially (2,5)
AT HEART – Do exactly as instructed! – place THE and A inside ART. Simple but brilliant.

20d         On the rocks, possibly needing silver bullet (7)
AGROUND – AG, the chemical symbol for silver then a ROUND or bullet.

21d         Cut short awkward old cowboy (6)
GAUCHO – Remove the last letter from (cut short) GAUCH€ for awkward/clumsy and then add O for Old.

23d         It sounds like sweetheart does, for instance (4)
DEER – Sounds like DEAR and also I like the misrepresentation of the definition.

Thanks to the Mr Greer for the entertainment, I will see you all tomorrow for a review of last Saturday’s Prize Puzzle.