ST 2864 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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ST 2864

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2864

A full review by crypticsue

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This puzzle was published on Sunday 4th September

BD Rating – Difficulty **Enjoyment ****

 

Another super Sunday crossword – although I didn’t notice until I started to type this review how many examples of clue types follow one after the other, eg the insertions in 8a, 10a and 11a, and the anagrams in 12a, 13a etc.   My favourite clue was 1a.

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Across

1a           Form of payment that’s doubled, we hear, for European inspection (6)
CHEQUE – Homophones of this word can either mean a CZECH (European) or CHECK (inspection).

4a           Take back order, supposing that it’s sliced fish or meat (6)
FILLET – a reversal (take back) of TELL (order) and IF (supposing that)

8a           Sublime witticism I loaded into computer (8)
MAJESTIC – JEST (witticism) and I (from the clue) loaded into MAC (computer).   So who else spend a while trying to fit something into a PC??

10a         European entering very pleasant Italian city (6)
VENICE – E (European) entering V (very) NICE (pleasant)

11a         Agile performer ultimately taken in by agent (4)
SPRY – R (performer ‘ultimately’) taken in by SPY (agent)

12a         Bad gal erred in becoming first offender? (10)
RINGLEADER – An anagram (becoming) of BAD GAL ERRED IN

13a         Feature of assembly line confused boy — not clever (8,4)
CONVEYOR BELT – An anagram (confused) of BOY NOT CLEVER

16a         Nobody else could have been this picture’s producer (4-8)
SELF-PORTRAIT – A cryptic definition which caught my eye as the paper came out of the printer and so this was the first solution I wrote in the grid.

20a         Expel chaps before start of term for behaviour (10)
DEPORTMENT –  DEPORT (expel) MEN (chaps) T (the start of term)

21a         Cricket clubs   out to lunch? (4)
BATS – Clubs for striking a cricket ball or an informal adjective meaning crazy, although apparently if you are ‘out to lunch’ you are only slightly crazy!

22a         I am, regrettably, requiring return fare from Italy (6)
SALAMI – A reversal (requiring return) of I AM (from the clue) and ALAS (regrettably)

23a         Not odd number for service (8)
EVENSONG – EVEN (not odd) SONG (musical number)

24a         Stressful activity in court (6)
TRYING – An adjective meaning stressful or testing could describe an activity in a court of law

25a         Designed, with pen guided by hand (6)
STYLED – STY (pen for pigs) LED (guided by hand)

Down

1d           Advocate having hours reduced in plant (8)
CHAMPION – H (the ‘reduced’ abbreviation for hours) inserted into CAMPION (plant)

2d           ` Some assemblymen ending up in opposition (5)
ENEMY – This can be found reversed (up in a Down clue) in some of assemblYMEN Ending 

3d           Without any qualifications, say, left university finally (7)
UTTERLY – UTTER (say) L (left) Y (university ‘finally’)

5d           Call for verse within novel I revised (7)
INVOLVE –  V (verse) inserted within an anagram (revised) of NOVEL I

6d           Soldier on horse crossing a street in northern city (9)
LANCER (soldier on horse) crossing A (from the clue) ST (street)

7d           Went about enunciating what diplomats require (6)
TACKED – A homophone (enunciating) of this sailing term meaning went about or changed course would sound like TACT, a quality required by all the best diplomats

9d           Recent changes over article providing focus of attention (11)
CENTREPIECE –  An anagram (changes) of RECENT goes over PIECE (article)

14d         Six iron, say, oddly unpractical (9)
VISIONARY – VI (the Roman numeral for six) and an anagram (oddly) of IRON SAY

15d         Was attentive and inclined to absorb point after point (8)
LISTENED –   LISTED (inclined) ‘absorbs’ two compass points N (north) and E (East)

17d        After reform, valiant citizen liberated from USSR (7)
LATVIAN – Another anagram (after reform) of VALIANT

18d         Go back on agreement, rejecting its conclusion (7)
RETREAT – RE (on the subject of) TREATy (an agreement ‘rejecting’ its conclusion)

19d         Retire inside partly, not entirely (6)
DEPART – Lurking in some of (not entirely) insiDE PARTly

21d         Igneous rock cut at the lowest level (5)
BASAL –  Cut or remove the last letter of BASALT (igneous rock)

 

S1

1 comment on “ST 2864

  1. Struggling with heat and OH’s health problems means crosswords have taken back seat but recognised answers so must have done it. 1a got the gold medal, thanks for review.

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