DT 28216

Daily Telegraph No 28215

A full review by gnomethang

This puzzle was published on 10th September 2016

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

Morning All! There were about three clues that really held me up at the end but on the whole a slightly sterner test than a lot of Saturday puzzles.

Across

1a           In which a stretch is more comfortable? (4,6)
OPEN PRISON – A cryptic definition of where a prison stretch is more comfortable than, say,solitary confinement. Not Yoga!

6a           Sturgeon, say, starts to seem costly over trout (4)
SCOT – The initial letters of (starts to) Seem Costly Over Trout. ‘Say’ here recognises that (Nicola) Sturgeon is a definition by example – other Scots are available.

10a         Classic writer in front of regime (5)
HOMER – He of the Aeniad. HOME for ‘in’ and then the front letter in R(egime).

11a         Overindulge fellow, one posed strangely outside (9)
SPOONFEED – An anagram (strangely) of ONE POSED outside of F for Fellow.

12a         Flexible learner is getting pair of notes (7)
LISSOME – L for Learner and IS from the clue combined with (getting) SO and ME – two notes from the tonic sol-fa scale.

13a         Promoting disorder not originally an issue (7)
EDITION – Remove the S ( not originally) from (s)EDITION or promoting disorder. Slight quibble here as sedition is a noun and really ‘promoting disorder’ ought to be seditious.

14a         Bad-tempered worker beset by ulcer, old American (12)
CANTANKEROUS – Place a CANKER or ulcer around an ANT/worker and then add O(ld) and US for American.

18a         Inappropriately teach dance intro? It needs revision (12)
INDOCTRINATE – A couple of anagram indicators here but the one you need is ‘needs revision’. The anagram fodder is DANCE INTRO IT.

21a         Groups in dramatic seating areas (7)
CIRCLES – Two definitions – CIRCLES (groups) of friends for example and the CIRCLE also being a position in a theatre (a dramatic seating area).

23a         This person’s put by a certain amount of whisky, say, (7)
MEASURE – This person (writing now) is ME. Add A from the clue and SURE for certain.

24a         Birds make unusual move to solid ground? (9)
DISEMBARK – An unusual anagram of BIRDS MAKE.

25a         Some questioning other’s amount of gold (5)
INGOT – A hidden word, indicated by ‘some’, found inside questionING OTher’s.

26a         Showy bar oddly offering Asian bit of sauce (4)
SOYA – Take the odd letters (oddly) of ShOwY bAr.

27a         Brave about terrible dropping temperature (10)
COURAGEOUS – C for about (from the Latin Circa) and then OU(t)RAGEOUS or terrible with T for Temperature removed/dropped.

Down

1d           Delayed like a frustrated caller? (2,4)
ON HOLD – Two definitions really and quite straightforward.

2d           Catch music publication in English county lacking passion (6)
ENMESH – Place the NME (New Musical Express) for a music publication inside E for English and a county or SHIRE from which the IRE or passion has been removed.

3d           Private joins military unit, making part of paper (8,6)
PERSONAL COLUMN – A charade of PERSONAL/private and a COLUMN of men in the army.

4d           Policeman favoured parking within division (9)
INSPECTOR – IN for favoured (e.g. the IN crowd) and then P for Parking inside a SECTOR or division.

5d           Australia has singular, bracing air (5)
OZONE – Oz for Australia and then ONE for singular.

7d           Soldiers must support recognition one’s responsible for advance (8)
CREDITOR – the OR or Other Ranks in the military go under (support in a down clue) CREDIT for recognition (e.g. of a discovery).

8d           Order in diets on the first of September? Good order (8)
TIDINESS – An anagram (order) of IN DIETS on (on top of in a down clue) S for the First (letter) of Septmber.

9d           Criminal ring ends? Raid it for financial misconduct (7,7)
INSIDER TRADING – An anagram (criminal) of RING ENDS RAID IT. My pick of the day for the surface reading and a good example of how one must ignore punctuation in a clue.

15d         Party that won’t drag? (3-6)
NON-SMOKER – A good cryptic definition of a person (party meaning a person in e.g. a lawsuit) who won’t drag on a cigarette.

16d         Conclusions reached when Americans give address? (3,5)
ZIP CODES – The last bit of an Americans postal address (like our postcode in the UK).

17d         Current lawyer wasted years supposedly (1,4,3)
I DARE SAY – I for the SI unit of Current dollowed by DA (District Attorney, an American lawyer) and finally an anagram (wasted) of YEARS.

19d         Overly zealous weapon activity around hotel (4-2)
GUNG-HO – place a GUN/weapon and GO/activity/zip around H – HOTEL the NATO phonetic word.

20d         Gang with drunk turned up for fights (3-3)
SET-TOS – A GANG or set with a SOT or drunkard revered (turned up)

22d         Rogue has stunning hit showing military headwear (5)
SHAKO – quite tricky as the word was unfamiliar. An anagram (indicated by rogue) of HAS and then a KO – a Knock Out or a hit that stuns.   

Thanks to the setter. I will see you next in a couple of Thursdays.