Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 28348
A full review by crypticsue
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This puzzle was published on Saturday 11th February
BD Rating – Difficulty */** – Enjoyment ***
Saturday Prize Puzzles aren’t quite what they used to be – they certainly take a smidgeon more teasing out, although there’s always room for an ‘old friend’ – this week’s ‘pal’ being 26a. Brian asked the other day that bloggers explain double definition clues, so I’ve done what he requested, and I hope it helps, particularly as we had several this Saturday.
Across
1a Ruin atmosphere getting upset (4)
DOOM – A reversal (upset) of MOOD (atmosphere)
3a Item found in medicine cupboard — toss sample out (5,5)
EPSOM SALTS – An anagram (out) of TOSS SAMPLE. I’d be interested to learn if anyone actually has this in their medicine cupboard
8a Hear what slurring soprano did in Asian city (8)
SHANGHAI – This city apparently sounds like someone slurring a description of what a soprano did: SANG HIGH
9a Advertising spot (6)
NOTICE – The first of several double definition clues in this crossword. I don’t think this one particularly needs explaining but the first definition is a noun and the second a verb. Will that do, Brian??
10a Source making old gear fashionable (6)
ORIGIN – O (old) RIG (gear) IN (fashionable)
11a Creature needing place to sleep over with utility (8)
DORMOUSE – DORM (place to sleep) O (over in cricket scoring) USE (utility)
13a and 25: Novel theory of retirement after working (4,4,2,8)
FROM HERE TO ETERNITY – An anagram (after working) of THEORY OF RETIREMENT
14a Garden tool used around yard by northern tomboy (6)
HOYDEN – HOE (garden tool) goes around YD (hard) and then add N (northern) at the end. Most setters seem to use ‘round’ as an insertion indicator which makes the Word document spelling and grammar check facility really grumpy, so I’m delighted that this week’s setter used ‘around’ instead.
16a Strong desire to have time with modern British artist (6)
THIRST – T (time) HIRST (Damian, the modern British artist)
19a Where to get cleaner putting brush around at hotel (8)
BATHROOM – BROOM (brush) goes around AT (from the clue) and H (hotel)
21a Sample mince pies cooked — one missing (8)
SPECIMEN – An anagram (cooked) of MINCE PIES once you have removed one of the Is – letters that looks like a number one
22a Tell high-ranking churchman to dismiss priest initially (6)
RELATE – Remove the P (dismiss priest initially) from a PRELATE (high-ranking churchman)
23a Again charge football official with evil (6)
REFILL – REF (football official) ILL (evil)
24a Provoke trouble with vocal quartet in a comedy item (3,3,2)
ASK FOR IT – A homophone (vocal) of FOUR (quartet) in A SKIT
25a See 13
26a Antelope’s short dash (4)
ELAN – ELAND – remove the last letter (short) from an ELAND (antelope)
Down
1d Sweet daughter is first to perplex (9)
DISCOMFIT – D (daughter) and IS (from the clue) go first ahead of COMFIT (sweet)
2d Comfortingly met distressed star of 13, 25 (10,5)
MONTGOMERY CLIFT – An anagram (distressed) of COMFORTINGLY MET
3d Improve in French given opportunity, missing start (7)
ENHANCE – EN (the French work for ‘in’) and CHANCE (opportunity, missing the letter at the start)
4d Rod‘s back, entertaining 550 (7)
SPINDLE – SPINE (back) ‘entertaining’ DL (550 in Roman numerals)
5d Top person working in parade (7)
MONARCH – ON (working) in MARCH (parade)
6d Internet nuisance trapped by honeypot — an undoing for novelist (7,8)
ANTHONY TROLLOPE – TROLL (internet nuisance) ‘rapped by an anagram (undoing) of HONEYPOT AN
7d Strain is rising on first lady (5)
SIEVE – A reversal (rising in a Down clue) of IS (from the clue) on EVE (first lady)
12d Take action to court girl (3)
SUE – I hope Brian (and the rest of you) spotted that there were three definitions in this clue – to prosecute at law; to woo; and me!
15d May is here — figure to catch up (6,3)
NUMBER TEN – One of those clues that won’t work when this crossword appears in one of the DT Puzzle Books in years to come – NUMBER (figure) and a reversal (up in a Down clue) of NET (catch)
17d Trendy joint (3)
HIP – An informal word meaning trendy or fashionable; a joint in the body
18d Glass component of lock (7)
TUMBLER – A large drinking glass (formerly one that couldn’t stand on its base) or part of the lock that is held in place until it is turned by the key. This word has some lovely other definitions in the BRB – I particularly liked the (now obsolete) ‘dog that performed antics in catching rabbits’
19d Asian person and English briefly visiting island (7)
BENGALI – ENG (abbreviation, briefly, of English) visiting BALI (island)
20d Knight detained by Middle-Eastern country jailer (7)
TURNKEY – N, the abbreviation for knight in chess notation) inserted into (detained by) TURKEY (middle-eastern country)
21d Swagger in bar (5)
STRUT – A verb meaning to swagger or a bar that resists pressure
S2
The Epsom salts are not to be found in what passes for our medicine cupboard. They are in stock but reside in the gardening cupboard – and are used in hope of correcting the magnesium deficiency in our greenhouse tomatoes.
Many thanks to the setter and to CS for the review. Glad of the reassurance that Saturdays are a bit trickier than they were. I thought it was just me!
Remember tiptoeing.my way through this greatly helped by getting book title quite early on, cheated slightly by checking film star’s name on Google but as I do not submit for prize I do not feel bad about it. Thanks for your erudite explanations always gratefully received.
15 down…this one I did not fathom.