Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 28360

A full review by crypticsue

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This puzzle was published on Saturday 25th February

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

Another improved, if fairly straightforward, Saturday crossword, but given the number of other crossword-related things I had to do on the day, I wasn’t complaining.   I would point out the number of times a letter had to be taken off something and also the wrong definition of 20d, which would have led to it only getting ‘average’ enjoyment stars. However, there are some splendid surface readings so I’ve awarded a half star to recognise their part in my solving entertainment

Across

1a           Reach route through mountains — result! (4,2,4)
COME TO PASS – COME TO (reach) PASS (route through mountains)

6a           Eats fast food item around one third off (4)
GRUB – A reversal (around) of a BURGER (fast food item) without the last third of the letters

9a           Lucky shape: clubs logo’s origin on next page (10)
CLOVERLEAF – C (clubs in a card game) L (the ‘origin’ of logo) and OVERLEAF (on next page)

10a         Clinton’s draft law (4)
BILL – Mr not Mrs Clinton!

12a         Cooked a nice lobster for special occasions (12)
CELEBRATIONS – An anagram (cooked) of A NICE LOBSTER

15a         Person playing is taken in by android that won’t start (6)
OBOIST – IS (from the clue) taking in by ROBOT (android) without it’s ‘start’

16a         Women I am with get very hot outside in beach clothes (8)
SWIMWEAR –  Put IM (I’m) in between W and W (two women) and put the result inside SEAR (get very hot)

18a         Depression shown by North American spies in Spanish city (8)
VALENCIA – VALE (depression) N (North) CIA (American spies)

19a         Agreement with current line (6)
ACCORD – AC (alternating current) CORD (line)

21a         Man sent tweet spinning religious writing (3,9)
NEW TESTAMENT – An anagram (spinning) of MAN SENT TWEET

24a         For seamstress it’s the case in perpetuity (4)
ETUI – this extremely old friend of the crossword setter is to be found in perpetuity

25a         Another case concerning money running short before end of voyage (10)
RECURRENCE – RE (concerning) CURRENCy (money ‘running short’) before E (the end of voyage)

26a         Pretentious rubbish displayed by English gallery (4)
TATE – TAT (pretentious rubbish) E (English)

27a         Make bloomer over biscuit (6,4)
BRANDY SNAP – BRAND (make) and a reversal (over) of PANSY (bloomer)

Down

1d           Bird found in pile of hay (4)
COCK – A male bird or a small pile of hay

2d           Tie up   North African (4) 
MOOR – A verb meaning to tie up a ship or boat;  someone from Morocco or the Barbary Coast 

3d           Leader of excavation in ancient city, keen to break out spades as just what’s needed (3,4,5)
THE BEES KNEES – The ‘leader’ of Excavation goes into the ancient city of THEBES and is then followed by an anagram (to break out) of KEEN and the abbreviation for Spades

4d           China leased equipment used in warehouse (6)
PALLET – PAL (China being Cockney rhyming slang for a friend) LET (leased)

5d           Birds make disturbance in yards (8)
SPARROWS – ROW (disturbance) inserted into SPARS (these yards being masts for spreading square sails on a ship)

7d           Frightful horn is core to identify this animal (10)
RHINOCEROS – An anagram (frightful) of HORN IS CORE

8d           Rail links globe endlessly with American business (10)
BALUSTRADE – BALl (globe ‘endlessly’) US (American) TRADE (business)

11d         Sort of power my generation endlessly put out without carbon (6,6)
ATOMIC ENERGY – Remove the N at the end of GENERATIOn and make an anagram (put out) of MY GENERATION and then insert (without) C (carbon)

13d         Handy place where nuns stay around eastern Ulster (10)
CONVENIENT – CONVENT (place where nuns stay) around E (eastern) NI (Northern Ireland, which,  as so often happens,  is here referred to as Ulster when it isn’t!)

14d         Do like everyone else and take interest in court case (6,4)
FOLLOW SUIT  – FOLLOW (take interest in) SUIT (court case)

17d         Special equipment for police in South American city with great rampaging (4,4)
RIOT GEAR- RIO (South American city) plus an anagram (rampaging) of GREAT

20d         Criticism made by one politician over international body holding good (6)
IMPUGN – The definition doesn’t work as the solution is a verb meaning to criticise.   I (one) MP (politician) and UN (international body) ‘holding’ G (good). As it was a prize puzzle, changing the online clue might have made it unfair to newspaper solvers. The wordplay is very clear so having the wrong definition didn’t affect the ability to solve it. 

Monday’s paper contained the following apology:  Prize Cryptic 28,360 correction  20 Down should read “Criticise one politician over international body that’s holding good (6)”  Apologies

22d         Member of clergy losing head in a short time (4)
ANON – Remove the ‘head’ from CANON (member of clergy)

23d         Look up and down (4)
PEEP –  Up and down indicates that this is a palindrome.

B2