Big Dave's Crossword Blog

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 28396

A full review by crypticsue

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This puzzle was published on Saturday 8th April

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

An enjoyable start to my Saturday crossword solving.   Lots to enjoy, including some nice wordplay and one of my favourite words too!

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Across

1a           Kicked around a match official having forgotten trainers? (10)
BAREFOOTED – BOOTED (kicked) around A REF (a match official)

6a           Camel has such   a bad mood (4)
HUMP – Definitely clue of the day, not least for the surface reading as camels can be particularly grumpy

9a           An American coin I collected, very old (7)
ANCIENT- AN (from the clue) CENT (American coin – bet Rabbit Dave was pleased with the added ‘American’), the latter having I (from the clue) ‘collected’)

10a         Get stuck going round flipping motorway diversion (7)
PASTIME – PASTE (get stuck) going round a reversal (flipping) of MI (motorway)

12a         Medal for person succeeding with first clue (8,5)
VICTORIA CROSS – VICTOR (person succeeding) with I ACROSS (first clue)

14a         Most of the ethnic group in SE European region (6)
THRACE – TH (most of ‘the’) RACE (ethnic group)

15a         Crooked conman smuggling fashionable spice (8)
CINNAMON – An anagram (crooked) of CONMAN ‘smuggling’ IN (fashionable)

17a         Sort of sin of the flesh — I’d slipped back into that (8)
CARDINAL – A reversal (slipped back) of ID inserted into CARNAL (of the flesh)

19a         French dear possessing reasonably good necklace (6)
CHOKER – CHER (the French word for dear, expensive) ‘possessing’ OK (reasonably good)

22a         Potters around these items of furniture having a nap (7,6)
SNOOKER TABLES – another nice bit of wordplay

24a         I retain curious resistance to change (7)
INERTIA – an anagram (curious) of I RETAIN

25a         Rouse to action gathering right support (7)
STIRRUP – STIR UP (rouse to action) ‘gathering’ R (right)

26a         Sets down   songs (4)
LAYS – Double definition – part of a verb or some songs

27a         After teaching degree, lecturer initially gets teased about being scruffy (10)
BEDRAGGLED – BED (Bachelor of Education, teaching degree) and RAGGED (teased), the latter going about L (lecturer)

Down

1d           Carry animal (4)
BEAR – Another double definition, where one’s a verb and the other an animal

2d           Car going round the City in rally (7)
RECOVER – ROVER (car) goes round EC (the district where the City of London can be found)

3d           Dawn perhaps before insect appears — something to amuse children? (6,7)
FRENCH CRICKET – FRENCH (the surname of the comedienne/actress called Dawn) CRICKET (insect)

4d           Alternative work about to keep it up (6)
OPTION – OP (work) and ON (about) ‘keep’ a reversal (up in a Down clue) of IT

5d           Former wife is supported by smallest bit of money allowed, that’s clear (8)
EXPLICIT – EX (former wife) is supported by P (penny, smallest bit of money) and LICIT (allowed)

7d           What many students wear in university class (7)
UNIFORM – UNI (university) FORM (class) – This week’s very ‘old friend’

8d           Liberal entertained by country folk’s friendly remark (10)
PLEASANTRY – L (liberal) ‘entertained by’ PEASANTRY (country folk)

11d         Every boxer has this dietary supplement (6,7)
SECOND HELPING – the boxer here being a fighter and not a breed of dog

13d         Put ingredients in place to make whisky without stirring (5-5)
STOCK STILL –  Getting the stock of ingredients for a whisky still

16d         The French old city energy fed prize-winner (8)
LAUREATE – LA (French definite article) UR (biblical city) E (energy) ATE (fed)

18d         Where birds hatch eggs, sheltering fine over railway (7)
ROOKERY – ROE (eggs) ‘sheltering) OK (fine), the result going over RY (railway)

20d         Bird of prey, among quickest relatively (7)
KESTREL – Lurking among quicKEST RELatively

21d         Sounds like the people to put a rocket up former Arab leader (6)
NASSER – This old Arab leader, apparently, sounds like NASA, the American space agency – people to put a rocket up!

23d         Vegetable popular primarily in South of France (4)
SPUD – P (popular ‘primarily’) inserted into SUD (the French word for South)

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