Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2935
A full review by crypticsue
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This puzzle was published on 21st January 2018
BD Rating – Difficulty **/*** – Enjoyment *****
It is very hard to find something new and original to say about the lovely treats we get from Virgilius each Sunday. It’s also a shame that Kath’s New Year Resolution is comment more on the weekend puzzle reviews as I’d really like to list lots of clues I really like this week
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought. You can also add your assessment by selecting from one to five stars at the bottom of the post.
Across
1a Start of pitching really upset bad sailor? (6)
PIRATE – P (the ‘start’ of Pitching) IRATE (really upset)
4a Policy’s revised about masculine sporting event (8)
OLYMPICS – An anagram (revised) of POLICYS ‘about’ M (masculine)
10a Big island in a lake in mountainous land (9)
AUSTRALIA – A L (a lake) in AUSTRIA (mountainous land)
11a Garment worn for warmth in mostly chilly area (5)
PARKA – Most of PARKy (chilly) A (area)
12a Developing book about section of party (7)
BREWING – B (book) RE (about) WING (section of party)
13a I caught African animal in country with greater latitude (7)
ICELAND – I (from the clue) C (caught) ELAND (African animal)
14a Extreme pieces of literature put together in volume (5)
LITRE – Extreme indicates that we need to put together pieces of the word LITeratuRE. Took me a while to realise that I needed more pieces from one end than the other as there isn’t anything to tell you this in the clue
15a Showing fierce determination and unusual grit, is he? (8)
TIGERISH – An anagram (unusual) of GRIT IS HE
18a For French form of address, is entering Parisian street name? Au contraire! (8)
MONSIEUR – IS (from the clue) entering RUE (Parisian street) and NOM (French word for name). Au contraire! Is the instruction to reverse the result
20a Excessively consuming salt is forbidden (5)
TABOO – TOO (excessively) ‘consuming’ AB (salt here referring to an Able-Bodied Seaman, sailor)
23a One way of working that includes bygone painting technique (7)
IMPASTO – I (one) MO (Modus Operandi, way of working) that ‘includes’ PAST (bygone)
25a Declaration in church before line is added to English worship (7)
IDOLISE – I DO (declaration in church) L (line) IS (from the clue) E (English)
26a Less expensive –- reduced by a penny? Hurrah! (5)
CHEER – Reduce CHEAPER (less expensive) by removing A and P (penny)
27a Something done about match, perhaps, that makes one happy (9)
DELIGHTED – DEED (something done) ‘about’ LIGHT (match, perhaps)
28a Trade was switched away from West (8)
EASTWARD – An anagram (switched) of TRADE WAS
29a Name on piece of neckwear snatched (6)
STOLEN – N (name) goes on or after STOLE (piece of neckwear)
Down
1d Co-operate in theatrical performance with dance (4,4)
PLAYBALL – PLAY (theatrical performance) with BALL (dance)
2d Hold in high regard, in particular (7)
RESPECT – Double definition
3d Has meal consumed by sailors, characteristic of boat to China? (9)
TARDINESS – DINES (has meal) ‘consumed by’ TARS (sailors). I’d nominate this as Clue of the Day, even if it did leave me with an earworm
5d Object after guiding editor’s work (7,7)
LEADING ARTICLE – ARTICLE (object) after LEADING (guiding)
6d He seizes power that is symbolic in Commonwealth country (5)
MAPLE – MALE (he) ‘seizes’ P (power) – the Commonwealth country in question being Canada
7d Progress with it on Greek island, it’s said (7)
INROADS – IN (with it) on a homophone (it’s said) of RHODES (Greek island)
8d Small and convenient mixed drink (6)
SHANDY – S (small) and HANDY (convenient)
9d Female easily carried instrument in black box (6,8)
FLIGHT – F (female) LIGHT (easily carried) RECORDER (musical instrument)
16d Not completely sure, though tester made another assessment (9)
RETHOUGHT – Lurking in part of (not completely) suRE THOUGH Tester
17d Olympian tragically poisoned (8)
POSEIDON – An anagram (tragically) of POISONED
19d He lost his wife taking her up, so awfully (7)
ORPHEUS – An anagram (awfully) of HER UP SO. Having known that Orpheus did lose his wife, I did send Mr CS off to his reference books to check whether the Olympian in 17d was poisoned, but apparently not
21d Large numbers turned up after sailing ship docked in port (7)
BRISTOL – LOTS (large numbers ) reversed (turned up in a Down clue) after a BRIG (sailing ship) without its last letter (docked)
22d Blunder when playing music ruined performance, ultimately (6)
MISCUE – An anagram (ruined) of MUSIC followed by E (performancE ‘ultimately’)
24d Prop in second team (5)
SCREW – S (second) CREW (team) – a screw being another term for a propeller
S1
CS – to attempt to avoid the ‘Wrath of Kath’ I have ‘created’ blogger’s privilege to list any number of favourites when I do the hints on a Sunday. I had 5 joint favourites for this puzzle.
I think that actually being trusted enough to be a blogger is a privilege – we shouldn’t need to add more.
Damn – just when I thought I was getting good at keeping Sunday crosswords all I can find is the one before this.
I think I did it at least a day late having been to London that day to see the Younger Lamb – it now feels like a long time ago.
Oh well, whatever – thanks to CS for the review.
I have a suggestion – would it be possible to include all the comments that were written on the day with the weekend reviews?
I think it would be best to leave things as they are. Don’t want to confuse everyone, including me
OK – it was just a thought.
Took a while for the parsing of the French gentleman (18A) to clear to me.
***/***** for the puzzle.