Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 28701
A full review by crypticsue
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This puzzle was published on 31st March 2018
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Lots of insertions and anagrams in this week’s Saturday Prize Puzzle, which falls to me to review as my lucky fellow weekend blogger has been spending a week in the Spanish sun.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.
Across
1a Steal and finish up here? (4)
NICK – If you NICK something you may end up in the NICK
3a Ring for service in Jewish bakery? (5)
BAGEL – A ring shaped item originally sold in Jewish bakeries but now available in most supermarkets etc
6a Son remains in frame (4)
SASH – S (son) ASH (remains)
8a Making progress where folk meet? (9,6)
GATHERING GROUND – A double definition, the first bit of which I had to check in the BRB
9a Unusually muted, embracing the speaker’s boredom (6)
TEDIUM – An anagram (unusually) of MUTED ’embracing’ I (the speaker)
10a One whose intake is sound (8)
LISTENER – A cryptic definition of someone who takes in sound
11a Column from this writer, penetrating wall-to-wall coverage? (8)
PILASTER – I (the writer) ‘penetrating’ PLASTER (wall-to-wall coverage)
13a Detective, 50, breaking into houses (6)
HOLMES – L (the Roman numeral for 50) ‘breaking into’ HOMES (houses)
15a Right to head left, diverting more in shock (6)
TREMOR – A reversal (to head left in an Across clue) of RT (right) followed by an anagram (diverting) of MORE
17a City with west-facing heath, setting for soap action? (8)
BATHROOM – BATH (city) followed by a reversal (west-facing in an Across clue) of MOOR (heath)
19a Sword — I am against it going into wound mark (8)
SCIMITAR – IM (I am) and IT (From the clue) ‘going into’ SCAR (wound mark)
21a That man caught cold touring island, getting feverish (6)
HECTIC – HE (that man) CT (caught) and C (cold) ‘touring’ I (island)
22a October — glacial melting enthrals one concerned with microscopic things (15)
BACTERIOLOGICAL – An anagram (melting) of OCTOBER GLACIAL into which inserted (enthrals) I (one)
23a Slight mumble (4)
SLUR – Double definition, one a noun, the other a verb
24a Crew at sea coming alongside prow of keel in ruined ship (5)
WRECK – An anagram (at sea) of CREW goes before (coming alongside) the ‘prow’ of Keel
25a Food left in cooler (4)
FLAN – L (left) inserted into FAN (cooler)
Down
1d Another thing — caps must be raised in place of entertainment (9)
NIGHTSPOT – An anagram (another) of THING followed by a reversal (raised in a Down clue) of TOPS (caps)
2d Guided a jerk over castle (7)
CITADEL – A reversal (over) of LED A TIC (guided a jerk)
3d Pub with old gadget for measuring glass (9)
BAROMETER – BAR (pub) O (old) METER (gadget for measuring)
4d Toff, defenceless clerk, becomes more kind (7)
GENTLER – GENT (toff) and the inside letters cLERk, ‘defenceless’ indicating that the protective walls or outside letters have been removed
5d Record Ordnance Survey trademarks (5)
LOGOS – LOG (record) OS (Ordnance Survey)
6d Duck person doing spadework (9)
SHOVELLER – A type of duck or a person who uses a spade
7d Frank seeing that engineers will come later (7)
SINCERE – SINCE (seeing that) followed by (will come later) RE (Royal Engineers)
12d Old school a learner with two degrees attends short time (4,5)
ALMA MATER – A (from the clue) L (learner) MA MA (two degrees) TERm (short, abbreviated TERM = time)
13d Film director‘s thumb on part of gun (9)
HITCHCOCK – HITCH (thumb) on COCK (part of gun)
14d Monocle is adjusted half a stop (9)
SEMICOLON – An anagram (adjusted) of MONOCLE IS
16d Swing over the whole of shipping area (7)
ROCKALL – ROCK (swing) ALL (the whole)
17d Checkout lines (7)
BARCODE – Cryptic definition
18d Capitol to be rebuilt from a visual perspective (7)
OPTICAL – An anagram (to be rebuilt) of CAPITOL
20d Cast finished, as one might say (5)
THREW – A homophone (as one might say) of THROUGH (finished)
B1
I thought this was three star in terms of difficulty. It’s taken me most of the week to complete.
Thanks for the review, CS. The fine-toothed comb, like me, spent much of yesterday hanging about in hospital waiting rooms, but is here now to suggest that 19&21a plus 13d could do with a tweak along with the wordplay of 12d which I think comprises ‘A’ plus ‘L(earner) along with MA,MA (two degrees) and TER(m) for the short time.
I remember this puzzle producing plenty of smiles here – wish we knew more about our Saturday setters.
Thanks for the explanation for 6a. Never thought of sash for frame. I always thought a sash window referred to the cord. Never too old to learn!