Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 28713
A full review by crypticsue
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
This puzzle was published on 14th April 2018
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
I thought this was one of the best Saturday puzzles for some time, hence the award of 4* for enjoyment.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.
Across
1a Take advantage of what Italy and India have reported (10)
CAPITALISE – The solution sounds like a homophone (reported) of CAPITAL I’S (what Italy and India have)
6a Port bottle’s seal (4)
CORK – This double definition is what I’d call an ‘old friend’ but others may disagree
9a Caught mistress taking tea? One could be lucky (10)
CLOVERLEAF – C (caught) LOVER (mistress) LEAF (tea?)
10a Frightful characters appearing regularly in Burghley (4)
UGLY – Found appearing regularly in bUrGhLeY
12a Device for carrying babies (6)
LITTER – Another double definition
13a In the red, fashionable music maker (8)
CLARINET – Insert IN (fashionable) into CLARET (a deep shade of red)
15a Insist Romans misrepresented in broadcast (12)
TRANSMISSION – An anagram (misrepresented) of INSIST ROMANS
18a Wife fighting to secure high-class sale (5,7)
DUTCH AUCTION- DUTCH (Cockney slang for wife perhaps short for Duchess of Fife) and ACTION (fighting), the latter ‘securing’ U (high-class)
21a & 22a It involves tricks to tighten with spanner (8,6)
CONTRACT BRIDGE – CONTRACT (tighten) BRIDGE (spanner)
24a What may catch something like a fly (4)
TRAP – Something that catches or a light carriage like a fly
25a Remote inns served soup (10)
MINESTRONE – An anagram (served) of REMOTE INNS
26a Useless English gent (4)
DUDE – DUD (useless) E (English)
27a In Lib-Dem leader I will replace ace making comeback that can’t be beaten (10)
INVINCIBLE – One of those clues that might confuse the solver when it ends up in a Telegraph puzzles book in a few years’ time. IN (from the clue) and VINCE CABLE (the current Lib-Dem leader), replacing the reversed (making comeback) of ACE in his name with I (from the clue)
Down
1d Set up the French seafood (6)
COCKLE – COCK (set up) LE (French definite article)
2d Following advertising get aware of straight away (6)
PRONTO – PR (advertising) ONTO (get aware of)
3d The people shooting arrows here in classic Western (3,9)
THE SEARCHERS – THESE ARCHERS (the people shooting arrows here)
4d Sing merrily being drunk, having consumed litres (4)
LILT – LIT (drunk) having ‘consumed’ L (litres)
5d Steady partner, one from the same place? (10)
STABLEMATE – STABLE (steady) MATE (partner)
7d Fine material that could give newspaper distinctive stamp (8)
ORGANDIE – ORGAN (newspaper) DIE (stamp)
8d Island’s character is essential element (8)
KEYSTONE – KEYS (island’s) TONE (character)
11d Satiric actor masquerading as posh (12)
ARISTOCRATIC – An anagram (masquerading) of SATIRIC ACTOR
14a Command having entered 9a perhaps (10)
INJUNCTION – Here you have to know that 9a is the name of a type of road junction so that if you entered it you would be IN [the] JUNCTION
16d Trained to find ancient coin in rising river (8)
EDUCATED – DUCAT (ancient coin) inserted into a reversal (rising in a Down clue) of the River DEE
17a Colour newspaper (8)
STANDARD – Double definition – one a type of flag (colour) and the other the name of one or many newspapers
19a Get attached to film publicity brothers brought up (6)
ADSORB – AD (publicity) and a reversal (brought up in a Down clue) of BROS (brothers)
20a Cut energy — that’s harsh (6)
SEVERE – SEVER (cut) E (energy)
23a Fairy queen hugged by Greek character (4)
PERI – ER (the regnal cipher of our current Queen) ‘hugged by’ PI (Greek letter)
S1
Thanks for the review, CS and – yes, I remember thoroughly enjoying this one despite a woeful lack of knowledge of ‘classic’ westerns!
1&12a made me smile the most and the thought of a Cloverleaf junction frightened the life out of me.
Wonder who set that one, it would be nice to see him/her back again.
Lit = Drunk – that’s s new one on me!
Welcome to the blog
Lit is a slang term meaning drunk or intoxicated. It turns up from time to time in cryptic crosswords so is worth adding to your list of ‘words to remember’