Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 28773
A full review by crypticsue
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This puzzle was published on 23rd June 2018
BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
I solved this puzzle late on Wednesday afternoon following a late submission of a pink leave of absence form from Gnomethang.
When the rest of you were solving this last Saturday, Mr CS and I were taking our lovely grandson to visit Crom Castle on the beautiful Upper Lough Erne in the morning and then ‘helping’ at his fifth birthday party in the afternoon.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.
Across
1a Volumes of meaning in speech before House (12)
DICTIONARIES – Nice definition – DICTION (speech) before ARIES (House of the Zodiac)
8a Liquid asset’s acquired that is least complicated (7)
EASIEST – An anagram (liquid) of ASSETS into which is inserted (acquired) IE (that is)
9a Swapped coins, getting old penny (7)
CHANGED – CHANGE (coins) D (old penny)
11a More advanced fiction — first for radio, with listener as the lead (7)
EARLIER – LIE (fiction) and R (the first letter of Radio) with EAR (listener) in front (in the lead)
12a They may be taken for Dutch courage and morale (7)
SPIRITS – Something to be taken to give you Dutch courage or another word for morale
13a Time after time, circling little birds do it (5)
TWEET – T (time) goes after T (time) ‘circling’ or going round WEE (little)
14a Seats available in long-distance transport (9)
SPACESHIP – SPACE (seats available) HIP (in, fashionable)
16a Delivers tabloid newspapers (9)
EXPRESSES – A verb or some particular tabloid newspapers
19a Post Office provides wrapping for stolen picture (5)
PHOTO – PO (Post Office) ‘provides wrapping’ or goes round HOT (stolen)
21a Part of text — three-quarters of it runs before dramatist’s chapter (7)
EXTRACT – Three quarters of the word tEXT, R (runs) ACT (a chapter in a dramatist’s play)
23a Sneer at being misdirected — this section of map is right (7)
EASTERN – An anagram (being misdirected) of SNEER AT. A very timely surface reading given the number of times Mr CS told the satnav what he thought of it during our recent visit to Northern Ireland
24a Advanced very quietly to enter bay, say (7)
STEPPED – PP (musical instruction to play very quietly) to ‘enter’ STEED (a bay being an example of a horse)
25a Ape, male, displayed in side gallery (7)
IMITATE – M (male) displayed in or inserted into II (eleven being a cricket side) TATE (gallery
26a What’s lacking in an idiot or dope (12)
INTELLIGENCE – Two definitions – one telling you what’s lacking in an idiot, the other an informal term for intelligence or information
Down
1d Justify present being given after poor grades? (7)
DESERVE – SERVE (present) going after D E (poor grades)
2d Boots maybe with fringe seen in clubs first (7)
CHEMIST – HEM (fringe) seen in between C (clubs) and IST (first)
3d Concerns about interrupting during exams (9)
INTERESTS – RE (about) ‘interrupting’ IN TESTS (during exams)
4d Canoodles and kisses with knight rather than page (5)
NECKS – Change the P at the start of Pecks (kisses) for an N (knight in chess notation)
5d Discover club in Madrid — one’s to be over 23a (7)
REALISE – REAL (Madrid football clue) IS (ones) to be over E (the direction in the solution to 23a)
6d Relaid line to carry grand pipe down from Yorkshire perhaps (7)
ENGLISH – An anagram (relaid) of LINE to ‘carry’ G (grand), the result finished with SH (pipe down)
7d Her event unravelled, attracting fewer still (12)
NEVERTHELESS – An anagram (unravelled) of HER EVENT followed by ‘attracting’ LESS (fewer still)
10d Not pleased, finding sharp bit in pie Dad’s cooked (12)
DISAPPOINTED – POINT (sharp bit) found in an anagram (cooked) of PIE DADS
15d Replying to article on cursing, getting another article rejected (9)
ANSWERING – A (indefinite article) on SWEARING (cursing) without the A (another article rejected)
17d What sales rep delivers new design? (7)
PATTERN – PATTER (what sales rep delivers) N (new)
18d Enough to support former partner, for instance (7)
EXAMPLE – AMPLE (enough) to ‘support’ EX (former partner)
19d Minimum goal of student, yours truly, on fire (7)
PASSION – PASS (minimum goal of student) I (yours truly) ON (from the clue)
20d Note that’s played at end of musical show or function (7)
OPERATE – TE (note that’s played) goes at the end of OPERA (musical show)
22d Like a place where the drink goes down twice a day (5)
TIDAL – The drink in question being, of course, the ocean
B1