Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 28881
A full review by crypticsue
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This puzzle was published on 27th October 2018
BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ****
A straightforward Saturday Prize Puzzle, possibly because of all the anagrams, with lots to make one smile.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.
Across
1a It’s a job for company boss to get in old car, step on it (7,5)
RUNNING BOARD – A job for a company boss or something used to step on while getting into an old car. While looking for illustrations for the Saturday hints, it would appear that quite a lot of people used them to sit on while taking a break from driving. If you are wondering what the word was that was redacted in several comments on the day, it was footboard
9a Fierce creature, the old woman’s having argument (7)
MASTIFF – MAS (the old woman’s) TIFF (argument)
10a Fast runner, one using unfair methods by the sound of it (7)
CHEETAH – The world’s fastest land mammal is a homophone (by the sound of it) of a CHEATER (one using unfair methods)
11a Hide article held by King (7)
LEATHER – THE (definite article) held by or inserted into King LEAR
12a One Butlin’s resort could be integral (2-5)
IN-BUILT – An anagram (resort) of I (one) BUTLIN
13a Bury Football Club (5)
INTER – A double definition, one a verb, the other a foreign football club, that we’ve seen so many times it definitely merits chestnut status
14a Timid beast — roam about, nibbling a herb (9)
ARMADILLO – An anagram (about) of ROAN ‘nibbling’ A (from the clue) and DILL (herb)
16a One denies advantage writer of detective stories detailed (9)
GAINSAYER – GAIN (advantage) SAYERs (a truncated version of the surname of Dorothy L Sayers, the writer of many a detective story)
19a Political commentator’s endless sauce (5)
PESTO – Is this unfair on our overseas friends. Remove the N at the end of Robert PESTOn’s surname
21a Unfavourable jingle, apparently (7)
ADVERSE – A jingle could be described as an AD VERSE
23a Having a ban sit out and take no part (7)
ABSTAIN – An anagram (out) of A BAN SIT
24a Easy time: I will get entertained by competitor (7)
TRIVIAL – T (time) and I (from the clue) ‘entertained by’ RIVAL (competitor)
25a International university in America scoffed finding fake (7)
IMITATE – I (international) MIT (university in America) ATE (scoffed)
26a Record number seeing TV they turned off (7-5)
SEVENTY-EIGHT – An anagram (turned off) of SEEING TV THEY
Down
1d Kick off again with skill after half-time? (7)
RESTART – ART (skill) goes after REST (half-time)
2d I will cut inferior? Not at all (7)
NEITHER – I (from the clue) inserted into (cut) NETHER (inferior)
3d Spruce woman goes after fashionable hospital (9)
INFIRMARY – FIR (spruce) MARY (woman) go after IN (fashionable)
4d Great upmarket chic clothing is primarily supplied here (5)
GUCCI – The ‘primary’ letters of Great Upmarket Chic Is
5d Word I had after opponent initially made optimistic call at bridge (7)
OVERBID – VERB (word) ID (I had) go after the O that it is the initial letter of Opponent
6d Tail err badly in second test (7)
RETRIAL – An anagram (badly) of TAIL ERR
7d These help to bring round humming sailors (8,5)
SMELLING SALTS – SMELLING (humming in the sense of stinking) and SALTS (sailors)
8d Funny men, twin heroes not around (3,3,7)
THE TWO RONNIS – An anagram (around) of TWIN HEROES NOT
15d Spread grain indiscriminately for horse to eat (9)
MARGARINE – An anagram (indiscriminately) of GRAIN eaten by MARE (horse)
17d Account given by word of mouth (7)
INVOICE – IN VOICE (by word of mouth)
18d South American resistance eat fish (7)
SARDINE – SA (South American) R (resistance) DINE (eat)
19d Stolid trap for criminals in mission abroad (7)
POSTING – PO (stolid, po-faced) STING (trap for criminals)
20d It stops leaks from Bennett in television (7)
SEALANT – ALAN (Bennett) in SET (television)
22d Chapter in uplifting story draws applause (5)
ECLAT – C (the abbreviation for chapter) inserted into a reversal (uplifting in a Down clue) of TALE (story)
Thanks for the review, CS. It was, as you say, an enjoyable puzzle to solve and my apologies for causing so many people to narrowly avoid the wired up naughty step – that voice just grates so much!
Still no closer to recalling the expression my Dad used for 1a – neither of the ones mentioned. Knowing him, it was probably something he dreamed up himself!
Hello crypticsue,
thank you for review, finally we understand how this works ; the review is published later. Once we saw your answer for 24a it all made sense. 22d was trickier. Great fun .
Thanks for the review, CS, I found this a whizz-through puzzle though I’m not comfortable with ‘po’ for ‘stolid’ – I can’t think of a sentence where they are genuinely interchangeable. But, it’s only a crossword!