Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 28923

A full review by gnomethang

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This puzzle was published on 15^th December 2018

BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***

Morning All! It took me a while to finish off about 6 clues and I enjoyed the experience.

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

1a           Runs behind simple boat (4)
RAFT – R for Runs (from the cricket scoring abb.) and then AFT for behind.

3a           Second Greek character taken short just after game (10)
BACKGAMMON – A charade of BACK/second, GAMM(a) , a Greek letter that is short(ened) and ON for ‘just after’.

8a           Time taken in appalling retreats (8)
HIDEOUTS – Place T for Time in HIDEOUS/appalling.

9a           Simpleton recalled party held by Musk (6)
NOODLE – Reverse (they are recalled)

10a         A quiet look by doctor showing cool (6)
APLOMB = A from the clue then P for quiet (Piano), LO for look and MB – one abbreviation for a medical doctor.

11a         Cover to protect a utensil for cooking (8)
INSULATE – quite tricky to get to grips with this (and about my last one in). In the end it is a simple an anagram (for cooking) of A UTENSIL.

13a         Old actress Joan concealing expensive weapons (8)
SIDEARMS – The actress Joan SIMS with DEAR/expensive concealed within.

14a         Virgo perhaps needs a large cue (6)
SIGNAL – Virgo is a SIGN of the Zodiac (as well as a snooker player/commentator). Add A L(arge).  Top C(l)UE!

16a         Svelte supermodel turning past 51 (6)
LISSOM – A reversal (turning) of the supermodel Kate MOSS after LI – 51 in Roman Numerals.

19a         Dumpier illegal occupant (8)
SQUATTER – A double definition that is pretty self evident.

21a         A schemer designed luxurious fabric (8)
CASHMERE – A designed anagram of A SCHEMER.

22a         Fiddle that is common feature of websites (6)
COOKIE – COOK for fiddle and I.E. for Id Est/that is.

23a         Order child to return tawdry articles (6)
DIKTAT – Reverse (to return) a KID/child then add TAT for tawdry articles.

24a         Friendly question of identity for party leader (8)
AMICABLE – A question of the identity of a Lib Dem leader might be AM I (Vince) CABLE. Frankly I had forgotten that he still was!).

25a         Art gallery trade Monet works (4,6)
TATE MODERN – An anagram, indicated by works, of TRADE MONET

26a         Gets rid of important lines on graph (4)
AXES – Another double definition. Sacks/fires and then the plural of the X-Axis and Y-Axis that are the fundaments of a graph.

Down

1d           Tries to get involved in actual practice (9)
REHEARSAL – HEARS for tries (in court) inside/involved in REAL for actual.

2d           Authorities whose better path goes astray (3,6,4,2)
THE POWERS THAT BE – A surface reading and anagram (goes astray) of WHOSE BETTER PATH.

3d           Wailer/whaler seeks this (7)
BLUBBER – One who blubs/wails cries and the fat that is sought by a whaler.

4d           Cherubs with first bit of steak stuck in teeth (7)
CUSPIDS – This took me ages to get for no good reason!. Place S (the first bit of steak) inside CUPIDS for cherubs.

5d           Excited seeing son’s rock band (7)
GENESIS – An excited anagram of SEEING and then S for Son.

6d           Has second job on Air Transport Auxiliary provided work for Joanna? (9,6)
MOONLIGHT SONATA – Joanna is rhyming slang for a piano. MOONLIGHTS for ‘has second job’ then ON from the clue and ATA as the abb. of Air Transport Auxiliary.

7d           Relative, European in Mediterranean resort (5)
NIECE – E for European inside NICE – A French Med resort.

12d         Side cut short refreshments (3)
TEA – ATEA(m) side that is cut short.

15d         Great size claimed by shifty sea-anglers when one’s got away (9)
LARGENESS – An anagram (shifty) od SE(a) ANGLERS with A for one (as in two A Penny) removed/gotten away.

17d         Saving scheme to which kinsman regularly contributes (3)
ISA – The even (regular contribution) of k I n S m A n.

18d         Old movie star we will leave having upset gold expert (7)
MAESTRO – Remove the WE form MAE (we)ST (an old movie star) and then add the reversal (having upset) of OR – the heralding colour gold.

19d         Leak instruction in cross-reference? (7)
SEEPAGE – The cryptic instruction to cross reference is SEE PAGE xx.

20d         Anointing ceremony failing to start (7)
UNCTION – Remove the starting letter of f(UNCTION or ceremony.

21d         Trainee detective comes up without notice (5)
CADET – A reversal (comes up) of a TEC or detective outside/without an AD or notice.