Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 28923
A full review by gnomethang
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This puzzle was published on 15th 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.
And the award for the grid with the most double unches goes to …. Apart from a grid which even I noticed, this was a lovely Saturday puzzle – with some particularly good surface readings to boot
Thanks to the setter and to Gnomey
Crazy difficult :(. Got them all in the end