Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 28940
A full review by crypticsue
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Another fairly average Saturday crossword
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.
Across
1a Clear backing to enter Brazilian city to reach America is absurd (10)
RIDICULOUS – A reversal (backing) of LUCID (clear) inserted into RIO (Brazilian city) which then ‘reaches’ US (America)
6a A service returned from great distance (4)
AFAR – A (from the clue) and a reversal (returned) of RAF (Royal Air Force, service)
9a Mostly seek advice from transport office in Rome (10)
CONSULSHIP – Almost all of CONSULt (seek) SHIP (transport)
10a Tall pine (4)
LONG – Double definition
12a TV presenter in cast for folk song (6)
SHANTY – ANT (TV presenter) inserted into SHY (cast)
13a Injecting drug, turn to crime fast (8)
METEORIC – Insert (injecting) E (Ecstasy, drug) into an anagram (turn) of TO CRIME
15a Having mind set on something second-hand apparently (12)
PREPOSSED – PRE POSSESSED (formerly used, second-hand apparently)
18a Murder mystery a mother set up ingeniously (3,9)
THE MOUSETRAP – An anagram (ingeniously) of A MOTHER SET UP
21a Party needs servile type to get power (8)
DOMINION – DO (party) MINION (servile type)
22a Moving faster, attack from the air (6)
STRAFE – An anagram (moving) of FASTER
24a Goatherd shows such promise (4)
OATH – Showing in gOATHerd
25a Fought against mineral racket once (10)
BATTLEDORE – BATTLED (fought against) ORE (mineral)
26a One bound to work swears regularly and loudly (4)
SERF – The regular letters of SwEaRs and F (musical instruction to play loudly)
27a A letter granting authorisation (10)
PERMISSIVE – PER (a, each) MISSIVE
Down
1d Playground on a street reconstructed (6)
RECAST – REC (recreation ground, playground) on A (from the clue) ST (street)
2d Rejection of agreement about Northern Ireland (6)
DENIAL – DEAL (agreement) ‘about’ NI (Northern Ireland)
3d Combination of melodies from nocturne I opt to change (12)
COUNTERPOINT – An anagram (to change) of NOCTURNE I OPT
4d Drunkard, opulent, spending penny (4)
LUSH – Spend or remove the P for Penny from PLUSH (opulent)
5d Seat of learning developing virtues in youth primarily (10)
UNIVERSITY – An anagram (developing) of VIRTUES IN Y (youth ‘primarily’)
7d Rather like meal to be a success (8)
FLOURISH – FLOUR ISH (rather like meal in the sense of grain)
8d Detectives replacing male in regime, doing away with top man (8)
REGICIDE – Replace the M (male) in REGImE with CID (detectives)
11d Generous woman makes complaint about new player (12)
BENEFACTRESS – BEEF (complaint) goes ‘about’ N (new) and the result is followed by ACTRESS (player)
14d Spot a piece that’s unusual in office (10)
EPISCOPATE – An anagram (that’s unusual) of SPOT A PIECE
16d Designation of family film acquired by movie-makers working hard (8)
STUDIOUS – U (designation of a film suitable for all the family) ‘acquired by’ STUDIOS (movie-makers)
17d Truck driver — one trying to go round America (8)
TEAMSTER – TESTER (one trying) going round AM (America)
19d Plain building around old Italian city (6)
NAPOLI – An anagram (building) of PLAIN around O (old)
20d Scrub allowed to be engulfed by river (6)
DELETE – LET (allowed) ‘engulfed’ by the river DEE
23d Stop race (4)
STEM – A verb meaning to stop or the main line of a family (race)
Thanks to the setter, I found this quite a tussle. And thanks again for the review, CS, I wasn’t sure about ‘stem’ for family line but it had to be that.