Big Dave's Crossword Blog

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29144

A full review by crypticsue

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This puzzle was published on 31^st August 2019

BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***

A Saturday Prize Puzzle just like we used to get – this one a not difficult but enjoyable pangram – although the repetition radar did bleep in a couple of places, this didn’t spoil the solving enjoyment at all as I only noticed when typing the review

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Across

1a    Boxer about to get into company making cloth (6)
CALICO – ALI (boxer) and C (circa, about) inserted into CO (company)

4a    Doubt one working after pursuit (8)
QUESTION – I (one) ON (working) after QUEST (pursuit)

9a    A rook entering beast’s part of windpipe (6)
LARYNX – A (from the clue) R (Rook in chess notation) ‘entering’ LYNX (beast)

10a    Joseph, good person, with Erica elbowing (8)
JOSTLING – JO (Joseph) ST (saint, good person) LING (Erica and Ling being alternative names for heather)

11a    Money, endless variety (6)
SPECIE – Endless SPECIEs or variety

12a    Light ale three drunk (8)
ETHEREAL – An anagram (drunk) of ALE THREE

14a    Sailor has answer, forgiveness (10)
ABSOLUTION – AB (Able-Bodied Seaman, sailor) SOLUTION (answer)

18a    Heartened by strength in conclusion (10)
ENCOURAGED – COURAGE (strength) in END (conclusion)

22a    A job, say, involved abandonment of principles (8)
APOSTASY – A (from the clue) POST (job) and an anagram (involved) of SAY

23a    Server, one suffering poor service? (6)
WAITER – One might describe someone suffering poor service as a WAITER

24a    Temporary solution from fleet facing difficulty (5,3)
QUICK FIX – QUICK (fleet) FIX (difficulty)

25a    Stop returning cask, it contains heated water (3,3)
HOT TUB – HO (a call to stop) followed by a reversal (returning) of BUTT (cask)

26a    Surround eastern and northern part of theatre (8)
ENCIRCLE – E (eastern) N (northern) CIRCLE (part of theatre)

27a    Overfast? (6)
STARVE – What happens if you fast too much

Down

1d    Huge diminution in fuel (8)
COLOSSAL – LOSS (diminution) in COAL (fuel)

2d    Liberality of Scottish capital mentioned (8)
LARGESSE – The capital letter of Scottish is a LARGE S – mentioned being the homophone indicator

3d    This may be said about a strange client (8)
CANTICLE – The second use of C to mean about, followed by A (from the clue – again!) and an anagram (strange) of CLIENT

5d    Not conforming, not like some Greek churchgoers (10)
UNORTHODOX – Some Greek churchgoers are ORTHODOX so if you are not like them you’d be UNORTHODOX

6d    Dog in street going mad (6)
SETTER – An anagram (going mad) of STREET

7d    The compiler’s about to stay in the same place (6)
IBIDEM – IM (I’m – the compiler’s) into which is inserted (about) BIDE (stay)

8d    Worry, seeing gee-gee entering river (6)
NIGGLE – GG (gee-gee) ‘entering’ NILE (river)

13d    Pay for whisky producer’s stoppage? (10)
STANDSTILL – STILL (pay for) STILL (whisky producer)

15d    Escape from short holiday in the open air (5,3)
BREAK OUT – BREAK (short holiday) OUT (in the open air)

16d    A US soldier thanks Ben, troublemaker (8)
AGITATOR – A (from the clue, again again) GI (US soldier) TOR (ben being a mountain peak)

17d    Developing a bad role that’s very attractive! (8)
ADORABLE – An anagram (developing) of A BAD ROLE

19d    Boat made from part of tree, reportedly (6)
BARQUE – A homophone (reportedly) of BARK (part of tree)

20d    A group of twelve houses? (6)
ZODIAC – A cryptic definition of the Signs of the Zodiac

21d    One adding fuel to the flames in city right at the end (6)
STOKER – STOKE (city) R (right)