Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29293
A full review by crypticsue
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This puzzle was published on 22nd February 2020
BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment **
One for fans of anagrams and/or ‘container and contents’ clues; one of the latter, 18d, being my Down favourite as I did smile at the ‘one in hand’; my Across favourite was 12a
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.
Across
1a Union supporter surprisingly is left outside backing a communist (10)
FEDERALIST – An anagram (surprisingly) of IS LEFT put ‘outside’ a reversal (backing) of A (from the clue) and RED (communist)
6a Theatrical party (4)
CAMP – Double definition
9a Tangle with international footballer (5)
MESSI – MESS (tangle) with I (international)
10a Right to vote of a man in European country (9)
FRANCHISE – HIS (of a man) inserted into FRANCE (European country)
12a Award one successful with first clue! (8,5)
VICTORIA CROSS – VICTOR (one successful) with I (one) ACROSS (first clue)
14a Crudely looks back on fresh depiction of recent events (8)
NEWSREEL – This type of depiction of recent events was prevalent between the 1910s and the 1960s! A reversal (back) of LEERS (crudely looks) on NEW (fresh)
15a Lower status of church dignitary around Middle East (6)
DEMEAN – DEAN (church dignitary) ‘around’ ME (Middle East)
17a Cheerful pub to get drunk and have a meal (6)
UPBEAT – An anagram (to get drunk) of PUB plus EAT (have a meal)
19a Product of Seagrams, one may relieve stress (8)
MASSAGER – An anagram (product of) SEAGRAMS
21a Biblical character — I put in ‘apostle’ erroneously (7,6)
PONTIUS PILATE – An anagram (erroneously) of I PUT APOSTLE
24a Supporter at home was hard to indoctrinate (9)
BRAINWASH – BRA (supporter) IN (at home) WAS (from the clue) H (hard)
25a Head off arm-in-arm showing tattoos (5)
INKED – Remove the ‘head’ or first letter of LINKED (arm-in-arm)
26a Dash around during vernal equinox (4)
ELAN – Lurking (during) in reverse (around) in verNAL Equinox
27a Inexperienced people guided head of government in affairs (10)
FLEDGLINGS – LED (guided) and the ‘head’ of Government inserted into FLINGS (affairs)
Down
1d Celebrity makes a couple of notes (4)
FAME – Split the solution 2,2 and you get a couple of musical notes
2d Deny Ovid was involved in Metamorphoses (7)
DISAVOW – An anagram (involved) of OVID WAS. Coincidentally the Giant GK Crossword required you to know who wrote Metamorphoses
3d Making a comeback, getting about in the pink? (13)
REINCARNATION – RE (about) IN (from the clue) CARNATION (pink)
4d Spare from socialist excess (8)
LEFTOVER – LEFT (socialist) OVER (excess)
5d Posh part of London holding a mass for teacher (5)
SWAMI – SWI (posh part of London) ‘holding’ A (from the clue) and M (mass)
7d Swim over sea back to front, being fat (7)
ADIPOSE – DIP (swim) O (over) and SEA (from the clue) with the A at the back moved to the front of the solution
8d Lower orders comprehending students making fatuous remark (10)
PLEASANTRY – PEASANTRY (lower orders) ‘comprehending’ L (student) – Surely the students in the clue should be singular as you only need one L to insert into the lower orders??
11d One to welcome dawn crossing bridge with one’s dog (6,7)
COCKER SPANIEL – COCKEREL (one welcoming dawn) ‘crossing’ SPAN (bridge) and I (one)
13d Alpine club disbanded is not to blame (10)
INCULPABLE – An anagram (disbanded) of ALPINE CLUB
16d Seized area captured by whirling Dervish (8)
RAVISHED – A (area) ‘captured’ by an anagram (whirling) of DERVISH
18d Headgear of daughter taken by one in hand (7)
BANDANA – D (daughter) ‘taken by’ BANANA (one in hand)
20d Good family will take her to find London landmark (7)
GHERKIN – G (good) KIN (family) will ‘take’ HER (from the clue)
22d Will Shakespeare’s first grand house (5)
SHALL – The first letter of Shakespeare and a HALL (grand house)
23d Misdeeds regularly ignored in certain days in Rome (4)
IDES – Ignore the regular letters of mIsDeEdS
Thank you CS, for once I didn’t complete this, the south went in fairly easily but the north eluded me even with the hints, comments on the blog and assistance from dad!
I’m obviously a slogger rather than better 😀
I thought this was a goodie, the stars would be swapped around for me and agree with the 8d comment, plus 12a & 18d faves
Thanks CS
Really kicking myself as well. Got al the officiating ones but 6 across and 22d eluded me for some reason. On front line of COVID so maybe distracted!