ST Cryptic No 2477 – Review – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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ST Cryptic No 2477 – Review

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2477 – Review

A full analysis by Big Dave

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

Yet another good Sunday puzzle – not as difficult as last week’s but just as enjoyable.


Across

7a Wrote back “The material was misleading” (7)
REPLIED – This corded material allegedly told fibs, and was answered

8a Reject and it’s sent back, enclosed – just one’s luck (7)
DESTINY – DENY (reject) around ITS reversed (sent back) gives a word meaning one’s unavoidable fate (one’s luck)

10a One of the in people (4-2-4)
STAY-AT-HOME – cryptic definition

11a Tip “Bad Boy” (4)
HEEL – straightforward double definition

12a Believed to have quoted a revolutionary in (8)
CREDITED – this synonym of believed comes from CITED (quoted) around RED (a revolutionary)

14a In return, the artist gets compensation for (6)
REWARD – this artist is a DRAWER which when reversed (in return) gives a word meaning compensation – this pair of words, and the shorter DRAW / WARD combination, crop up quite often

15a Is unsuccessful in one’s attempt to go places? (4,7)
GETS NOWHERE – a double definition, one part of which is cryptic

19a The way to pronounce “demesne” (6)
MANNER – this way is a homophone of manor, or demesne

20a Got a folder out to put in, as you anticipated (8)
FORETOLD – this anagram (got a … out) of FOLDER is around TO to give a word meaning as you anticipated

22a Catch on there’s something wrong (4)
SNAG – another straightforward double definition

23a Used the time to get assistance (6-4)
SECOND-HAND – a simple charade of SECOND (the time) and HAND (get assistance) gives a synonym for used

25a “Fish pie? Pish, fie!” he said! (7)
SPOONER – the transposition of initial sounds of spoken words, as here, is attributed to the Reverend  William Archibald Spooner, former Warden of New College, Oxford

26a Lived in, though it’s shut up (7)
BOARDED – we end the across clues with another straightforward double definition

Down

1d Again take up painting after a break (7)
RESTART – to begin again, just put painting after sitting down for a break

2d Rub out the L in “articulate” (4)
SLAY – just follow the instructions, and put L in SAY and you get a word meaning to murder (rub out)

3d Champ at the bit, about to go away (4,2)
BEAT IT – EAT (champ your food) inside this BIT, and tell someone to go away

4d Give her a turn – a bad scare – in the investigation (8)
RESEARCH – this was my clue of the day – turn HER around an anagram of SCARE for a scientific investigation

5d If all else fails, that rickety tower’s to be demolished (2,3,5)
AT THE WORST – a pair of anagrams – THAT (rickety) and TOWER’S (to be demolished) give a phrase meaning if all else fails

6d Smuggle the king through in nun disguise? Forget it! (7)
UNLEARN – this was a close second – LEAR, Shakespeare’s most famous king, is smuggled inside an anagram of NUN

9d Has a job, but does prevent from skating? (5,6)
HOLDS OFFICE – could be read as HOLDS OFF ICE (prevent from skating) – hence the question mark at the end

13d Is useless and not a philanthropist (4,2,4)
DOES NO GOOD – another one of those double definitions where one part is cryptic

16d Anxious to give up sweets (8)
STRESSED – give up signals that DESSERTS (sweets) is to be reversed to give this synonym for anxious – our second semordnilap of the puzzle: semordnilap is palindromes spelt backwards

17d Rests before a night on the tiles? (7)
CATNAPS – a cryptic definition

18d Looks to find the broken legs trapped can, if moved (7)
GLANCES – another double anagram, this time LEGS (broken) is around (trapped) CAN (if moved) to give a word meaning looks

21d Prattles about how it’s powered by (4,2)
RUNS ON – a final double definition for this puzzle

24d Animal fur must be declared (4)
HARE – we end on a homophone – this fur that this animal sounds like (must be declared) is hair

A good mix of clue types made for another in this improving series of Sunday puzzles.