DT Cryptic No 25910

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 25910

Today’s hints and tips by Gazza

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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment **

It’s St. George’s Day and Shakespeare’s birthday so the puzzle will be full of allusions to celebrations, dragons and bardic quotations, won’t it? Well no, unless you count one measly mention of a flag!

Across Clues

2a  Deceive company into a restructure to get endorsement (12)
{CONFIRMATION} – deceive is CON and company is FIRM – add an anagram (restructure) of “into a” to get an endorsement.

8a  Seating available up to now has no back (4)
{SOFA} – an item of furniture on which you sit is obtained from SO FAr (up to now) without its last letter (has no back).

9a  Container or stein designed to be carried in vehicle (8 )
{CANISTER} – an anagram (designed) of “stein” is included (carried) in CAR (vehicle) to produce a container.

10a The intelligentsia invest it in retail trade (8 )
{LITERATI} – include (invest) IT in an anagram (trade) of “retail” to produce a synonym for the intelligentsia.

11a  Gets wind of American cash being loaded on board ship (6)
{SCENTS} – include one-hundredth part of a dollar (American cash) inside (being loaded on board) SS (Steam Ship) to obtain a verb meaning “gets wind of”.

12a  Payment made for subsidence (10)
{SETTLEMENT} – double definition – a word which means both settling a bill and subsidence.

13a  More French perhaps? (6)
{ENCORE} – a (rather weak) cryptic definition of the French word for “again”, which we use (although the French do not) as a call for the performers to give more at the end of a concert.

16a  Out of bed and into a prison (5)
{ASTIR} – A STIR is a slang term for a prison and, put together as an adjective, means up and about (out of bed).

17a  Don’t leave the street area over there (4,2)
{STAY ON} – an exhortation not to leave (a post, for example) is constructed from ST (street), A (area) and YON (yonder, over there).

18a  Jack is fit to crew on the Mediterranean (4,6)
{ABLE SEAMAN} – Jack (short for Jack Tar) is a nickname for a sailor, and this is the rank of a sailor made up of ABLE (fit) and MAN (to crew) around (on) SEA (e.g. the Mediterranean).

21a  A tyrant needs to look after the lower socio-economic groups (6)
{DESPOT} – the lower socio-economic groups are D & E, which are followed (after) by a verb meaning to look, to form a synonym for tyrant.

23a  Modernising university with little money, and going steady (8 )
{UPDATING} – university is U and little money is P (penny); follow these with DATING (going steady) to get another word for modernising.

24a  School master accepts the compiler gets current measures on them (8 )
{AMMETERS} – an anagram (school) of “master” includes (accepts) ME (i.e. the compiler) to get the name of instruments which display the measurement of electric current.

25a  Put out by the hour going back (4)
{EMIT} – the hour is a synonym for TIME – reverse this (going back) to obtain a verb meaning to put out.
[This use of hour/time reminds me of the old schoolboy joke concerning the rallying call of the French navy, which is “To the water – the time has come!”, or, in the original, “A l’eau – c’est l’heure!” – just say it quickly!]

26a  Shout, getting furious at callers, it’s obvious (7-5)
{CRYSTAL CLEAR} – shout is CRY. Follow this (getting) with an anagram (furious) of “at callers” to obtain a phrase meaning absolutely obvious.

Down Clues

1d  Phone the doctor with venom (6)
{MOBILE} – follow MO (doctor) with BILE (venom) to get a common type of phone.

2d  A patient analysis? (4,5)
{CASE STUDY} – a cryptic definition of research into the development of something over a period of time is made up of CASE (a patient) and STUDY (analysis).

3d  Deny no-one outside access (6)
{NEGATE} – “no-one outside” requires the outer letters of No-onE and these are followed by a means of access (into a field, for example) to form a verb meaning to deny.

4d  Background notes to film (10,5)
{INCIDENTAL MUSIC} – once you’ve worked out that “notes” here is MUSIC, you’re half-way to this cryptic definition of background music used to create or enhance the atmosphere in a film.

5d  Cathedral welcomes one member of the government (8 )
{MINISTER} – cathedral is MINSTER. Include I (welcomes one) to get a Jim Hacker type.

6d  Discrimination makes sense (5)
{TASTE} – one of the five senses is also a synonym of culture and refinement.

7d  Proposal to provide introductory notes (8 )
{OVERTURE} – an orchestral piece at the beginning of an opera or play (introductory notes) is also a proposal or approach to someone with the aim of opening negotiations.

14d  Policeman gets errant criminal as colleague (9)
{COPARTNER} – I think this would be better described as (2-7) rather than (9). It’s COP (policeman) followed by (gets) an anagram (criminal) of “errant” which leads to a word meaning colleague or associate at the same level in an organisation.

15d  Source of revenue in ship’s flag (8 )
{STREAMER} – the ship is a STEAMER – put inside it R (source, i.e. first letter, of revenue) to get a flag.

16d  Song about a leader of Africa being a curse (8 )
{ANATHEMA} – song is ANTHEM – include A (about a) and follow it with another A (leader of Africa) to get a solemn ecclesiastical curse.

19d  Unhappy getting led off to seat (6)
{SADDLE} – unhappy is SAD – follow it (getting) an anagram (off) of “led” to get the type of seat you would find on a horse or a bicycle.

20d  Broadcaster obtaining a release (6)
{AUNTIE} – A followed by UNTIE (release) forms an affectionate nickname for the beeb (as the late Kenny Everett used to call it).

22d  Media campaign (5)
{PRESS} – we finish with another double definition – a synonym for to campaign or to persuade forcibly is also the branch of the media which used to be equated with Fleet Street.

It is not a vintage puzzle full of entertaining clues, but my “clue of the day” is 14d. What do you think? – leave us a comment!