Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26008 – Review
A full analysis by Peter Biddlecombe
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A puzzle of moderate difficulty and the usual Saturday mixed bag of clues …
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | See odd perennials sprouting (5,3,5) |
| RIPON AND LEEDS = anag. of “odd perennials” which is the name of a C of E diocese = see. Not totally convinced by “sprouting” as an anagram indicator. | |
| 9 | Merchant, stop expressing reluctance (9) |
| STATIONER – STATION=stop,ER=”expresssing reluctance”, which raises another “hmmm” here – as well as the question whether it’s fair for “expressing reluctance” to mean “word expressing reluctance”, “er” actually expresses hesitation, which isn’t quite the same | |
| 10 | Scoundrel to go wrong way in Parisian street (5) |
| ROGUE – reversal of GO in RUE | |
| 11 | A party about love (5) |
| ADORE – A,DO=party,RE=about – sound cryptic reading, but “party about {something}” seems a weak surface | |
| 12 | Lake in front of dry den (4) |
| LAIR – L,AIR=dry | |
| 13 | Some more effective barrier (4) |
| REEF – hidden word, questionable def – a reef can form a barrier between bodies of water and there is at least one “barrier reef”, but I don’t think either makes ‘barrier’ a fair def. | |
| 15 | Dance in Hungary as cards collapse (7) |
| CSARDAS – anag. of “as cards”. A dance, the best-known version being Monti’s. As an occasional trombonist, I have to point you to Christian Lindberg’s version. Another doubtful surface – what’s the connection between collapsing cards and dancing? | |
| 17 | Boor removed bloodsucker, say, it’s automatic (7) |
| ROBOTIC – anag. of “boor”,TIC=”tick” – to function as an angram indicator, I think removed has to be “moved again” | |
| 18 | Fight for more pay (4,3) |
| WAGE WAR – punny def. for a battle for higher wages as well as “to fight” | |
| 20 | Sin and latitude in south-eastern city (7) |
| SEVILLE – (EVIL,L=latitude) in SE. Given the scope for confusion with longitude, L=latitude seems absurd, but Chambers has it | |
| 21 | Way a Pole goes round (4) |
| ROAD – A in rod=pole – stick or distance of 5½ yards | |
| 22 | Leading Tyrolean put restriction on ski-lift (1-3) |
| T-BAR – T=”Leading Tyrolean”,BAR=put-restriction on – a T-Bar is a type of ski-lift as well as a component thereof | |
| 23 | Arabs transporting port (5) |
| BASRA = anag. of Arabs. | |
| 26 | Guarantee, after losing rook, to take place as a result (5) |
| ENSUE – ensure=guarantee, less R = rook. | |
| 27 | Old mate with a ring exhibiting self-importance (4-1-4) |
| COCK-A-HOOP – “cock” is old slang for mate as in “Wotcher, cock”,A,HOOP=ring. Chambers has this meaning “boastful” as well as “in high spirits” so “exhibiting self-importance” is a better def than I first thought. | |
| 28 | Everybody early — eventually (3,2,4,4) |
| ALL IN GOOD TIME – ALL-everybody,IN GOOD TIME=early | |
| Down | |
| 1 | One has a job to discover the facts (8,6) |
| RESEARCH WORKER – cryptic def | |
| 2 | Philosopher left a shirt in river (5) |
| PLATO – (L,A,T=T-shirt) in the river Po. | |
| 3 | Forced to make a decision about Daniel not at university (6,4) |
| NAILED DOWN – anag. of Daniel,DOWN=not at university | |
| 4 | Baffle no more (7) |
| NONPLUS – NON=no,PLUS=more | |
| 5 | Fatter individual entering pantry (7) |
| LARDIER – LARD(I)ER – nicely done surface suggesting someone like Billy Bunter | |
| 6 | Semi-continental kangaroo (4) |
| EURO – half of European, and euro is another word for wallaroo | |
| 7 | Gleam sent out when divided into parts (9) |
| SEGMENTAL – anag. of “gleam sent” | |
| 8 | It’s the best illustration one could have (7,7) |
| PERFECT EXAMPLE – another gentle CD | |
| 14 | Honest as a grandmaster? (5-5) |
| ABOVE BOARD – alluding to the GM being over a chess board | |
| 16 | It is mainly between Greece and Turkey (6,3) |
| AEGEAN SEA – geographically accurate statement and ghastly pun on “mainly” | |
| 19 | Flowing Polish I study? (7) |
| RUBICON – RUB=polish,I,CON=study. Not totally happy with “flowing” as a def. of a river. If this is fair, presumably we can have “living” for the name of anyone alive. | |
| 20 | Is turning up at North African country, not Missouri, during windstorm (7) |
| SIROCCO – SI=is reversed,MOROCCO less MO = Missouri | |
| 24 | Promises to pay maiden inside coming up from Scandinavian country (5) |
| SUOMI – M inside IOUs, all reversed – Finnish for Fiinland. | |
| 25 | Long drink first for bird (4) |
| TEAL = TEA=drink,L=long | |