DT 26045

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26045

Hints and tips by Big Dave

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

It was nice to get going on this typical Rufus puzzle after my earlier brush with DT 49.  I had missed the wonderful cryptic definitions that are to be found here.

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Across

1a Drawing instrument traditionally boxed (7)
{COMPASS} – this drawing instrument, often found in a geometry set, has the same name as the instrument that is traditionally boxed in the action of boxing the compass (naming all thirty-two principal points of the compass in clockwise order)

5a Explorer needs one in support (7)
{PIONEER} – an explorer who is created by putting ONE (not I this time) inside a PIER (support)

9a Gloss over backward barrister breaking a rule inadvertently (7)
{LACQUER} – a word meaning to coat with gloss comes from QC (barrister) reversed (backward) inside an anagram (inadvertently) of A RULE – I did like this anagram indicator!

10a Always the first to set out for the mountain (7)
{EVEREST} – a charade of EVER (always) first followed by an anagram (out) of SET gives the World’s highest mountain – “the” as padding seems unnecessary

11a Did not turn out as intended (9)
{OVERSLEPT} – a cryptic definition of the act of not getting out of bed on time

12a Woman gets directions in Polish (5)
{SHEEN} – a charade of SHE (woman) followed by E(ast) and N(orth) (directions) gives a synonym for polish

13a Too high a price to be on the level (5)
{STEEP} – a semi-cryptic double definition

15a Agents get sealed orders (9)
{DELEGATES} – these agents are an anagram (orders) of GET SEALED – admire the wonderful surface reading; this is how to write an anagram as a clue!

17a Drags Irma out for the carnival (5,4)
{MARDI GRAS} – an anagram (out) of DRAGS IRMA gives the French carnival called “Fat Tuesday”

19a The top decoration for the Pope (5)
{TIARA} – a cryptic definition of of the headgear worn by a Pope, or a Lady

22a This said, repair is immediate (5)
{LEAST} – a play on the idiom LEAST said, soonest mended

23a Possibly slips beneath surface of river (9)
{UNDERWEAR} – items of clothing that include slips are a charade of UNDER (beneath) and WEAR (river)

25a Is embraced by a wish for a sweet (7)
{ANISEED} – put IS inside (embraced by) A NEED (a wish) for the seed of the anise which is used to flavour boiled sweets called aniseed balls – strictly speaking aniseed is not the sweet itself

26a College crowd (7)
{TRINITY} – a double definition based on Trinity College (there a quite a few of them!) and “three’s a crowd”

27a She may turn out a successful actress (7)
{DRESSER} – this person could be dressing (turning out) a successful actress

28a One needs a couple of rings to get this number (7)
{HUNDRED} – put together 1 (one) and 00 (a couple of rings) and you get 100

Down

1d Being hardened, a summons symbolises nothing to us (7)
{CALLOUS} – a synonym for hardened is a charade of CALL (summons) O (symbolises nothing) and US

2d Teach me to twist the knife (7)
{MACHETE} – an anagram (to twist) of TEACH ME gives us this heavy knife or cutlass

3d Adjoins, yet put in as an extra clue (5)
{ABUTS} – a word meaning adjoins is also defined (an extra clue) by BUT (yet) inside AS

5d Exercise around meadow and fold (5)
{PLEAT} – put PT (Physical Training / exercise) around LEA (meadow) and you get a fold in a skirt

6d Finished with a sense of failure (9)
{OVERSIGHT} – a charade of OVER (finished) and SIGHT (a sense) lead to a failure to notice something

7d Fire — or part of one (7)
{ELEMENT} – Earth, Air, Fire and Water were the elements of earlier civilisations, and it can also be a bar on an electric fire

8d Grades metal with kids outside (7)
{RATINGS} – these grades come from TIN (metal) with RAGS (kids in the sense of makes fun of) outside

14d Quite vain, to be blunt (9)
{POINTLESS} – a double definition in which we have vain, as in a vain or pointless attempt, and blunt, as in having no sharp point

16d Place to finally fight terminal depression (4,5)
{LAST DITCH} – the final place in which to fight is a charade of LAST (terminal) and DITCH (depression)

17d Beat up fat bird (7)
{MALLARD} – here LAM (beat) is reversed (up) and followed by LARD (fat) to get a kind of wild duck

18d Sell genuine ones over end of June (7)
{REALISE} – here REALISE, as in to realise one’s assets, is built up from REAL (genuine) and I S (ones) over (because it’s a down clue) E (end of JunE)

20d A row outside the Spanish workshop (7)
{ATELIER} – put A TIER (a row) outside EL (the, Spanish) to get a workshop or artist’s studio – if this is a new word for you then remember it as it is sure to come up again being, the only word that fits the pattern A?E?I?R

21d Dressed in a dreary outfit (7)
{ARRAYED} – a word meaning dressed in comes from an anagram (outfit) of A DREARY – outfit must be borderline as an anagram indicator

23d Not above using two foreign articles (5)
{UNDER} – this tired clue for “not above” is a charade of UN (a, French) and DER (the, German)

24d Put curb round gelding’s head to get control (5)
{REIGN} – a horsey flavour to this clue puts REIN (curb) around G(elding) to get a period of control

Now on to finish reviewing DT 49!