Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26104
A full analysis by Big Dave
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
One of the better Saturday Prize puzzles today – as long as you ignore the surface readings of a number of the clues!
Across
1a Patient chap, not a bear, one at the Stock Exchange (6)
JOBBER – JOB is the Biblical chap who is renowned for his patience and he is followed by BE(A)R without the A (not a) to get a person who buys and sells at the Stock Exchange
4a Alarm just inside marshy area (8)
FRIGHTEN – a word meaning to alarm is found by inserting RIGHT (just) inside FEN (marshy area) – strange that this same answer, with a different clue, should appear in the following day’s puzzle
9a Rent asunder, not one looked after children (6)
NURSED – an anagram (rent) of (A)SUNDER without the A (not one) gives a word meaning looked after children
10a A handful backing me with song that’s an angelic salutation (3,5)
AVE MARIA – an unusual charade has A V (the Roman numeral for five, the number in a handful) ME reversed (backing) and ARIA (an operatic song) to get an angelic salutation
12a He’ll stop being one when given his due (8)
CREDITOR – a cryptic definition – when a creditor is paid (given his due) he ceases to be a creditor
13a Every time lass endlessly struggled to accept procedure (6)
ALWAYS – this word meaning every time is constructed from an anagram (struggled) of LAS(S) withot the final S (endlessly) around (to accept) WAY (procedure) – like a lot of today’s clues, the surface reading is nonsense
15a Easily angered but without delay made resilient (5-8)
QUICK-TEMPERED – a word meaning easily angered is comprised of QUICK (without delay) and TEMPERED (steel that is made resilient)
18a Extravagant oldsters liked to be dolled up (7,2,4)
DRESSED TO KILL – an anagram (extravagant) of OLDSTERS LIKED leads to a phrase meaning to be dolled up
22a Girl found a ship in position (6)
LASSIE – this girl is derived by putting SS (ship) inside LIE (position, as in golf)
24a Highly regarded eccentric Dee meets (8)
ESTEEMED – a word meaning highly regarded is an anagram (eccentric) of DEE MEETS
26a Test out cake in court of justice (8)
TRIBUNAL – TRIAL (test) outside with BUN (cake) inside – result: a court of justice
27a Assistants of course removed drug in larva (6)
CADDIS – take CADDI(E)S (assistants of the golf course) and remove E(cstasy) (drug) to get an insect larva – one of a couple of today’s clues that use my unfavourite link word “in”
28a Plunder fellow soldier (8)
RIFLEMAN – RIFLE (plunder) + MAN (fellow) = soldier – QED
29a Miscellaneous notes, about 50 were taken (6)
STOLEN – put an anagram (miscellaneous) of NOTES around L (Roman numeral for 50) gives a word meaning were taken
Down
1d Jack with a delightful lady (6)
JANICE – A charade of J(ack), A and NICE (delightful) gives a lady’s name – and you all know what I think of answers like this!
2d Friction about performing sequel in skit (9)
BURLESQUE – put RUB (friction) reversed (about) in front of an anagram (performing) of SEQUEL to get a skit
3d The merit in protecting old professors (7)
EMERITI – hidden inside (protecting) the merit in are these old professors
5d Bird cut short by jabber (4)
RAVE – RAVE(N) (bird) without the final N (cut short) gives a word meaning to jabber
6d Jim reportedly takes small piece of paper from tunic (3,4)
GYM SLIP – a homophone of Jim followed by a small piece of paper gives a tunic worn by schoolgirls
7d Trespass into army land (5)
TERRA – put ERR (trespass) into TA (Territorial Army) to get a Latin word meaning earth / land, as in terra firma
8d Car port! (8)
NEARSIDE – the NEAR (port / left) SIDE of a car – but only where you drive on the left!
11d Fancy cake Doc found had rosette (7)
COCKADE – an anagram (fancy) of CAKE DOC gives a rosette – with a bit of padding that contributes to the surface reading but not the wordplay
14d Pity about the inspector (7)
REMORSE – a word meaning pity is a charade of RE (about) and Inspector MORSE
16d Trendsetter had part copy (4,5)
ROLE MODEL – this trendsetter is a charade of ROLE (part in a play) and MODEL (copy)
17d Devoted admirer says he is a procrastinator (8)
IDOLATER – a devoted admirer says I DO LATER
19d Take hold of ancient city during sudden attack (7)
SEIZURE – SEIZE (take) around UR (the ubiquitous ancient city) gives a sudden attack – “take hold of” reads as a containment indicator at first, but I’m not sure that “hold of” does this job very well, also the first part of the wordpay and the answer both have the same root
20d Stylish old work that is not precisely accurate (7)
INEXACT – a charade of IN (stylish), EX (old) and ACT (work) gives a word meaning not precisely accurate
21d Inventor Edgar with one member of his family (6)
EDISON – this prolific inventor is a charade of ED(gar), I (one) and SON (member of his family)
23d Second argument is formal (5)
STIFF – S(econd) and TIFF (argument) give a word meaning formal
25d Molten matter from the continental state (4)
LAVA – this molten matter is constructed from LA (the French / continental definite article) and VA (the US state of Virginia)
19D: I don’t say it makes the clue any better, but my reading was that “during” was the container indicator, leaving “take hold of” as the def. Otherwise “during” is a link word (which I’d expect to annoy someone who doesn’t like “in” in that role, and this time I’d agree!).
At 29A, “taken” matches “stolen” exactly, but “were taken” is a near miss (try to find a sentence where you can swap the two). This makes “were” a link-word – OK as long as you don’t mind cryptic readings having an arbitrary tense.
I stopped being over-picky before the end – I thought that a lot was being sacrificed on the altar of surface reading, but to little avail.