DT 26252

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26252

Hints and tips by Gazza

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

Giovanni rarely disappoints, and this one certainly doesn’t with beautifully constructed clues. Let us know your opinion of it in a comment.
As usual the answers are hidden between the curly brackets under the relevant clue. If you need to see one, just highlight the space between the brackets.
I’m afraid that you’re going to get a double helping of me today. Since both Anax and Big Dave are away in London, I’ll be back later with a review of the Toughie (and in case you’re in two minds about whether to try the Toughie, I thoroughly recommend it – it’s not as difficult as some of Micawber’s, but it is just as entertaining).

Across Clues

1a  Characters in a treetop in trouble — one has song and dance (8)
{OPERETTA} – an anagram (in trouble) of the characters in A TREETOP produces this light musical drama.

5a  What sounds like bivalve’s bodily part (6)
{MUSCLE} – a homophone (sounds like) of a type of bivalve mollusc is fibrous tissue in the human body.

8a  Pub around five — excellent or ineffective? (2,4)
{IN VAIN} – put a synonym for pub around the Roman numeral for five and a grading meaning excellent to get a phrase meaning without success or ineffective.

9a  Answer from silly person, see, falling short (8)
{RESPONSE} – an answer is constructed from an anagram (silly) of PERSON followed by the first two letters (falling short) of SE(e).

10a  The man to be brought in by bishop, one about to give empty talk (8)
{RHETORIC} – bishop, in a crossword, is usually either B or RR (standing for Right Reverend, i.e. how he or she is addressed). In this case it’s RR and between them insert (brought in) HE (that man) and TO. Finally add I (one) and C (circa, about).

11a  Part of Europe like very cold part of Asia, avoiding the extremes (6)
{IBERIA} – start with an adjective describing a very cold and vast region of Russia (in Asia) and remove the letters at either end (avoiding the extremes) to leave the old name for a European peninsula.

12a  Divine figure shown by model, one person at university (8)
{POSEIDON} – this divine figure is the Greek god of the sea. Start with a verb meaning to model or sit for an artist and add I (one) and a senior member of staff at a university.

13a  After end of training I am allowed a tool (6)
{GIMLET} – string together the last letter (end) of traininG, the contraction of I am and a verb meaning allowed to get a small tool for boring holes.

15a  Skills required to get something afloat in the Civil Service (6)
{CRAFTS} – skills of a practical or artistic nature are made by putting a flat buoyant structure (something afloat) inside the abbreviation for Civil Service.

18a  Gushy stuff by right-wing politician in small room? (8)
{LAVATORY} – put together the stuff that gushes out of an erupting volcano and a Conservative politician. The surface reading paints a wonderful picture.

20a  A right place for the miraculous mysteries (6)
{ARCANA} – this is a cleverly worded clue where the “miraculous” appears to go with mysteries but actually belongs to place. We want a word for mysteries, and it’s made from A and R(ight) followed by the town in Galilee where Christ turned water into wine (place for the miraculous).

21a  Drug dens in underground caverns (8)
{POTHOLES} – a charade of a slang term for marijuana (drug) and how you might describe the lairs (dens) of wild animals gives us deep, natural, underground caves.

23a  What threat of ghosts may bring when one is in weird mansion (8)
{INSOMNIA} – a picture is being painted here of someone in a strange old house, having been told stories of ghosts perhaps, unable to get to sleep. Put I (one) inside an anagram (weird) of MANSION.

24a  Poster showing Norman? (6)
{MAILER} – double definition – someone sending correspondence and the surname of the American novelist and author of The naked and the dead.

25a  Good forest that may have a lot growing in it (6)
{GARDEN} – put together G(ood) and a forest in Warwickshire which is the setting of Shakespeare’s As You Like It to get a place where you may grow things.

26a  Canon houses soldiers in accommodation (8)
{TENEMENT} – we want a synonym for canon or principle with MEN (soldiers) inside (houses) to get an apartment in a larger building or block (accommodation).

Down Clues

1d  Tree, very big, that is hanging over river (5)
{OSIER} – a small willow tree is made by putting together the letters standing for very big (outsize) in clothing sizes and the usual abbreviation for “that is” in front of (hanging over, in a down clue) R(iver).

2d  Food often eaten on Sun. that could be cooked before Sat. (5,4)
{ROAST BEEF} – the traditional British Sunday lunch is an anagram (cooked) of BEFORE SAT.

3d  Number terribly rude unfortunately unable to be sacked? (7)
{TENURED} – an adjective describing someone who has a guaranteed, permanent job (unable to be sacked) is formed from a number (the smallest one requiring two digits) followed by an anagram (terribly) of RUDE. Unfortunately seems to be redundant here, but presumably it adds to the surface reading which paints a picture of a group of rude workers whom their employers would like to sack, but cannot.

4d  One would presumably never forget being in the Serengeti (7,8)
{AFRICAN ELEPHANT} – cryptic definition of one variety of a large beast which is reputed to have a good memory.

5d  Absent maiden is sitting on grass (7)
{MISSING} – a synonym for absent is constructed from M (maiden over in cricket) and IS coming before (sitting on, in a down clue) a verb meaning to grass or inform.

6d  Very little money? Artist needs pounds — that’s key (7)
{CENTRAL} – put together the smallest monetary unit in many countries, the abbreviation for a Royal Academician (artist) and the letter standing for pounds sterling to get an adjective meaning essential or key.

7d  Alley gent done out in refined style (9)
{ELEGANTLY} – an anagram (done out) of ALLEY GENT.

12d  Wolves getting on — part of the drive for promotion? (9)
{PACKAGING} – this is nothing to do with football in spite of the surface reading. It’s a charade of the collective noun for a group of wolves and an adjective meaning getting older (getting on), and it’s one of the things that marketing gurus focus on in their attempt to increase (promote) the sales of a product.

14d  What could make him modest is a type of Christian outlook (9)
{METHODISM} – a Protestant denomination with its origins in 18^th century England is an anagram (could make) of HIM MODEST.

16d  A cricket club employer is one to blame others (7)
{ACCUSER} – someone who blames other people is a charade of A, the abbreviation for cricket club and a synonym for employer.

17d  Quiet girl on river (7)
{SHANNON} – the longest river in Ireland is formed from an injunction to keep quiet, a girl’s name and ON.

19d  French wine — drinking it before noon can provide what your body needs (7)
{VITAMIN} – something essential for normal growth and nutrition (what your body needs) is made from the French word for wine which contains (drinking) IT and the abbreviation for before noon.

22d  Support good person on tedious course? (5)
{STRUT} – a supporting part of a framework is formed from the two-letter abbreviation for saint (good person) followed by what you may be in if you’re stuck in a monotonous activity that is hard to change (tedious course).

There are a whole host of good clues today including 20a, 12d, 14d and 19d, but my favourite is 18a. What do you think? Leave us a comment!