Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2565
A full analysis by Peter Biddlecombe
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** –Enjoyment *****
Another very enjoyable Sunday puzzle – I liked the 200-year musical leap in time between the two long across clue/answer combos
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Supporters having no right to become such addicts (6) |
| FIENDS, as in “dope fiends” or maybe “crossword fiends” – R = right is removed from FRIENDS = Supporters | |
| 4 | Got to the bottom of what’s feminine in diamonds (8) |
| FATHOMED – F = feminine, AT HOME = in, D = diamonds – one of the tricks used by setters is to chop up words in unexpected ways – here, 1/6/1 rather than the usual 2-4 letter chunks | |
| 10 | Having a view, for example, about female principle (5) |
| EYING = “having a view” – e.g. = “for example”, with YIN = “female principle” inside it | |
| 11 | Students collectively, in universities, join together on rare occasions (9) |
| UNUSUALLY = on rare occasions. Potential setter’s nightmare here – a word with 3 U’s in it. No problem for this setter – two of them become “universities”, with the NUS (students collectively) between them, then we have ALLY = join together | |
| 12 | Illegally distributed to give profit to member (7) |
| BOOTLEG = illegally distributed – BOOT = profit (maybe seen most clearly from bootless), LEG = member | |
| 13 | Expend my energy, crossing river in old boat (7) |
| TRIREME = old boat (the kind of thing with Spartacus at the oars) – R = river, in TIRE ME = “expend my energy” | |
| 14 | Digs choir I led, arranged around piano – people like a little Mozart (5,9) |
| CHILD PRODIGIES – P = piano, in anag. of “digs choir I led”. Mozart was dragged round Europe by his father for 3 years when aged 7-10. | |
| 17 | One depends on current supply as source of rock (8,6) |
| ELECTRIC GUITAR – cryptic definition with “current supply” and “source of rock” as the two phrases that need to be understood the right way. | |
| 21 | Annual publication from local man, a calendar (7) |
| ALMANAC – hidden in “local man, a calendar” – with the close resemblance of almanacs and calendars as a possible source of mild confusion – the true def. is “Annual publication” | |
| 23 | With start of therapy, getting real about feelings (7) |
| TACTUAL = about feelings (physical touchings rather than emotions) – T = “start of therapy”, ACTUAL = real | |
| 24 | Resort for Romanians in enclave inside Italy (3,6) |
| SAN MARINO = the enclave – anag. of “Romanians”, indicated by “resort” = “a different ordering” | |
| 25 | Final stage appearance as Shakespearean villain grabbing maiden (5) |
| IMAGO = “final stage (of insect life cycle) appearance” – M = maiden, in IAGO = Shakespearean villain | |
| 26 | Character fault one’s shown in mile race (8) |
| MISPRINT = “character fault” – I = one, in (M = mile, SPRINT = race) | |
| 27 | Queen accepting European vote as constructive addition (6) |
| ANNEXE = constructive addition – (E = European, X = vote) in ANNE = queen | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Informative response not going beyond characters in first eleven (8) |
| FEEDBACK = informative response, of which all the letters are in the first eleven letters of the alphabet (A-K) – some people will grumble about there probably being dozens of similar 8-letter words, but I don’t mind this kind of clue provided that precision elsewhere means that you’ll find the right answer | |
| 2 | I led a riot badly, as leader (9) |
| EDITORIAL = leader – anag. of “I led a riot” | |
| 3 | Tracks guided traveller in frozen North (7) |
| DOGSLED = traveller in frozen North – nice timing! Slightly odd to think of the vehicle as the traveller rather than the passengers, but perfectly logical. DOGS (vb.) = follows = tracks, LED = guided | |
| 5 | What can be included repeatedly at OU? (5,9) |
| ADULT EDUCATION – anagram of (included, at, at, OU)* and our first all-in-one / &lit | |
| 6 | Old in hospital taking advantage of accommodation (7) |
| HOUSING = accomodation – O = old, in (H = hospital, USING = taking advantage of) | |
| 7 | The writer, a kung fu expert, got in scrappy fight (5) |
| MELEE = scrappy fight – ME = “the writer”, (Bruce) LEE = “kung fu expert” – which makes a change from the usual US Civil War general | |
| 8 | Remove damp from study for old poet (6) |
| DRYDEN = (old) poet – DRY DEN = “remove damp from study” – an easy clue for old hands, as there doesn’t seem to be much else the setter can do with DRYDEN | |
| 9 | Tasteless dissension around king in some quarters, perhaps (6,8) |
| VULGAR FRACTION = “some quarters, perhaps” – a vulgar fraction being “A over B” rather than “something point something” – VULGAR = tasteless, R = king, in FACTION = dissension (as well as a group of
dissenters) |
|
| 15 | Support, putting in time for Conservative followers (9) |
| ENTOURAGE = followers – (T = Time) replaces (C = Conservative), in ENCOURAGE = support | |
| 16 | Revolutionary movement embraced by foremost English novelist (8) |
| TROLLOPE = novelist – ROLL + revolutionary movement, in (TOP = foremost, E = English) – the kind of clue where you might well get the answer from the strict definition plus a bit of the wordplay – “English novelist” in this case | |
| 18 | Group of Roman soldiers almost capturing a horseman, so to speak? (7) |
| CENTAUR = “horseman, so to speak” – a centaur being half man, half horse – A = a, in CENTUR(y) = “group of Roman soldiers almost” | |
| 19 | Do without top ointment (7) |
| UNCTION = ointment (as well as (possibly extreme) unction in which you’re anointed with said ointment) – “function” = “do”, without its top letter, this being a down clue | |
| 20 | It can be got from tree, primarily medicinal (6) |
| BALSAM – BALSA = tree, M = “primarily medicinal”, for our second all-in-one / &lit – balsam does indeed come from trees | |
| 22 | Missing British spy chief at Pentagon, say (5) |
| MINUS = missing – “silly boy went out in the freezing cold minus his gloves” – “M in U.S.” = “British spy chief at Pentagon, say” | |