ST 2621

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2621

A full review by Crypticsue

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

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

If all Virgilius’s 2012  Sunday Cryptics are going to be as good as the first two, Big Dave is going to have to add another page to the Mine: “Superlatives, Bloggers for the Use Of” as I think otherwise Gnomethang and I are going to become very repetitive.  Thank you to Virgilius once again for a crossword that was easy to solve, very entertaining and a pleasure to review.   My top favourites are highlighted in blue.

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.  You can also add your assessment by selecting from one to five stars at the bottom of the post.

Across

7 Problem with vision producing fall (8)
CATARACT – a double definition – either an opaque condition of the lens of eye or a waterfall.

9 Russian author securing ring for many millions (6)
GOOGOL –  The number which is 1 followed by 100 zeros is obtained  by inserting an  O (ring) into the Russian author Nikolay GOGOL.

10 Resort in which completed film is set, we hear (6)
CANNES –  The French resort famous for its film festival sounds like cylindrical containers for storing film.

11 Page one I have shortened, imposing discipline (8)
PUNITIVE – Concerned with inflicting punishment or discipline – P (page) UNIT (one) IVE (I’ve shortened)

12 Cheeky youngster, one who flogs fish (14)
WHIPPERSNAPPER –  Originally this term applied to someone who had nothing else to do all day but snap a whip.   Nowadays it is used to refer to a cheeky young lad.  WHIPPER (one who flogs or whips) and SNAPPER (a type of fish).

15 Card, not red, for striker (4)
CLUB –  One of the black suits found in a pack of cards – CLUB is also the name of a heavy stick used as a weapon.

17 Influenced to such an extent, did some work at last (5)
SOLED –    This clue and 14d were the ones that held me and others up the most. Then I had a major penny-dropping moment with 14d which enabled me to solve this clue too.   SOLED (mended shoes at a cobbler’s last) if split 2,3 would mean SO LED or so influenced.

19 Hold back ace, put in joker (4)
WAIT –  To hold back in readiness – insert A (ace) into WIT (joker)

20 Fly endlessly in situation too good to be true (5-5,4)
NEVER-NEVER LAND –  If you never stopped flying, you would NEVER NEVER LAND.   Insert a hyphen between the two NEVERs and you have an imaginary place too fortunate to exist in reality

23 Error-free statement of agreement (3,5)
ALL RIGHT – Another double definition – without error or “‘all right’ I will do what you ask”.

25 Way of viewing power in a faction (6)
ASPECT – A particular way of viewing something is obtained by inserting P for power into A SECT (a faction or body of followers, especially of an extreme political movement.

27 Metalworker, one who makes lots of money illegally (6)
FORGER –  The third double definition –  someone who forges metal or someone who makes counterfeit bank notes.

28 Supporters in camp set about covering operation in hospital (3-5)
GUY-ROPES –  Ropes used to support  a tent –   Insert OP (operation) into RE (about, concerning) and then insert the result into the London hospital GUYS.

Down

1 Facts, at short notice, presented the wrong way (4)
DATA – Facts from which other information may be inferred –AT (from the clue) plus AD (short notice or advertisement) presented the wrong way or reversed.

2 Some milk about to turn up as treat for kitten (6)
CATNIP –  To get the plant which is said to attract both kittens and cats, follow CA (circa or about)with a reversal of a PINT (of milk).     As Gazza quite rightly points out my original reading of this was correct.    PINTA (I too remember the adverts imploring us to Drinka Pinta Milk a Day) and C (about) all reversed.

3 In dominant position throughout ambassadorship? (4)
ATOP – Another d’oh moment – obvious solution but why?   The letters of AmbassadorshiP run from A to P – remove the spaces and you get an adverb meaning on the top or dominant.

4 Business listed in Copenhagen Danes located (6)
AGENDA –  Hidden (located) in CopenhAGEN DAnes is the programme of business to be discussed at a meeting.

5 Show up at organisation as unorthodox leader (8)
SOUTHPAW –  An anagram (organisation) of SHOW UP AT describes a boxer who might lead with his right hand rather than the usual left hand.

6 Closely study form, for a change (10)
CONVERSION –  To change from one condition, use or opinion –  CON (to study carefully) and VERSION (a particular form of something).

8 Serves the purpose, since covering all the main points, right? (7)
ANSWERS  – To give a satisfactory response to –  Insert into AS (since)  North, South, West and East (the main compass points) and R (right).

13 Some beer admiral put in the hold (4,6)
HALF NELSON –  The crossword setter’s favourite wrestling hold –  HALF (a pint of beer) and Admiral NELSON.

14 Do what you’re doing, as opposed to cutting fish (5)
SOLVE –  Double d’oh time!   What was I trying to do while I scratched my head?   SOLVE of course.   Insert V (versus, opposed to) into a SOLE (flatfish).

16 Malt liquor, including very mature drink (8)
BEVERAGE  Any liquid for drinking is obtained by inserting V (very) into BEER (liquor or drink made using among other ingredients, malt) and following this with AGE (mature).

18 Legislative body on a railway, concerned with fare intake (7)
DIETARY –  Relating to diet or the rules of diet (fare here meaning food):  DIET (parliament or legislative assembly) followed by A (from the clue) and RY (railway)

21 Doctor concealing anger when upset in this respect (6)
REGARD –  Respect meaning particular, reference or REGARD.   Into DR (doctor) insert (concealing)  RAGE (anger) and then reverse or upset the result.

22 Threaten to produce overflow in computer (6)
LAPTOP – If a liquid were to LAP (the) TOP of a container it might overflow.   A LAPTOP is of course a type of portable computer.

24 Part of Africa still ahead for traveller (4)
TOGO –  If you were to split the West African country of TOGO  2,2,  it might describe the rest of the journey still to be undertaken by a traveller.

26 Prepare to swallow cold chop (4)
CHEW –  You are always instructed to CHEW your food many times before swallowing –  C (cold) and HEW (cut with a chopping instrument such as an axe).

I am back to  two weeks on Saturday blog duty, leaving Gnomey the task of finding original superlatives to use in his blog of the next two Sunday puzzles.