DT 26972

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26972

A full review by gnomethang

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

Morning All!. Apologies for the tardiness – I was getting set to write this up last night but a poorly cat (I am looking after my brother’s) warranted a degree of attention last night!. We have a typical Cephas puzzle if I am any judge – some very good surface readings and a couple of chestnutty starters!.

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Across

4a By end of over I had ball causing dismissal (8)
RIDDANCE – ID (I had) and DANCE (a ball) after the end of oveR.

8a Dolly has heart turned by regular customer (6)
PATRON – Dolly PARTON with the middle letters (heart) turned.

9a Area of beauty can produce moist eye (8)
YOSEMITE – The park in America. An anagram (can produce) of MOIST EYE.

10a Church built initially with a quartz material (8)
BASILICA – The starting letter of Built with A SILICA (quartz)

11a Suffering two low grades in examination (6)
ORDEAL – D and E grades in an ORAL examination

12a Foreign noblewoman to defraud savings account once (8)
CONTESSA – CON (defraud) and the old TESSA savings account. A bit unfair on our non-UKian solvers!

13a Is annoying society without cause (8)
NEEDLESS – NEEDLES (is annoying) and S, one abbreviation for Society

16a Shrub, being at home in desert, to become sickly when uprooted (8)
CAMELLIA – The CAMEL is at home in the desert. Reverse AIL (become sickly when uprooted).

19a Devil gets handle on familiar address (8)
NICKNAME – Old NICK with NAME (handle is a slang word for name) on the end.

21a Beat Obama, for example, one after another (6)
TANDEM – TAN (beat) a DEM or Democrat, Obama being an example.

23a When school is open football team’s back to get together (8)
INTERMIX – School is open IN TERM. Reverse XI for eleven – the number of players in a football team.

24a Cheat friend holding in to keep under control (8)
DOMINATE – Do for cheat/fdefraud this time with IN inside MATE for friend.

25a Secure after breakout and free from danger (6)
RESCUE – A broken out anagram of SECURE.

26a Control opening to create in new form (8)
REINVENT – REIN (the control on a horse!) and VENT (opening)

Down

 

1d Quiet region of Spain, one that’s just perfect (7)
PARAGON – P for Quiet and ARAGON in Spain.

2d Truce after weapon destroyed cities (9)
ARMISTICE – Arm for weapon and an anagram (destroyed) of CITIES

3d Unmentionable things zombie does? (6)
UNDIES – A zombie is one of the Un-dead, so he Un-dies. Groan!

4d Three men get coin to go round one famous golf course (5,3,7)
ROYAL AND ANCIENT – ROY, ALAN and DAN with I for one inside CENT

5d Find record finished (8)
DISCOVER – Very chestnutty!. The DISC is OVER.

6d Did ‘urt with weapons (5)
ARMED – The ‘urt tells you to lose the first letter from a synonym – hARMED.

7d Blade snubbed girl (7)
CUTLASS – CUT (snubbed) and LASS (girl)

14d She cleans Californian city strip (9)
LAUNDRESS – Los Angeles (LA and UNDRESS for strip off one’s clothes.

15d American beach barbecue where Madeleine perhaps eats meat (8)
CLAMBAKE – A madeleine is a light French breakfast CAKE. Insert LAMB for meat.

17d Sailor with no company gets seafood (7)
ABALONE – AB for Sailor (Able Bodied Seaman) plus ALONE (without company). Another slightly chestnutty clue.

18d Rascal with debts spurning religion (7)
IMPIOUS – IMP for Rascal and IOU’S for debts

20d Provides West End show entertaining Her Majesty (6)
CATERS – Elizabeth Regina inside CATS, the musical.

22d Condescend to exclude son from plan (5)
DEIGN – Remove S for on from DESIGN (plan)

Thanks to (I presume) Cephas for the puzzle. I will consult the Almanac to find out when I am back next.