DT 27050

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27050

A full review by crypticsue

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

This Cephas Saturday Prize Puzzle would have merited just under 2* difficulty but has been given 3* because of the problems with 23a caused by having the wrong word in 21d :( 

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

3 Everyday fare served up in exotic plates by parliament (6,4)
STAPLE DIET –   An exotic anagram of PLATES followed by a DIET or parliament.

8 Tony goes mad about company magnate (6)
TYCOON –   Insert CO (about company) into an anagram (goes mad) of TONY.

9 Included hug before first of dates (8)
EMBRACED – Included or admitted –   EMBRACE (hug) followed by D (the first letter of Dates).

10 Philip and Edward have to stop talking (4,4)
PIPE DOWN –  Two diminutive boys  = PIP and ED followed by OWN (have) and then split 4,4.

11 Partly rewrites the record book (6)
ESTHER –  One of the books of the Old Testament is partly hidden in rewritES THE Record.

12 Footballer from batting team got out (6,4)
INSIDE LEFT –   The team batting in a game of cricket are known as the IN SIDE and this should be followed by LEFT (got out).

14 Appointing group of church workers during Advent (13)
COMMISSIONING – Insert MISSION into COMING (Advent).

20 Proposing sex not allowed round home (10)
NOMINATING –   Insert IN (home) into NO MATING (sex not allowed!!)

22 It’s a tricky problem if this vegetable is hot (6)
POTATO –   A cryptic definition that made me smile.

23 Seat in church not finished (8)
CATHEDRA –  My solving of this, my final clue, was held up by the fact that I had put the wrong word in 21d.   Apparently I wasn’t the only one!     Remove the final letter (not finished) from CATHEDRA[l] and you are left with the throne of a bishop.

24 American misbehaves behind closed doors (2,6)
IN CAMERA –   An anagram (misbehaves) of AMERICAN.

25 Dismiss article — this issue’s volcanic (6)
EJECTA – EJECT (dismiss) followed by A (the indefinite article).   Lots of muttering about this one, but not from me as I have been up both Etna and Vesuvius and seen lots of EJECTA!

26 After preparing tea, TV’s dead — heartbroken! (10)
DEVASTATED –  An anagram (after preparing) of TEA TVS DEAD.

Down

 

1 Stirring icy gin, he should get clean (8)
HYGIENIC –   Another anagram – this time stirring ICY GIN HE

2 Cleo’s new ideology reveals grammatical flaw (8)
SOLECISM –  A non standard grammatical usage.   An anagram (new) of CLEOS followed by an ISM (ideology).

3 Bridge partners mentioned river siesta (6)
SNOOZE –   Two of the partners in a game of bridge – S(outh) and N (orth) followed by a homophone of the River Ouse.

4 Last word in steam engines (4)
AMEN –  Hidden in steAM ENgines.

5 Left one with Bert struggling to find the words (8)
LIBRETTO – the text of an opera, oratorio or ballet.   L (left), I (one), an anagram (struggling )of BERT followed by TO from the clue.

6 Hundreds on planet in want (6)
DEARTH – D (the Roman ‘numberal’  for 500) followed by the planet EARTH.

7 Time when cricketers might appear? (6)
ELEVEN  –  There are, of course, eleven cricketers in a team.

13 Course of salts (5)
EPSOM –  The home of the horse racing course is also the place where the purgative medicine (salts) originated.

15 Popular without little bit of money? That’s naive (8)
INNOCENT – or IN (popular) NO CENT (without a little bit of money).

16 At that place drinks initially will be on the rocks (2,3,3)
IN THE RED – Stony broke or IN THERE (at that place) plus D (Drinks initially).

17 Produce infusion of green tea (8)
GENERATE –  An anagram (infusion) of GREEN TEA.

18 Penny put on weight in spring (6)
POUNCE – P plus OUNCE.

19 Prohibit an Australian fruit (6)
BANANA –  BAN (prohibit) AN (from the clue) and A (Australian).

21 Caught — but scored? (6)
NETTED –   Caught like a fish or scored a goal in football.   Obvious really but then I and several others also thought NICKED worked just as well, it just didn’t help with 23a!

23 Shy actors (4)
CAST –  A double definition to finish with –   CAST can mean either to throw or refer to the company of actors in a play.

Seasons Greetings to Cephas and Mrs C too.  I will be back on New Year’s Eve with a festively-delayed review of tomorrow’s Prize Puzzle.