Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27211
A full review by Big Dave
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Gnomethang is a bit busy at the moment, probably spoiling a good walk by playing golf, so I have put this review together fairly quickly.
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
3a Small convenient drink (6)
SHANDY – S(mall) followed by HANDY (convenient)
6a Ostentation shown by British page (4)
POMP – POM (the Australian slang for British) followed by P(age)
8a Crew perhaps get tips from Oxford, Cambridge teams entering Thames (5)
OCTET – the initial letters (tips) of Oxford Cambridge Teams Entering Thames
9a Star Scottish footballer gets red card (3,2,6)
ACE OF HEARTS – what could be the top player from a bankrupt Edinburgh football club is actually a red playing card
10a Olympic winner to catch impressionist (5)
MONET – a charade of the first name of Mo Farah, winner of two Olympic titles, and NET (catch) gives this popular impressionist painter
11a Former wife’s custom is being sent abroad (11)
EXTRADITION – a charade of EX (a former wife) and TRADITION (custom)
16a Type inclined to have attraction to adventurous girl mostly (6)
ITALIC – IT, the two-letter word meaning sexual attraction, followed by most of ALIC(E), the girl who had Adventures in Wonderland
17a Taking steamship round Channel Islands explorer returned in cutter (8)
SCISSORS – SS (steamship) around CI (Channel Islands) and the reversal (returned) of Arctic explorer ROSS
19a Saint’s given foreign church prominence (8)
SALIENCE – S(aint) followed by ALIEN (foreign) and CE (Church of England)
20a Revoke excluding husband from part of church (6)
CANCEL – drop (excluding) the H(usband) from C(H)ANCEL (part of church)
22a How Oliver was portrayed in battle, unlikely to hold beach (5,3,3)
WARTS AND ALL – how Oliver Cromwell requested that he be portrayed by Sir Peter Lely is derived from WAR (battle) and TALL (unlikely, as in an unlikely story) around SAND (beach)
25a One getting flame to marry (5)
MATCH – two definitions
27a Dressing, being given attire in new fashion (11)
VINAIGRETTE – an anagram (in new fashion) of GIVEN ATTIRE
28a Innocent one in body of church (5)
NAÏVE – I (one) inside NAVE (body of church)
29a Boy dashed round yard (4)
RYAN – RAN (dashed) around Y(ard) – in my opinion there is seldom an excuse for including boys’ (or girls’) names in a cryptic crossword: the colour cyan would have been much better here
30a One stinging nettle finally confused with thorn (6)
HORNET – an anagram (confused) of the final letter of nettlE and THORN
Down
1d Judgment after temper’s raised (4)
DOOM – reverse(raised in a down clue) MOOD ( temper or disposition)
2d Defensive batsman, one playing for time with one wicket in hand (11)
STONEWALLER – STALLER (someone who is playing for time by delaying) around ONE and W(icket)
3d Grandeur of railways in USA (11)
STATELINESS – LINES (railways) inside STATES (a colloquial word for the USA)
4d Spies a convenience (6)
AGENTS – the A from the clue followed by GENTS (convenience)
5d Lower classes intended resistance (8)
DEFIANCE – D & E, The two lower socioeconomic classes, followed by a FIANCÉ, someone who is intended to become a husband
6d Factory to design vintage model of car (5)
PLANT = PLAN (design) followed by T, the model of Ford car that could be purchased in any colour – so long as it’s black!
7d Test to following golden rule (5)
MOTTO – MOT (vehicle test) with TO following it
12d In the present month, all fellows will take time setting up in office (11)
INSTALLMENT – INST, the term for the present month used in business correspondence, followed by ALL, some fellows and T(ime) – this spelling of instalment should have been indicated as being American
13d Press has short article taking popular line during Cold War (4,7)
IRON CURTAIN – IRON (press) followed by CURT (short), A (indefinite article) and IN (popular)
14d Get snug in finest leather (6)
NESTLE – hidden inside fiNEST LEather
15d It’s puzzling to put together dances with a wife (6)
JIGSAW – JIGS (dances) followed by the A from the clue and W(ife)
18d Redraft in coarse outline (8)
SCENARIO – an anagram (redraft) of IN COARSE
21d Box with ‘far, far better’ character (6)
CARTON – Sydney CARTON is the name of the character from A Tale of Two Cities who said “It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known”
23d Friendship as disaster spared California (5)
AMITY – (CAL)AMITY (disaster) without (spared) CAL(ifornia)
24d Coach some coaches (5)
TRAIN – two definitions
26d Take note of that man Miliband (4)
HEED – HE, the male pronoun (that man), followed by the first name of ED Milliband
Crypticsue should be in this slot next week.