Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27271
A full review by crypticsue
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***/****
I found this Saturday’s Mysteron puzzle more enjoyable than usual – perhaps it was nostalgia taking me back to the 1950s when I was both a Brownie and a watcher of 9a. Not content with making grown men cry, I now appear to be causing our Canadian friend to despair about my assessments of difficulty, and so although I took one star time, I have awarded it 2* for difficulty based on an average view of the comments made on the day.
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
1a Get bogged down after loot taken by half of German general staff? (7,5)
SWAGGER STICK – SWAG (loot) followed by (after) GER (half of GERman) and STICK (get bogged down).
9a Canine hero runs in adventure cartoon (3,3,3)
RIN TIN TIN – R (runs in cricket scoring) IN (from the clue) and TINTIN (adventure cartoon). You probably need to be a child of the 50s to remember this canine hero.
10a Sea-dog died dissolute (5)
DRAKE – D(died) plus RAKE (dissolute person).
11a Brownies team tucking into food (6)
PIXIES – One of the ‘sixes’ in a Brownie pack – Insert XI (the Roman numeral for 11 – a football or cricket team has eleven players) into PIES (food).
12a Neckwear used by top gangster (8)
SCARFACE – SCARF (neckwear) and ACE (top) gives us the nickname of the old gangster, Al Capone.
13a Old tennis champ in posh car taking less care (6)
RASHER – Insert the surname of Arthur ASHE between RR (the two letters used to refer to that posh car, the Rolls Royce.
15a Porter carrying paintings set off (5,3)
START OUT – Insert ART (paintings) into STOUT (porter being a type of dark-brown beer)
18a Naval vessel and similar things returned carrying soldiers (old one) (8)
CORVETTE – Reverse ETC (and similar) and insert OR (ordinary ranks, soldiers) and VET (a veteran or old soldier).
19a It’s just too much being held by agent with acne (6)
SPOTTY – OTT (over the top, just too much) inserted into SPY (agent).
21a People add up in the head (8)
MENTALLY – MEN (people) and TALLY (add up).
23a Empty bar on vessel needed drinks supplier (6)
BREWER – Empty or remove the middle letter from BaR and follow with a EWER (large jug or vessel for containing liquid).
26a Prepare costume (5)
DRESS – Double definition – the second one obvious, the first meaning to prepare or set in order.
27a Clip about Asian island’s primitive behaviour (9)
TRIBALISM – Insert the Asian island of BALI and an S (island’s) into TRIM (clip).
28a You support a child (6,6)
SECOND PERSON – SECOND (support [a motion]) PER (a, each) SON (child).
Down
1d Tool for republicans’ objective! (7)
SCRAPER – The republications might well want to SCRAP ER!
2d Take possession of girl with kiss (5)
ANNEX – ANNE (girl) and X (a kiss).
3d Legendary queen always visiting African country briefly (9)
GUINEVERE – Insert EVER (always) into nearly all of the African country of GUINEa.
4d Ceremony just broadcast (4)
RITE – A homophone (broadcast) of RIGHT (just).
5d Resolution: enact it in some form before start of year (8)
TENACITY – An anagram (in some form) of ENACT IT followed by Y (the start of year).
6d Caught one flushed that’s taken up drink (5)
CIDER – C (caught in cricket scoring) I (one) followed by (taken up in a down clue) a reversal of RED (flushed).
7d Song concerning idle fellow (8)
LAYABOUT – LAY (a short idyllic song) plus ABOUT (concerning).
8d Engineers fast to yield (6)
RELENT – Follow the abbreviation for the Royal Engineers – RE with LENT (the period when we are supposed to fast).
14d Small person making an impression as an athlete (8)
SPRINTER – S (small) plus PRINTER (person making an impression).
16d European town like Barcelona in vogue documentary (9)
REPORTAGE – Barcelona is a PORT which, with E for European, should be inserted into RAGE (all the rage, in vogue).
17d Point to titles being edited (8)
STILETTO – An anagram (being edited) of TO TITLES.
18d Bashful takes Doc’s stuff — that’s funny (6)
COMEDY – Insert MED (the abbreviation for medicine (Doc’s stuff) – doctor being abbreviated to Doc in the clue indicates that we need an abbreviation in the solution – into COY (bashful).
20d Harry and Mary to get job on farm (7)
YARDMAN – Harry is used here as an anagram indicator, telling us to rearrange AND MARY.
22d Passage taken from Zola is legible (5)
AISLE is hidden (taken from) ZolA IS LEgible.
24d Hotel broadcast legal documents (5)
RITZ – The second use of ‘broadcast’ as a homophone indicator. This time WRITS or legal documents sound like the RITZ hotel.
25d Object to intellectual (4)
MIND – Another double definition – as a verb it means to object to; as a noun, an intellectual or clever person.
I think I’m back on Sunday duty properly now – I’ll be back in due course.