DT 27361

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27361

A full review by crypticsue

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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***

A typical  Cephas puzzle with lots of his usual  anagrams.   Didn’t take long to solve which was quite handy for a busy Saturday in the run up to the Festive Season.

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Across

1a           One might have stock to sell (7)
FLORIST – stock here being a heavily scented garden flower.

5a           Muslim leader’s free to make a comeback somewhere in Morocco (6)
AGADIR –   AGA (Muslim leader) followed by a reversal (comeback) of RID (free).

9a           Discover passengers crossed by bridge (8)
OVERPASS is hidden in (crossed by)   discOVER PASSengers.

11a         Off hurried Spanish hero (6)
RANCID –   RAN (hurried) and CID (El Cid, the Spanish hero).

12a         Article about unknown author (4)
ANON –   AN (indefinite article) and ON (about)

13a         Made more sour beer in Eastern Mediterranean (10)
EMBITTERED –   Insert BITTER (beer) in between E (eastern) and MED (Mediterranean).

14a         Red leaders so perplexed by undercover instructions (6,6)
SEALED ORDERS are an anagram(perplexed by) of RED LEADERS SO.

17a         Dismantle empty box, revealing series of drawings (5,7)
STRIP CARTOON –    STRIP (dismantle) followed by a CARTON (box) into which is inserted  O (nothing put in, so empty!).

21a         Bridge — after shuffle, ace is held by academic or cleric (10)
ARCHDEACON –   ARCH (bridge) followed by DON (academic) into which has been inserted an anagram (after shuffle) of ACE.

22a         Expected to accommodate king or nobleman (4)
DUKE –   Insert K (accommodate King) into DUE (expected).

23a         Raymond failing to start faulty generator (6)
DYNAMO –   An anagram  (faulty) of RAYMOND, once you have removed the first letter (failing to start).

24a         Strike loafer (8)
LAYABOUT –    LAY ABOUT or strike someone (about the head, for instance) go together  to make an idle person.

25a         Make known Tony’s suffering with condition internally (6)
NOTIFY –   An anagram (suffering) of TONY with IF (a condition) inserted (internally).

26a         Learner left daughter by waterway (1-6)
L-DRIVER –   L (left) D (daughter) RIVER (waterway).

Down

2d           The Parisian seller’s perfume (8)
LAVENDER –   LA (the French (Parisian) word for the) and VENDER (an alternative way of spelling vendor, seller).

3d           About to organise second showing (5)
RERUN –  RE (about) and RUN (organise)

4d           Common plant in the main? (7)
SEAWEED –   A cryptic definition of a plant found everywhere in the ocean (main).

6d           Throttle needed when entrance is blocked by rubbish (7)
GAROTTE –   Insert ROT (rubbish) into GATE (entrance).

7d           Tableware ten diners ordered (6,3)
DINNER SET –   An ordered anagram of TEN DINERS.

8d           One attacks King to support Queen (6)
RAIDER –   R(Rex, King) AID (support)and ER (the current Queen’s cipher).

10d         Diving boat on river trapped by current from a hot region (11)
SUBTROPICAL –   SUB (submarine, diving boat)  and TOPICAL (current) with R (river) trapped or inserted.

15d         Three also involved become disillusioned (4,5)
LOSE HEART –  An involved  anagram of THREE ALSO.

16d         Annoyingly self-confident and certain to get the bird first (8)
COCKSURE –   COCK precedes (get the bird first) SURE (certain).

18d         Hastily announce: ‘Dance cancelled’ (4,3)
REEL OFF –  To utter rapidly and fluently sounds like you might be calling off a reel (dance).

19D        Andy and one other become cross (7)
ANNOYED –   An anagram (other) of ANDY and ONE

20d         Draw fish in study (6)
CRAYON –   Insert a RAY (fish) into CON (a verb meaning to study carefully).

22d         Originally desert, ultimately becoming an international Gulf city (5)
DUBAI is found in the ‘original’ letters of Desert Ultimately Becoming An International.

I am sure I will see you tomorrow but if not, Seasons Greetings  to Cephas and Mrs C too.