DT 27444

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27444

A full review by gnomethang

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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***

This puzzle was published on Saturday 22nd March 2014

Morning All!. I think that this was a Cephas production. The usual quality of clues that I found quite entertaining.

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           He enters garrison with meat likely to be cut (3,3,4)
FOR THE CHOP – Place HE from the clue inside a FORT (garrison)  and CHOP (meat – FORT (HE) CHOP.

6a           What teachers do for money no longer (4)
MARK – The old German pre-Euro currency.

8a           Lords perhaps being led by mild boozer (8)
ALEHOUSE – Place ALE (Mild being one example) in front of (is leading) HOUSE as in the House of Lords/Upper HOUSE.

9a           Take stock of a new formula for Ulster (6)
RUSTLE – an anagram (a new formula for) ULSTER

10a         Number of starting places on the links or on the wagon (8)
TEETOTAL –Cryptically, the number oftees (starting places on a Links Golf course for example) might be the Tee Total.

11a         Physical state, that of fellows often being drunk? (6)
HEALTH – A toast of health with fellows often drinking to it.

12a         Woman from Limerick, say, without husband (4)
IRIS – Remove the H for Husband from IRIS(h) i.e. someone from Limerick for example.

14a         Moan about Richard endlessly wandering (7)
NOMADIC – An anagram (about of MOAN followed by DIC(k) the diminutive of Richard without its ending.

18a         Upper limit’s closing up for vocalist (7)
CEILING – A homophone (for the vocalist) of SEALING (closing up).

20a         Celebrity from Latin America (4)
NAME – Hidden word (indicated by ‘from’) in the last two words.

23a         Architectural feature that could leave you cold, we hear (6)
FRIEZE – Another homophone (we hear) of FREEZE – the icy snap that could make you cold.

24a         Letter that has one’s address? (8)
LANDLORD – A cryptic definition – better pay the rent as he knows where you live!.

25a         Timid person takes care of district (6)
COWARD – A charade of C/O (the abbreviation for Care Of) and a WARD or electoral district

26a         Someone who presses a suit for favour (8)
ADVOCATE – The first definition is the lawyer, the second is a verb meaning to endorse or be in favour of.

27a         Actual money (4)
REAL – Another two definitions – actual the first and the Brazilian currency for the second.

28a         Drug for soothing of French media worker (10)
DEPRESSANT – A charade of DE (of in French) then PRESS (the media) and finally a worker ANT.

Down

1d           French battle division (8)
FRACTION –  A charade of FR (abb. For French) and then ACTION or battle.

2d           Apply to acquire eastern joint (6)
REEFER – REFER (to apply) receives/acquires E for Eastern.

3d           Jinx is hard on daughter in love repeatedly (6)
HOODOO – H for Hard on top of (on in a down clue) D for daughter surrounded by repeats of O for Love.

4d           Volunteers in Corsica to travel in another country (5,4)
COSTA-RICA – The Volunteers are the TA or Territorial Army. Place them inside an anagram (to travel) of CORSICA.

5d           Buy tea bag outside (8)
PURCHASE – CHA (tea) with a PURSE (bag) around the outside.

6d           Rising total with kitty to go on the Spanish wine (8)
MUSCATEL – Reverse (rising) a SUM (total) and then add  (is going on top of) a CAT (kitty) and EL – ‘the’ in Spanish.

7d           Maybe brother Rex is on ecstasy (8)
RELATION – R for Rex (King in Latin) and ELATION or Ecstasy.

13d         Cleaner I’d recollected being a northern islander (9)
ICELANDER – An anagram (recollected) of CLEANER I’D. Bit of a shame that islander was part of the definition as it is rather close to the answer.

15d         Fate of one who didn’t take just what the doctor ordered (8)
OVERDOSE – My favourite clue and last one in. If you don’t follow the doctors order of the correct dosage!.

16d         Without any followers nevertheless (5,3)
AFTER ALL – If you have no followers (and are last) then you are AFTER ALL (the others).

17d         Destined for the match (8)
INTENDED – A semi all-in-one clue in which a verb meaning destined could also be a noun meaning someone destined for the match or marriage

19d         Treading to get change in bank (8)
GRADIENT – An anagram (to get change) of TREADING. Bank here is an incline.

21d         Arousing discredit, being in the red with promises to pay (6)
ODIOUS – A charade of the abbreviation OD for Overdrawn and then IOUS – promises to pay.

22d         One’s played and lad’s given a word of thanks (6)
SONATA – A charade of SON (lad) and then A TA (A word of thanks).

Thanks to the setter for the puzzle. I will see you all next Friday morning.