Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27515
Hints and tips by Deep Threat
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Bonjour from Camping Le Frejus in the South of France, where the temperature has been in the low 30s every day – rather reducing one’s inclination to go sightseeing.
A pretty standard Giovanni this week, with a couple of cricket references, some science, and no particularly obscure words.
In the hints below, the definitions are underlined.
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
2a I’m loyal, party having got involved in a bit of old-fashioned drama (8,4)
{ MORALITY PLAY } Anagram (having got involved) of I’M LOYAL PARTY.
8a Black mineral in hole (4)
{ BORE } Black followed by the crude material from which a metal may be extracted.
9a Very small country — it has hidden energy (8)
{ VITALITY } An abbreviated (small) form of Very followed by a European country – the one I was in last week – with IT (from the clue) hidden inside.
10a Offensive doctor given medal — one kept in bedroom? (8)
{ WARDROBE } Put together a major military offensive, an abbreviation for doctor, and an honour handed out at New Year or the Queen’s Birthday.
11a Amount of temporary accommodation given to old lover (6)
{ EXTENT } A former lover followed by a piece of camping equipment.
12a Bird or spider unfortunate old woman swallowed? (10)
{ FLYCATCHER } “She swallowed the spider to — the —. But I don’t know why she swallowed the —“.
13a Makes improvements to this writer in final bits (6)
{ EMENDS } The pronoun signifying ‘this writer’ inside the final bits or last things.
16a Vegetable supplied by place in Somerset (5)
{ CHARD } Double definition, the first being a leafy vegetable with green or red stalks much loved by fancy food writers.
17a Greek and German meeting in cave (6)
{ GROTTO } An abbreviation for GReek followed by a German name.
18a Cope with duress somehow in legal administration (3,7)
{ DUE PROCESS } Anagram (somehow) of COPE and DURESS.
21a Holy person got old and performed publicly? (6)
{ STAGED } The common abbreviation for a holy person followed by ‘got old’.
23a Pessimistic resident has limited say (8)
{ NEGATIVE } The Latin abbreviation for ‘say’ or ‘for example’ inside a resident of a place, especially one born there.
24a One hut is constructed for dwarf (8)
{ OUTSHINE } Anagram (constructed) of ONE HUT IS, giving a verb meaning to dwarf or put in the shade.
25a We in Calais must show common sense (4)
{ NOUS } Double definition: the French for ‘we’; or a word from the Greek meaning common sense.
26a Dances — ten got nasty sort of drug (12)
{ DECONGESTANT } Anagram (nasty) of DANCES TEN GOT. Something to treat a blocked nose with.
Down
1d Extra wealthy person keeping everyone under (2-4)
{ NO-BALL } An extra at cricket is made up of a wealthy person or toff followed by a word for everyone.
2d Beggar‘s confession about inability to put things right? (9)
{ MENDICANT } How Yoda might say that he can’t repair something broken.
3d Dismissed a Parisian in the course of disturbance (3,3)
{ RUN OUT } One of the ways of being dismissed in cricket. Put the French for ‘a’ inside a disturbance or defeat.
4d Even temper that’s necessary for one learning deportment with books aloft! (5-10)
{ LEVEL-HEADEDNESS } Cryptic definition: a useful attribute for someone being made to walk with books balanced on the head.
5d Gate there dangling — not entirely fixed (8)
{ TETHERED } Hidden (not entirely) in the clue.
6d One in secret scheme who will get things off the ground? (5)
{ PILOT } The Roman numeral for one inside a secret scheme or plan.
7d Bizarre idea about cold metal being radioactive element (8)
{ ACTINIDE } Anagram (bizarre) of IDEA wrapped around Cold and a metal, giving the class name of a set of radioactive elements.
14d Performer in river, wounded worker (9)
{ EXECUTANT } Put together a river in Devon, a word ofr wounded, and one of the usual workers.
15d Stick out for short time, discourteous to others (8)
{ PROTRUDE } Put together the Latin word for ‘for’, an abbreviation for Time, and a word meaning discourteous to others.
16d Cooking a couple of fish by the sound of it (8)
{ CODDLING } Something that sounds like the name of a fish, followed by another fish.
19d Queen of island beset by mounting fury (6)
{ REGINA } Reverse (mounting, in a Down clue) a word for fury and put Island inside it to get the Latin word for queen.
20d Taste that’s acidic getting Virginia upset inside (6)
{ SAVOUR } Reverse (upset) the abbreviation for the state of Virginia inside a word for acidic.
22d Bit of time soldier’s taken over making device (5)
{ GISMO } Put the abbreviation for an American soldier, plus the ‘s in front of a shortened word for a short time.
The Quick Crossword pun {BRIGHTON }{ EARLY } = { BRIGHT AND EARLY }
I found this one of the easiest Friday crosswords for a long time. For some reason, the cricket reference in 1d totally escaped me, so that was my last in, pushing difficulty to 2*’s. Overall 2*/3* for me. Thanks to compiler.
I’d completed all of this before getting out of bed! Apart from… 1 down. Huge cricket fan but the penny got well and truly stuck before it eventually dropped! Favourite clue 2 down.
Two clues, 8a and 14d, left at lights out last night which went in easily this morning – not sure why they did not go in last night, other than 14d was a little contrived (I thought). **/*** for me too. Favourite 1d.
Thank you DG – I agree with the above comments. Obviously one of your user friendly offerings ! Last one in 1d – great clue and quite a while before the penny dropped. Thanks DT for your review and glad you have lovely weather. Before our recent trip to Sorrento we were urged by our friends to go up Vesuvius, go round Pompeii and Herculaneum etc, but like you felt that it was just too hot to be doing all that. We had a lovely time sitting in the sun doing the crossword and swimming
You missed three treats then – especially Herculaneum.
Thank you CS – can I add 2 more missed treats – Capri and Ischia ? In mitigation we have been to Pompeii and Herculaneum many years ago, but the trek up Vesuvius now seems unlikely due to advancing years ! I did notice in the leaflets that you can now go up in a 4 x 4 !! It all sounds like a very good excuse to go again
Haven’t been to Ischia but agree about Capri. And you also missed Ravello on the Amalfi Coast.
We did stay in Amalfi about 4 years ago and went up to Ravello in the red bus for lunch ! Also did the boat trip down the coast to Positano. Are you prepared to take over from Citalia as our official tour manager ?
We love going to Italy – people, weather, food, wine……all of that !
Quite enjoyed this puzzle, and agree with the **/***,took ages to equate dwarf with the solution to 24a,was looking for a Nieblung or its ilk ! and the wordplay of 23 across evaded me ,thanks DT-must be the heat . Can hear Yoda uttering 2d-nice thought.DT.
Unlike the above , I didn’t find it easy at all and resorted to Deep Threats clues several times.Favourite :9a.Thanks to all concerned.
Thanks to Giovanni and to Deep Threat for the review and hints. A very enjoyable puzzle to end the week, a bit on the gentle side. New words for me in 7&14d, but managed to get them from the wordplay. Needed the hints to parse 23&25a and 19d. Favourite was 7d. Was 2*/3* for me. Very hot in Central London.
I enjoyed this one very much. Thanks to Giovanni, and to Deep Threat.
Gentle but enjoyable thank you Giovanni and DT.
The Toughie is worth a go too – it isn’t particularly Fridayish at all.
I loved the the hint for 2d thank you DT , I’m smiling as I type this.
I found it difficult and could not have done it without the Hints and Tips. Perhaps my brain has decided to go AWOL on this beautiful sunny day.
Very enjoyable, thank you Giovanni and DT
With you there, it made us roar with laughter.
Good fun – not too difficult – well, I completed it without any assistance so it can’t be that hard!
I agree **/*** for me. All done without hints which is unusual for a Friday for me. Favourite was 10a for its simplicity.
For some reason 8a felt like I’d missed something but seems not.
Thanks to Giovanni and DT as always.
I agree totally with CS, gentle but enjoyable, thanks to Giovanni and DT. ( I agree about the Notablis toughie also)
Easy apart from one down. Wealthy = misleading since nob usually means important/toffish w/o connotation of cash
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Managed without hints today, so agree with many of the above comments. 1down was last one in for us. Thank you to the setter and to DT in France ( lucky man).
Great fun, it even has a science clue for a change and the obligatory cricket clue in 1d (sorry Kath).
As one has come to expert from the Don some very clever clues the best of which for me was 12a.
Now to settle and watch the rest of the 1st Test.
Thx to the Don and to DT even if for once I didn’t need his/her excellent clues.
Thanks for thinking of me, Brian, particularly as there were two cricket clues today.
I did them though.
I agree with Carrie and Una and didn’t find it as easy as the rest of you. At least 3* difficulty and the same for enjoyment.
Having done a lot of it I got completely bogged down in the bottom right corner which took me ages – not sure why now.
14d was a new word for me and I wasn’t familiar with 18a either.
On the plus side I did, for once, manage the two “crickety” clues without too much trouble.
I liked 12 and 25a and 4 and 16d. My favourite was 2d.
With thanks to Giovanni and to Deep Threat, specially for bothering to do hints on holiday.
Very hot and sunny in Oxford – ought to cut grass but . . .
This was a tad too easy for my liking. The small number of write ins put in on the first read through gave good checking letters which led to write ins on the second read through. After that it was just picking them off one by one. A nice all round puzzle though. I thought this week was the easiest week for ages. My clue of the week from Monday’s Rufus. High light. Low point. (4)
I’ve been camping in Frejus – I’m very jealous it’s gorgeous down there.
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I usually find the crosswords start with a mild Monday offering and get progressively harder as the week progresses. I must say this is this is the smoothest week I have had for a long time and the offering today did not trouble me much and did not need the hints. I would consider this to be 2*/3* Thanks to Deep Threat for the review.
A delightful brain-teaser which didn’t present too many problems however I do agree with others re 1d – wealthy? – ‘go tall’ crossed my mind. I personally look forward to perhaps one day having a cryptic completely devoid of anagrams – I wonder if there are any kindred spirits? ***/***. Thanks Giovanni and Deep Threat.
No – not me re anagrams – they’re always the ones that I do first and sometimes if it’s a tricky one it’s the only way I have a hope in hell of getting started.
Oh dear I’ll have to comment again as I must have pressed “Post Comment” twice so my message was erased. Anyway, it was a delightful brain-teaser without too many hold-ups. ***/***. Thanks Giovanni and Deep Threat. As others I too wonder about 1d – wealthy (?) – go tall crossed my mind. I wonder if just once we might have a cryptic devoid of anagrams – any kindred spirits?
I too found this on the gentle side for a Friday. Thanks to DT and Giovanni **/***
Did most of this sitting in a waiting room at the hospital whilst Mrs O had a chat with a knee surgeon about the ongoing pain and problems since her knee op last October. It seems she is too young for a replacement knee so she has to struggle along for the foreseeable future.
Anyway, back on topic, I enjoyed the puzzle, finishing off the NW corner when we got home. I too was a bit slow to spot the cricket reference in 1d.
3* / 3*
Thanks to the Don for the entertainment and to DT for the review.
This one all came together smoothly for us with Giovanni’s typically elegant cluing. We thought of Kath as we filled in the two cricket clues. So pleased they were not a problem this time. Much enjoyed.
Thanks Giovanni and DT.
I agree with 2*/3*, and would pick 12a as my favourite clue. Thanks to Giovanni, and to DT for the review.