ST 2752

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2752

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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ****

This puzzle was published on Sunday, 13th July 2014

A big thank you to Virgilius for another fine example of the ‘best puzzle of the week’ –   quite a few double definitions this time but the stand out favourite has to be the laugh-out-loud moment when you ‘get’ 4d.

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Across

1a           No answer in classroom? It’s she that’s upset (14)
SCHOOLMISTRESS –   An anagram (that’s upset) of CLASSROOM ITS SHE once the A has been removed (no Answer).

9a           Acrobat    that can clearly hold a drink (7)
TUMBLER –   A double definition, the first one another word for acrobat, the second a cryptic definition of a type of glass.

10a         Deeply impress European with Northern French accent (7)
ENGRAVE –   E (European) N (northern) and GRAVE (one of the two accents used in the French language).

11a         Cuts    lines in graph at right angles (4)
AXES –   Cuts with an axe; gets rid of employees; or   the lines that intersect at right angles on a graph.

12a         Leaves with scores the miscues ruined (5,5)
SHEET MUSIC –   An anagram (ruined) of THE MISCUES.

14a         Cute animals put down in the ring, unfortunately (6)
KOALAS –   KO (knock out, put down in the [boxing] ring followed by ALAS (unfortunately).

15a         Imprisoned or otherwise punished after swindle (8)
CONFINED –   CON (SWINDLE) and FINED (otherwise punished).

17a         Unconventional painters having old man sit as arranged (8)
DADAISTS –   DAD (old man) followed by an anagram (arranged) of SIT AS.

18a         Puzzle fittingly completed after some steps understood (6)
JIGSAW –   JIG (a dance, some steps) and SAW (understood).

21a         Unbelievable stories are concocted with falsity (5,5)
FAIRY TALES –   An anagram (concocted) of ARE with FALSITY.

22a         What one’s shot, including rook and crow (4)
BRAG – Crow or show off – BAG (a quantity of shot game birds) with R (rook in chess notation) inserted.

24a         Power cut in a part of hospital is inconvenient (7)
AWKWARD – A (from the clue) and WARD (part of hospital) with KW inserted (an abbreviation (cut) for Kilowatt – unit of power).

25a         Small fish — one that’s put over the side (7)
SKIPPER –   S (small) plus KIPPER (fish).

26a         Medicines laid out over counter, finally no longer illegal (14)
DECRIMINALISED –   An anagram (out) of MEDICINES LAID around (over) the final letter of counteR.

Down

1d           Reverse part of defence after some action in court (7)
SETBACK –   a BACK (part of the defence in, eg, a football team) goes after a SET (part of a tennis match –action in court).

2d           Made cash Kremlin converted into revolutionary tools (6,3,6)
HAMMER AND SICKLE –   The emblem of Communism and the former Soviet Union, hence the reference to revolutionary in the clue, is obtained from an anagram (converted into) of MADE CASH KREMLIN.

3d           Reduces friction in Socialism that’s oddly deficient (4)
OILS is found in the even (oddly deficient) letters of sOcIaLiSm.

4d           King Edward, say, as lawgiver? (6)
MURPHY –   An informal word for a potato (of which King Edward is an example) or, as Chambers says, “that one of Sod’s laws by which if something can go wrong, it will”.

5d           Set of bones in knee, lots in bad shape (8)
SKELETON –   An anagram (in bad shape) of KNEE LOTS.

6d           Disreputable child to tease with a cake (10)
RAGAMUFFIN – RAG (tease) A (from the clue) and MUFFIN (cake).

7d           Flag  indications of rank (5,3,7)
STARS AND STRIPES –   The flag of the United States of America or indications or rank on military uniforms.

8d           Fought, in a way,  protected by barrier (6)
FENCED –   Fought with a sword or protected by a barrier.

13d         Tiny changes in volume, a fine novel (6,4)
VANITY FAIR –   V (volume) and A (from the clue) are followed by an anagram (changes) of TINY and then another word for fine –  FAIR .

16d         Organised party dipped into handy source of money haphazardly (2,6)
AT RANDOM  –   ATM (cash point, handy source of money) with RAN DO (organized party) inserted.

17d         Extremes of diverse achievement — best or worst (6)
DEFEAT –   Get the better of –   the outside letters (extremes) of DiversE and FEAT (achievement).

19d         Carried on, holding king or queen, and gambled (7)
WAGERED – Carried on or engaged in, especially war – WAGED with ER (the regnal cipher of either Edward Rex (king) or Elizabeth Regina (queen).

20d         In part, compose a song, such as ‘Summertime‘ (6)
SEASON is hidden in part of compoSE A SONg.

23d         Work as farmer — there’s money in it (4)
TILL – To work land as a farmer might or another word for a cash register.