ST 2753

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2753

A full review by crypticsue

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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****

This puzzle was published on Sunday, 20th July 2014

Trickier than the previous few Sundays but the usual  real treat of a solve.

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Across

1a           Name in cast not altered, staying the same (8)
CONSTANT –   An anagram (altered) of CAST NOT with N (name) inserted.

9a           Change country as leader of government in Arab state (8)
EMIGRATE –   Insert the ‘leader’ of Government into an EMIRATE (Arab state).

10a         Card is covered by five and ace (4)
VISA –   Insert IS (from the clue) between V (the Roman numeral for five) and A (ace).

11a         Romance that’s transformed in Paris hotel (12)
RELATIONSHIP is a (transformed) anagram of IN PARIS HOTEL.

13a         Strike gets cancelled — finish work (5,3)
KNOCK OFF –   KNOCK (strike, hit) and OFF (cancelled).

15a         Put off about one person who’s determined to lose (6)
DIETER –  Insert I (one) into DETER (put off).

16a         Undergarment   seen in strip? (4)
SLIP –   A type of petticoat or a fielding position in a game of cricket (in strip? referring to the cricketer perhaps being in his team uniform, presumably those coloured ‘pyjamas’ they were when they aren’t dressed in proper cricket whites).

17a         Poet in residence reading or writing (5)
HOMER – HOME (in residence) and R (reading and writing being two of the 3 R’s).

18a         Both wings in party after party becoming stupid (4)
DOPY –   DO (party) followed by both ‘wings’ or outside letters of PartY.

20a         Key player as something that may affect result (6)
FACTOR –   The musical key of F followed by an ACTOR (player).

21a         Went through again, putting in clue finally made easier (8)
RELIEVED –   The final letter of cluE inserted into RELIVED (went through again).

23a         Knowledgable source replacing male editor (4-8)
WELL-INFORMED –   WELL (source) IN FOR (replacing) M (male) ED (editor).

26a         What’s used to make pitch     smoother? (4)
IRON – A cryptic definition of a golf club or an item of household equipment.

27a         Tune again interpreted precisely (8)
READJUST –   READ (interpreted) and JUST (precisely).

28a         Type avoiding risk repeatedly carrying a helmet, for instance (8)
HEADGEAR – HEDGER (type avoiding risk) with two lots of A from the clue  separately inserted  (repeatedly carrying A).

Down

2d           Novel     as inspiration for fictional character (8)
ORIGINAL – In addition to meaning novel, ORIGINAL can also be a real person serving as a model for one in fiction.

3d           Quickly move into South London, say, some company assets (5,7)
SHARE CAPITAL –   S (South) HARE (quickly move) and CAPITAL (London, say, for example).

4d           A line in Merchant of Venice for handsome youth (6)
APOLLO –   A(from the clue) and POLO (Marco Polo, possibly the best known merchant of Venice!) with L (line) inserted.

5d           Finishes off what he has shot, namely big game (4)
TEST – the end letters or ‘finishes’ of whaT hE haS shoT.

6d           Police officer’s command produces breach of the peace (8)
DISORDER – Split 2’1 5 this would be a DI’S (detective inspector’s, police officer’s) ORDER (command).

7d           Some teachers selected a head (4)
EACH –   Hidden in some of tEACHers.

8d           Females celebrating, exuberant about new piano (3,5)
HEN PARTY – N (new) and P (piano) inserted into HEARTY (exuberant).

12d         Understand about pupil initially being afraid of fast word-processing? (5,7)
SPEED READING –   SEE (understand) with P (the initial letter of Pupil) inserted followed by DREADING (being afraid of), the result  split 5,7.

14d         Bone the setter held up, wrapped warmly? (5)
FEMUR –   A reversal of ME (the setter) wrapped warmly inside some FUR.

16d         Foresaw changes, over time, in programs (8)
SOFTWARE –   An anagram (changes) of FORESAW over ( or inserted)  T (time)

17d         Aggressive speech organised in main part of Dutch city (8)
HARANGUE –   RAN (organized) inserted into the HAGUE (Dutch city).

19d         Possibly the polar opposite of scarcity (8)
PLETHORA –   An anagram (possibly) of THE POLAR.

22d         Foreign character English author ‘ad turned up (6)
LAMBDA –   A Greek letter (foreign character) -LAMB (English author) followed by a reversal (turned up in a down clue) of AD (from the clue).

24d         Idle    brains (4)
LOAF –   A double definition – a verb meaning to pass time idly, or Cockney rhyming slang for the head or brains.

25d         Insert in coat had darn, for example (4)
OATH –   And another hidden word to finish –   Darn is an example of a curse or OATH which can be found inserted into cOAT Had.

 

Gnomey’s week off this week so I’ll be back in the morning with the review of last Saturday’s Prize Puzzle.