Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2757
A full review by crypticsue
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BD Rating – Difficulty */** – Enjoyment ****
This puzzle was published on Sunday, 17th August 2014
It didn’t take me long to solve this Sunday puzzle but, as usual, much fun was had while doing so.
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 Making another appearance in theatre? (7,7)
PLASTIC SURGERY – A cryptic definition of a face-changing operation.
9a Serial broadcast before or after one from part of Middle East (7)
ISRAELI – An anagram (broadcast) of SERIAL plus an I (one) – you can choose whether you want to put this I before or after the rearranged letters.
10a Host mangled and consumed by lion in African enclave (7)
LESOTHO – An anagram (mangled) of HOST consumed by or inserted into LEO the lion.
11a Gold braid, initially part of royal regalia (3)
ORB – OR (the heraldic term for gold) and B (braid initially).
12a Bad behaviour in stag party, in part (11)
MALEFACTION – MALE (stag) and FACTION (party) – a FACTION being part of a larger group or party.
14a Note altered by doctor put in grave situation (6)
ENTOMB – An anagram (altered) of NOTE followed by an MB (Bachelor of Medicine, doctor).
15a Go from nine to five, say, as covered by official order (8)
DECREASE – Five being a smaller number than nine – AS (from the clue) inserted into DECREE (official order).
17a Locate said bishop’s office to get views on holiday (8)
SIGHTSEE – A homophone (said) of SITE (locate) followed by SEE (a bishop’s office).
19a European beer knocked back in feast (6)
REGALE – A reversal (knocked back) of E (European) and LAGER (beer).
22a Giving off glow and awful fouler smell (11)
FLUORESCENT – An anagram (awful) of FOULER followed by a SCENT (smell).
23a Something for elevenses? It’s not quite eleven (3)
TEA – Not quite a TEAM of eleven players.
24a Characters reassembled in an ending for film outside Indian city (7)
ANAGRAM – A word I’ve had to type nine times (if you include the solution) in this review – AN (from the clue) AGRA (Indian city) and M (the ending of film).
26a Adult opponents holding hands in circle (5-2)
GROWN-UP Insert W and N (West and North being opponents holding hands of cards in a game of bridge) into a GROUP (circle).
27a After one season, uninspired play (3,7,4)
THE WINTERS TALE – THE WINTER (one season) and STALE (uninspired).
Down
1d Disorder in pros far worse — they can’t fight any more (9,2,3)
PRISONERS OF WAR is an anagram (disorder) of IN PROS FAR WORSE.
2d Hold up article, in turn, as circus performer (7)
ACROBAT – ROB (hold up) and A (indefinite article) inserted into ACT (turn).
3d Its mercurial rise may indicate need for care (11)
THERMOMETER – A very nice cryptic definition.
4d Hot food repeatedly found, from what we hear, in cold country (6)
CHILLI – CHILLI (hot food) sounds like (from what we hear) CHILLY (cold) and CHILE (country).
5d Life put in disarray, with daughter being given raise (8)
UPLIFTED – An anagram (in disarray) of LIFE PUT followed by the abbreviation for Daughter.
6d CO, for example, leads in generating appropriate strategy (3)
GAS – The leads of Generating Appropriate Strategy tell us that CO (carbon monoxide) is an example of a gas.
7d What lies behind pupil swallowing second drink (7)
RETSINA – Insert S (swallowing Second) into RETINA (which lies at the back of the eye).
8d Reckon English king liberal — that disproves hypothesis (14)
COUNTEREXAMPLE – COUNT (reckon) E (English) REX (king) and AMPLE (liberal).
13d Company run right notices changes and amendments (11)
CORRECTIONS – CO (company) R (run) R (right) and an anagram (changes) of NOTICES.
16d Fellers from west of England having hewn elms in error (8)
WELSHMEN – An anagram (in error) of HEWN ELMS.
18d Journey top-class — secure fare from Hungary (7)
GOULASH – GO (journey) U (upper, top class) and LASH (secure).
20d Part of crustacean or insect upset queen (7)
ANTENNA – ANT (insect) followed by a reversal (upset in a down clue) of Queen ANNE.
21d Inadequate? Some agree, but not all (6)
MEAGRE – It wouldn’t be a Virgilius crossword without a hidden word – it is found in soME AGREe.
25d Argument in bank? Heard otherwise (3)
ROW – Depending on how you say it (heard otherwise) this three letter word can mean an argument or a bank of seats.
Thanks for the super review, Crypticsue. I was stuck on two. As I was late finishing this puzzle, I didn’t comment at the time. I particularly liked 10a, 26a, 3d and 16d. Thanks to Virgilius for all the pleasure his Sunday crosswords give.