DT 27576

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27576

A full review by crypticsue

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

This puzzle was published on Saturday, 23rd August 2014

A lot of moans and groans on the day about difficulty and enjoyment level, with comparisons being made with the previous week’s prize puzzle.   Having written the reviews for both probably makes me in a good position to compare and contrast – I didn’t find a lot of difference – both took me the same time to solve and the enjoyment rating is the same.  Spotting that this one is a pangram and smiling at some of the grumpy comments did add to the entertainment.

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

4a           React to scrap and join in? (4,4)
TAKE PART –   TAKE means to deal with or react in a particular way and a PART is a scrap of something.

8a           Hit second three-wheeler (6)
STRIKE –   S (second) and TRIKE (three-wheeled cycle).

9a           Drunk sees unknown staff in local, known for more money than sense? (5,3)
ESSEX MAN –   An anagram (drunk) of SEES followed by X (a mathematical ‘unknown’) and MAN (staff).

10a         Junior will go round extraterrestrial route in plane (8)
JETLINER –   The abbreviation for junior – JR – goes round ET (extraterrestrial) and LINE (route).

11a         Believe    it’s time one’s got to pay (6)
CREDIT –   CREDIT can mean to believe something or describe a financial arrangement where you have time to pay off a debt.

12a         Being ready to accept pound found in old cape (8)
OPENNESS –   O (old) PEN (pound, enclosure) and NESS (cape).

13a         Hurry back with bandage for infant (8)
NURSLING –   A reversal (back ) of RUN (hurry) followed by a SLING (bandage).

16a         Pamphlet by one getting paid is to keep going (8)
PROTRACT –   PRO (professional, one getting paid) and TRACT (pamphlet).

19a         Waste of energy, getting loud and talking freely (8)
EFFLUENT –   E (energy) F (musical instruction to play loudly) and FLUENT (talking freely).

21a         A palm’s analysed to reveal what’s in the blood (6)
PLASMA is an anagram (analysed) of A PALMS.

23a         Passenger made upset when collected by chance (4,4)
LAME DUCK –   an anagram (upset) of MADE is inserted into (collected by) LUCK (chance).

24a         Complaint — fruit’s repeating, we hear (4-4)
BERI-BERI sounds like (we hear) BERRY BERRY (fruit repeating).

25a         Injury needs no lies concocted (6)
LESION is an anagram (concocted) of NO LIES.

26a         Animal in stall with another animal (8)
HEDGEHOG – HEDGE (stall, be evasive) and HOG (another animal).

Down

1d           A short-term worker’s put in double time and endeavour (7)
ATTEMPT – A (from the clue) is followed by two Ts (double T for time) between which is inserted a TEMP (short-term worker).

2d           Player and musician eating in (9)
VIOLINIST –   If you insert IN from the clue (eating in) into a VIOLIST (musician) you get another player of a stringed instrument.

3d           Meeting with party of South Africans in area round cathedral (6)
SEANCE –   The ANC (South African political party) inserted into SEE (diocese, ‘area’ round cathedral)

4d           Nobody knows what happens on bank holidays! (6,2,7)
THERE’S NO TELLING –   Because the banks are shut so the bank tellers don’t do their usual job.

5d           Eddy needs light touch to open lock at the front (4-4)
KISS-CURL –   KISS (light touch) and CURL (eddy).

6d           Little person‘s pictures, in other words (5)
PIXIE – PIX (an informal word for photographs) followed by IE (id est, that is to say, in other words).

7d           Clearing ground, but not about to put in new order (7)
REALIGN – An anagram (ground) of CLEARING once you have removed the C (not circa, about).

14d         £51 perhaps is extortionate initially for puree (9)
LIQUIDISE –   LI (the Roman numerals for 51) QUID (slang for a pound) IS (from the clue) and E (the initial letter of extortionate.

15d         Tarzan, he is out of place in Middle East town (8)
NAZARETH –   An anagram (is out of place) of TARZAN HE.

17d         Take over from king attended by two Biblical characters (7)
RELIEVE – R (Rex, king) followed by two Old Testament characters, ELI the priest, and EVE, the first woman on Earth.

18d         Criticise cricket side’s clanger in Rugby (5-2)
KNOCK-ON – KNOCK (criticise) and ON (one of the side’s of a cricket field) – apparently it is against the rules in rugby to knock the ball forward with the hand or arm.

20d         Household pest — I am unfortunately being circled (6)
FAMILY – An anagram (unfortunately) of I AM circled by a FLY (pest).

22d         Music from southern side of stage (5)
SWING – S (southern) and WING (side of stage).

 

Thanks to our setter – Cephas I presume.   If all goes to plan (well the Gnome is back from his holiday!) I should be next here in a week’s time with another Saturday Prize Puzzle review.