Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27618
A full review by gnomethang
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BD Rating – Difficulty *– Enjoyment ***
This puzzle was published on Saturday, 11th October 2014
Morning All!. There were some lovely clues here but I found the amount of straight insertion clues to make the rest a bit of a write-in. Hence one star for the solving time.
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 Curt comedian abandoned without popular support (12)
UNDEMOCRATIC – An anagram (abandoned) of CURT COMEDIAN
9a Woman who’s left Nazi without resentment (7)
HEIRESS – The resentment/anger is IRE. Place Rudolph HESS, a prominent Nazi around the outside
10a Fashionable costumier, poet is dressed by me (7)
MODISTE – Place an ODIST or poet inside (dressed by) ME from the clue.
11a Support protecting single innovator (7)
PIONEER – A PIER/support outside of (protecting) ONE for single.
12a Had too much of composer in regressive act (7)
OVERDID – VERDI, the composer, inside OD, a reversal (regressive) of DO/act.
13a Surrealist shows seabirds with head on wrong end (5)
ERNST – Max, the surrealist artist. Start with TERNS (seabirds) and place the starting letter on the other (wrong) end.
14a Most insist on tucking into French cheese — here? (9)
BRASSERIE – My favourite clue and a semi all-in-one. Most of the word ASSER(t) or insist (in an argument) tucked into BRIE.
16a Ban girl coming out with topless dress (9)
DEBARMENT – A girl who comes out is a debutante or DEB for short. Follow that with (g)ARMENT or a dress with the top removed.
19a Graduate turned equipment to make dyed cloth (5)
BATIK – A BA or Bachelor of Arts followed by the reversal (turned) of KIT or equipment.
21a Old man does up grand buildings (7)
PALACES – A charade of your PA or old man/father followed by LACES – or does up a shoe.
23a Saddle hurtful with one aboard little horse endlessly (7)
PILLION – Take ILL for hurtful and I for one then place inside PON(y) or a small horse with the end letter removed.
24a Tailor lent tie to give style (7)
ENTITLE – An anagram (the instruction is to tailor) LENT TIE.
25a Boy keeps tumbling down mountain (7)
SNOWDON – SON for boy keeping or holding an anagram (tumbling) of DOWN.
26a Bribe with £500 someone to fix things (6,6)
GREASE MONKEY – To GREASE the palm is to bribe. Follow that with a MONKEY (slang for £500).
Down
1d Northern Ireland company aboard vessel finding mythical beast (7)
UNICORN – The abbreviations (abb.) NI for Northern Ireland and CO for Company inside an URN (vessel).
2d Least shallow river — nuisance going under (7)
DEEPEST – The River DEE with a PEST or nuisance going underneath (under in a Down clue).
3d Skinflint fit to be unhappy (9)
MISERABLE – A charade of a MISER/skinflint and ABLE/fit.
4d Appeared ordinary in small role (5)
CAMEO – CAME for appeared and then O, the abb . of Ordinary (from Ordinary Level qualifications).
5d Mini maybe parked by a daughter’s home (7)
ADDRESS – A DRESS (of which a mini is an example) after A (from the clue) and D for Daughter.
6d One shoddily rinsed one’s privy (7)
INSIDER – I for One followed by a shoddy anagram of RINSED. Lucky to have an inside one!.
7d MI5 after tender meat dishes (9,4)
SHEPHERDS PIES – MI5 are the SPIES. Place them after a SHEPHERD or tender (the man who tends the flock).
8d Locating ship’s position accounting for fatalities? (4-9)
DEAD RECKONING – The first is the straight definition and the second is the cryptic i.e. reckoning/counting the DEAD or fatalities.
15d What could be turned into tapas? (9)
ANTIPASTO – A lovely clue and an all-in-one or &Lit!. The starters in italian are an anagram of INTO TAPAS – the starters in Spain.
17d Horse that runs away, perhaps, carrying son’s padded support (7)
A runaway horse (we had one in the pub carpark yesterday evening!) is a BOLTER. Insert S for Son.
18d Sample of apricot tart and soft cheese (7)
RICOTTA – The cheese is hidden in (a sample of) apRICOT TArt.
19d Steer three characters from Istanbul to join Yale, say (7)
BULLOCK – The last three letters (characters) from IstanBUL to join up with LOCK (YALE is a well known lock manufacturer.
20d Half of them drily cooked, as French hens appear at Christmas? (7)
THIRDLY – Half of the word TH(em) followed by an anagram (cooked) of DRILY. The hens came in third after the 2 turtle doves and the pear tree/partridge combo.
22d Kid persuaded by speech (5)
SUEDE – A homophone (by speech) of swayed or persuaded. Shame the homophone is also in the clue!!
I have next week off. Good luck to all the competitors in the Times Crossword Championships tomorrow and I hope to see some of you at the pub down the road in the afternoon.