Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2785
A full review by crypticsue
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BD Rating – Difficulty **– Enjoyment ****
This puzzle was published on Sunday, 1st March 2015
A rare post-Sunday lunch solve for me (I usually can’t wait that long for my Sunday puzzle treat) but I had the usual enjoyable 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
7a Gun show flier rewritten (3,5)
AIR RIFLE – AIR (show) followed by an anagram (rewritten) of FLIER.
9a A ceremonial procedure pronounced correctly (6)
ARIGHT – A homophone (pronounced) of A RITE (a ceremonial procedure).
10a Counsel daughter being securely held? (6)
ADVICE – D (daughter) being securely gripped in A VICE.
11a Part of Europe with leader of French people coming ashore? (8)
FLANDERS – F (leader of French) and LANDERS (people coming ashore).
12a Undertaking to repay money prior to improperly seizing ship (10,4)
PROMISSORY NOTE – An anagram (improperly) of MONEY PRIOR TO and SS (steam ship).
15a Piece of music from America on old piano (4)
OPUS – O (old) P (piano) US (America).
17a Golf club taking women’s side (5)
WEDGE – W (women) EDGE (side)
19a It’s used in leaving a terminal (4)
GATE – Something used when leaving a terminal is hidden in leavinG A TErminal.
20a Unsophisticated types state change covering you and me (7,7)
COUNTRY COUSINS – COUNTRY (state) and COINS (change) the latter covering US (you and me).
23a Asian symbol unknown in work of Kipling (8)
MANDALAY – MANDALA (a pictorial symbol of the universe in Buddhism and Hinduism (Asian symbol) and Y (mathematical unknown).
25a I had nothing invested in very unfriendly and stupid behaviour (6)
IDIOCY – I D (I’d, I had) O (nothing) invested in or inserted into ICY (unfriendly).
27a Emerging from somewhere, now noted celebrity (6)
RENOWN emerges from somewheRE NOW Noted.
28a Crime fatal for victim that’s not common (8)
REGICIDE – The crime of murdering a king (someone who is not common).
Down
1d Some musicians take course that’s not straightforward? Doesn’t sound like it (4)
WIND – Musicians who play wind instruments or a verb meaning to take a winding course – as the clue says, it depends how you pronounce the word as to which definition you require.
2d Pedant’s conclusion is seen in odd statement of the obvious (6)
TRUISM – T (the ‘conclusion’ of pedant) and RUM (odd) into which is inserted IS from the clue.
3d Grumble it’s unacceptable for vegetarian (4)
BEEF – Another double definition – an informal term for a complaint, or meat that I love but the vegetarian Mr CS won’t entertain under any circumstances.
4d Complaint from male upheld by a courteous female (6)
MALADY – M (male) is upheld by (or goes before) A (from the clue) and LADY (courteous female).
5d Way to claim territory, perhaps, for a lark (8)
BIRDSONG – A way in which a bird such as a lark lays claim to its territory.
6d Prince not turning up for dance (10)
CHARLESTON – Prince CHARLES followed by a reversal (turning up in a down clue) of NOT.
8d Woodcutter‘s anxiety understood (7)
FRETSAW – FRET (anxiety) SAW (understood).
13d Was angry about English rugby players being presented in new way (10)
REPACKAGED – RAGED (was angry) put round E (English) and PACK (rugby players).
14d How French chap has notes distributed, not in the usual way (5)
ODDLY – There are some musical notes to be found in FrEnCh ChAp but they aren’t in the usual order of the diatonic scale.
16d Part of instrument found in well-built part of theatre (8)
SOUNDBOX – SOUND (well-built) and BOX (part of theatre).
18d With sweetheart, running? (7)
ELOPING – E (the ‘heart’ of sweet) and LOPING (running).
21d Article left in part of camp that some scouts try to find (6)
TALENT – A (indefinite article) and L (left) inserted into TENT (part of camp)
22d Small person that’s charming, for change (6)
SWITCH – S (small) and WITCH (person that’s charming)
24d Having announced why, are entering okay royal house (4)
YORK – Y and R (‘announced’ homophones of why and are), the R being inserted into OK (okay).
26d Chapter and verse for what’s character-changing? (4)
CODE – C (chapter) and ODE (verse).
S2
So many good clues – I’ll just pick out 18d and 26d as my choice. Thanks to Virgilius and crypticsue.
I seem to remember this being a delight to solve, weekend crosswords are usually a pleasant break from the uphill struggle I have with some of the weekdays. Thanks to Virgilius and CS.
I remember thinking about MP as 3d is absolutely OK for vegetarians if you consider that the animal is vegetarian.
Thanks to CS for the review.
14dn doesn’t quite work for Bach fans, who know that for him H meant B natural, which allowed him to make a musical theme out of his entire last name, and there are two Hs “evenly” distributed in “FrencH cHap”.