DT 27833

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27833

A full review by gnomethang

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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***

Morning All! Not much to write home about this week – I solved it so quickly that I didn’t really have time to enjoy it. The clues did seem quite pleasant when I wrote the review though.

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    Pieces of eight? Start to find a great deal in the morning (7)
FLOTSAM – The starting letter of Fine followed by LOTS (a great deal) and AM for Morning.

5a    Victorian-era relief from bad statute (4,3)
POOR LAW – A charade of POOR (bad) and LAW (statute).

9a    Wild hair getting this person in a state (5)
MAINE – A MANE of wild hair including (getting) I for this person.

10a    Electronics firm brackets I can reset for device (9)
APPLIANCE – The APPLE electronics firm including (it brackets) an anagram (reset) of I CAN.

11a    Protection for pupils celebrated by girls (10)
SUNGLASSES – A charade of SUNG (celebrated) and LASSES (girls).

12a    Quick kiss for Gregory (4)
PECK – Nice and Easy! A Gregory PECK on the cheek (not the neck!).

14a    Son presently staying at school doing winter sport (12)
SNOWBOARDING – S for Son followed by NOW (presently) and BOARDING (staying at school).

18a    Drink’s dark apparently in industrial place (4,8)
PORT SUNLIGHT – Start with PORT’S (Drink’s including the apostrophe s) and then add UNLIGHT – an odd way of saying (make) dark.

21a    Reported match from Asian country (4)
THAI – A simple homophone (indicated by reported) of e.g. a cup TIE.

22a    Having faulty vision, a blemish to mark endlessly (10)
ASTIGMATIC – A charade of A from the clue, STIGMA for blemish and then all but the ;ast letter (endlessly) of TIC(k) for mark.

25a    Try to catch eccentric knave perhaps (5,4)
COURT CARD – COURT means ‘try to catch’ or woo and then add a CARD for eccentric/wag.

26a    Tipple before a play (5)
DRAMA – A wee DRAM or tipple followed by A from the clue.

27a    Expensive article in French tower (7)
STEEPLE – STEEP for expensive and then LE, an article (the) in French.

28a    Squadron leader has Princess back round — about to get in gin (7)
ENSNARE – Place S (the leading letter in Squadron) inside a reversal (back round) of Princess ANNE and finally add RE for about/reference.

Down

1d    A thousand must tuck in to seafood or starve (6)
FAMISH – Place A and M (A from the clue and M is 1000 in Roman Numerals) inside a FISH/seafood.

2d    Give direction to tenor making detour round island (6)
ORIENT – An anagram (making detour) of TENOR around the outside of I for Island.

3d    What’s suitable punishment for schoolboy breaking in is apparent (10)
SEEMLINESS – Place LINES (a schoolboy punishment) inside SEEMS for ‘is apparent’.

4d    Ace in First World War battle is complaining (5)
MOANS – Place A for Ace (a Bridge abbreviation) inside the battle of MONS.

5d    Liven up Evita with one spicy item (9)
PEPPERONI – A charade of PEP (liven up), Eva PERON and I for one.

6d    Miss old Cambridge college (4)
OMIT – O for Old and then the abb. of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology – yes, the Cambridge is not our own!.

7d    No end of stays — that is, ladieswear (8)
LINGERIE – Remove the last letter (no end) of LINGER(s) and then add I.E. – Id Est or ‘That Is’.

8d    Debris of riotous rag week round about (8)
WRECKAGE – A riotous anagram of RAG WEEK around the outside of C – Circa or ‘about’.

13d    Greek scientist agreed with one of his gods coming round (10)
ARCHIMEDES – Place ARES (a Greek God) around the outside of CHIMED for agreed.

15d    Injured lad winces in old nuclear site (9)
WINDSCALE – A straight anagram , indicated by injured, of LAD WINCES.

16d    Stay during good times then leave abruptly (2,6)
UP STICKS – STICK (stay) inside of UPS or good times (not the downs!).

17d    Large plant cut down by a certain valued friend (8)
TREASURE – Atart with TRE)e) – a large plant that has been cut down and then add A SURE (a certain).

19d    A Scottish inventor with nothing raised capital in America (6)
OTTAWA – A from the clue then James WATT (a Scottish inventor) and then O for nothing, all of which is reversed (raised).

20d    Fight English in difficult situation (6)
SCRAPE – A charade of SCRAP (fight) and E for English.

23d    I long to take in new kind of music (5)
INDIE – Place N for New inside I DIE (I long/to die for).

24d    Prevent vessels keeling over (4)
STOP – A straight reversal (keeling over) of POTS.

Thanks to the setter – I will see you in a couple of weeks.