Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2809
A full review by crypticsue
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BD Rating – Difficulty **– Enjoyment ***
This puzzle was published on Sunday, 16th August 2015
What a difference a week makes – a straightforward solve and a pleasure to enjoy a second time while drafting the review
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought. You can also add your assessment by selecting from one to five best!
Across
1a Minimal salary increase in, for example, good job! (6)
PRAISE – a P (penny) RAISE would definitely be a minimal salary increase!
4a Diverted in midstream, use discretion (6)
AMUSED – Hidden in midstreAM USE Discretion.
8a Revolutionary comrade with little time for non-Communist (8)
DEMOCRAT – An anagram (revolutionary) of COMRADE with T (‘little’ abbreviation for time).
10a Reinforcing piece added to shoe to walk backwards (6)
TOECAP – TO (from the clue) and a reversal (backwards) of PACE (walk).
11a Leading characters in final episode ultimately died in conflict (4)
FEUD – The ‘leading characters’ of Final Episode Ultimately and Died.
12a How to connect painter with craft, say, and establish union (3,3,4)
TIE THE KNOT – This informal way of saying ‘get married’ (establish union) could be an instruction to connect a rope (painter) to a boat (craft).
13a Remaining fish on slate, perhaps, put in the shade (12)
OVERSHADOWED – OVER (remaining) SHAD (fish) OWED (on slate, perhaps).
16a Numbers with other books showing modest talent in novel form (3,9)
OLD TESTAMENT – An anagram (in novel form) of MODEST TALENT
20a Supporter‘s complaint about new player (10)
BENEFACTOR – N (new) inserted into BEEF (complaint) and followed by ACTOR (player)
21a Empty vehicle one gets into (4)
VAIN – I (one) inserted into VAN (vehicle).
22a In addition, having acted as guide inside Spanish city (6)
TOLEDO – LED (having acted as guide) inserted into TOO (in addition).
23a Make change in layout concerning pro wrestling location (8)
REFORMAT – RE (concerning) PRO (for) MAT (wrestling location).
24a Hidden in hotel at entrance, as yet undiscovered (6)
LATENT – As the clue helpfully says, LATENT is hidden in hoteL AT ENTrance
25a Next to piano, song is secondary activity (2-4)
BY-PLAY – BY (next to) P (piano) LAY (song).
Down
1d Maintain quiet and restrained manner (8)
PRESERVE – P (musical notation for quiet) and RESERVE (restrained manner).
2d Admitted, audibly? Just so (5)
ALOUD – Sounds like allowed or admitted but actually (just so) means audibly.
3d Spell another word for sentence (7)
STRETCH – A single spell or an informal term for a prison sentence.
5d He wrote sacred verses in dull fashion (7)
MATTHEW – MATT (dull) HEW (fashion by cutting).
6d Husband in rebuilt home with kids, in part of Arabia (9)
SHEIKHDOM – H (husband) inserted into an anagram (rebuilt) of HOME and KIDS.
7d Idea I dropped on Tory minister (6)
DEACON – Remove the I from IDEA and then add CON (like Tory, another abbreviated way of referring to the Conservative Party).
9d Watch someone like me crossing river as leader, in a fashion (11)
TRENDSETTER – TEND (watch) SETTER (someone like Virgilius [me]) with R (river) inserted.
14d President‘s first lady left in sleeping-place (9)
ROOSEVELT – EVE (first lady on Earth) and L (left) inserted into ROOST (sleeping-place).
15d Close friendship unusually found in main city (8)
INTIMACY – An anagram (unusually found) of MAIN CITY
17d Monster devouring old soldier on horse (7)
DRAGOON – O (old) ‘devoured by’ DRAGON (monster).
18d Wanting to save money, your old clothes split (7)
THRIFTY – THY (an old way of saying your) ‘clothes’ or goes round RIFT (split).
19d Start back and wind up again like this? (6)
RECOIL – A verb meaning to rebound might if written 2-4 mean to wind up again into a coil.
21d Run into small vessel extremely popular with surfers? (5)
VIRAL – The surfers being users of the Internet – R (run) inserted into VIAL (small vessel).
S2
Now I’m getting better at not just hanging on to the old crosswords but remembering where I put them too.
I do remember missing the anagram indicator and so having trouble with 8a.
I also got stuck with 23a – don’t have the first idea about wrestling let alone where they do it.
I liked 22 and 25a and 18d.
Thanks to Virgilius and to CS.
Normal service is resumed with the usual silky-smooth clues. Thanks to Virgilius and to CS for the review. I’ll put 1a, 25a and 18d on my podium.