ST 2811

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2811

A full review by gnomethang

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

This puzzle was published on Sunday, 30th August 2015

Morning All! I solved this on the day then forgot where I put the paper so had to re-solve last night. It wasn’t too tricky but some of the clues needed unwinding in the explanations.

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Across

1a           Turbulent maiden in fiction (6)
STORMY – M for Maiden (from the Cricket abb.) inside a STORY or piece of fiction.

4a           Remarked about cold or hot, with reference to food (6)
SPICED – SPIED (as in saw or remarked upon) around (about) C for Cold on e.g. a basin tap.

8a           The man leading a project to create an airport (8)
HEATHROW – A charade of HE (the man) in front of A from the clue and then THROW or project.

10a         A motorway in the South that passes through London (6)
THAMES – A from the clue and M for Motorway goes into (IN from the clue) THE and S for South – TH(A M)E S

11a         Secure next to river bank (4)
TIER – Place TIE (secure) next to R for River.

12a         Subsequently protected by frantic local security (10)
COLLATERAL – LATER, or subsequently, is inside (protected by) an anagram (frantic) of LOCAL.

13a         French miss cheese passed around with wine about one (12)
MADEMOISELLE – Reverse (pass around) the EDAM cheese and then place a MOSELLE wine around (about) I for one.

16a         Playwright’s including some text not characteristic of hero (12)
COWARDLINESS – The playwright Noel COWARD’S (note the apostrophe ‘S simple means add an S) includes LINES or some text on a page.

20a         Wine or tea with academic, not so long ago (10)
CHARDONNAY – Start with CHAR or tea then add a DON or academic and finally add NAY which means NOT in the past (so long ago!)

21a         Silly person, ultimately without intelligence (4)
TWIT – Nice and short – the ultimate/last letter of (without)T and then WIT for intelligence. Nice and concise.

22a         Weapon is needed in convoluted plot (6)
PISTOL – IS is required to go into an anagram (convoluted) of PLOT.

23a         As sheep may be, but not cattle or horses? Strange (8)
SINGULAR – Ewe can have one sheep in the SINGULAR but not one cattle or horses. The straight definition is a rather Victorian synonym for strange.

24a         Covering up corporal punishment (6)
HIDING – Two definitions, the second a thrashing.

25a         Initially cornered man that is inexperienced fighter (6)
ROOKIE – A lovely spot. The Man or piece on a chessboard who is initially in the corner is a ROOK. Add I.E for ‘That Is’ in Latin.

Down

1d           Read his novel, then new Irish writer (8)
SHERIDAN – An anagram (novel (of READ HIS and then N for New. A good consistent surface reading.

2d           Aquatic animal of type that enjoys river, first of all (5)
OTTER – The original (first of all) letters in Of Type That Enjoys River.

3d           Book’s covering, perhaps, state of Africa (7)
MOROCCO – The first definition was unknown to me as a leather binding/covering on a book. The second is obvious!.

5d           Unexpected problem as female piece of advice upset everyone (7)
PITFALL – Reverse (upset) F for Female and a TIP (piece of advice) and then add ALL or everyone.

6d           Lizard hard to spot in unusually clean home (9)
CHAMELEON – A nice unusual anagram of CLEAN HOME.

7d           Centrally readjust, so to speak, record-player (6)
The central letters of reaDJust – DJ – are an abb. of Disc Jockey or DEEJAY in the vernacular (so to speak).

9d           Original sources bound to be included by English novelist (11)
WELLSPRINGS – I had to look this up to make sure that it was not a two word answer. Place SPRING or bound/leap inside H.G. WELLS the well known Science Fiction Author. Read him!

14d         Selectively quoted, not included without right (9)
EXCERPTED – A clumsy verb. Place EXCEPTED (not included) around (without i.e. on the outside of R for Right.

15d         I’m imprisoned by European country in rough judgment (8)
ESTIMATE – IM from the clue inside E for European and State for country.

17d         Like some yarn that’s spun in court, upset Dickensian heroine (7)
WOOLLEN – To WOO or court and then the reversal (upset) of Little NELL from Dicken’s The Old Curiosity Shop (a tragic literary heroine)

18d         Beat in play in tournament (3,4)
LAY INTO – The hidden answer is IN the last three words of the clue.

19d         Flourish, we hear, as leader of Arabs (6)
SHEIKH – Sounds like (we hear) SHAKE or flourish.

21d         Luggage in main part of plane (5)
TRUNK – Remember that the Plane is a type of tree and the main part is the TRUNK.

Thankls to the setter – now  I WILL be back tomorrow!