Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 28000
A full review by gnomethang
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
This puzzle was published on Saturday, 2nd January 2016
Morning All! Something of a milestone number and a puzzle that I thought was very entertaining. The last couple of clues pushed it into 3-star difficulty.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought. You can also add your assessment by selecting from one to five best!
Across
1a Enthusiast thanks old country endlessly for classic cartoon (8)
FANTASIA – A charade of FAN (enthusiast), TA for thanks and then SIA(m), an old country with the end off.
9a War cry makes less important European retreat in turn (8)
GERONIMO – Reverse (retreat) MINOR E for ‘less important European’ inside a GO for a turn.
10a Fierce reptile injured person, we hear (4)
CROC – The short form of CROC(odile) is also a homophone (we hear) of CROCK or an injured person.
11a Trouble of our sloshed legislators (5,2,5)
HOUSE OF LORDS – An anagram (trouble) of OF OUR SLOSHED.
13a Superior newspapers featuring South American city (8)
PRIORESS – The PRESS or newspapers collectively including(featuring) RIO the South American city. Mother Superior in this case with the capitalisation hidden at the start of the clue.
15a Old city fellow’s emergency (6)
URGENT – The ancient crosswording city of UR (not seen that for a while!) followed by a GENT or fellow.
16a The woman’s love? Probably (4)
HERO – Her (the woman) followed by O for Love/zero. A nice semi-all-in-one.
17a Communist after military intelligence, getting bogged down (5)
MIRED – Place a RED or communist after MI for Military Intelligence (e.g. MI5 or MI6).
18a Doh or ray, me or fah, soh or lah, but …? (4)
NOTE – A nice observational clue. All the notes in the tonic Sol-Fa scale except TE are mentioned – i.e. NO TE.
20a Charge again — reason for linesman to take over (6)
REFILL – If the REFwas ILL then the linesman might take over duties.
21a Motorway dash — a mistake, literally (8)
MISPRINT – A charade of MI for the M1 Motorway and then a SPRINT or dash.
23a Complaint in favour of Victoria perhaps taking note (12)
PROTESTATION – PRO (in favour of) and Victoria STATION including the note TE (from a previous clue!).
26a Cooks deer (4)
DOES – Two definitions – DOE a deer etc!
27a Act Shakespeare informally — it’s seen outside theatre (8)
PLAYBILL – Not a word I was familiar with but an easy charade of PLAY (act) and BILL (William informally) Shakespeare.
28a Condemn level of pay for directors? (8)
EXECRATE – Split as (4,4) to get a RATE or level of pay for an EXEC(utive) or director.
Down
2d Working on Barrie and how we usually see Peter Pan? (8)
AIRBORNE – An anagram (working) of ON BARRIE. Nice given J.M.Barrie is the Author.
3d Coolest thing about engineer (12)
TECHNOLOGIST – Another anagram, this time indicated by ‘about’ of COOLEST THING.
4d Well-dressed timber (6)
SPRUCE – Another double definition that I have seen quite a lot in crosswords.
5d Fit time around university (4)
AGUE – Place AGE (or time period) around U for University. The AGUE being any fit or undefined illness in the Middle Ages.
6d Seriously intellectual teacher on course missing start (8)
PROFOUND – A PROF or teacher followed by a [R]OUND or course/circuit missing its starting letter.
7d One who’s restraining row (4)
TIER – One who ties is a TIER and also a row or rank.
8d I laid in money for piece of meat (8)
NOISETTE – I and SET (I LAID) inside a NOTE for money.
12d Street musician ranging freely needs to be in proper condition (5-7)
ORGAN-GRINDER – Place an anagram (freely) of RANGING inside ORDER for proper condition.
14d Clear off rival of S Coe (5)
SCRAM – S(teve) Cram was a latter rival of S(ebastian) COE.
16d Piece of music needing two instruments (8)
HORNPIPE – The two instruments being a HORN and a PIPE.
17d Material provided by spy’s family (8)
MOLESKIN – A charade of MOLE’S KIN being a spy’s family.
19d Apartment where you’ll find servants, in principle (8)
TENEMENT – Place MEN or servants inside a TENET or principle.
22d Suppress mischievous little fellow — that thing’s upsetting (6)
STIFLE – Reerse (upsetting) a mischievous ELF and ITS (that thing).
24d Test taking turns in four-ball (4)
ORAL – Choose every other letter (taking turns) in fOuR-bAlL.
25d Competent bishop hampered by drink (4)
ABLE – B for Bishop in ALE for Drink.
I remember digging into the depths of my ancient memory for Geronimo and being grateful that was the answer, several other nice touches thank you gnomey for confirming my thoughts. 11a raised a slight giggle
Shame it wasn’t a more celebratory puzzle.
As for 18a – I don’t think you can beat 20a in Toughie 770 as a clue for the word note.
CS, I wonder if you can help me. I have a clue in my mind from many months ago, long before I started reading this blog or before I knew the names/styles of any of the setters. I remember it distinctly because it is elegantly succinct and very amusing in a clever but schoolboy-humour type of way:
Yob outside toilet possibly revealing too much (3-3). Answer: LOw-cUT.
Surely it was a Ray-T effort. Am I right?
Thanks CS, I’ll have a look at that. I meant Ray-T of course.
If you use the ‘Google’ search box at the top RH side of the page, you can usually track down whatever it is you are trying to find on the site.
Thank you CS. Wow, that’s incredible efficiency! You answered my query and pointed me in the right direction in less than 4 minutes of me asking. May 2 2014 and it was Giovanni, not Ray-T.
11a: Technically, the [solution] belong to the judiciary or the judicial arm of government. The legislature – containing legislators – is a different arm of government. An important and fundamental difference.
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