Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2840
A full review by crypticsue
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BD Rating – Difficulty **/*** – Enjoyment ****
This puzzle was published on Sunday, 20th March 2016
Another lovely Sunday puzzle – lots of lurkers and other trademark clues – but my favourite is 24d
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Across
1a Reacted to foul play in game, having initiated trick (8)
WHISTLED – WHIST (game) LED (having initiated trick in whist)
9a Articles of protective clothing in war are badly needed (8)
RAINWEAR – An anagram (badly) of IN WAR ARE
10a Urgent request from top leaders or people appointed (4)
PLEA – This urgent request can be found lurking not once but twice – toP LEAders or peoPLE Appointed.
11a Getting better with unorthodox cure, gym activity helping (12)
RECUPERATION – An anagram (unorthodox) of CURE followed by PE (gym activity) and RATION (helping)
13a A learner, in loud argument, raised voice (8)
FALSETTO – A (from the clue) and L (learner) inserted between F (loud) and SET TO (argument)
15a Enlist and begin fighting (6)
ENGAGE – This can mean enlist and, in the military, begin an action against.
16a The writer adds second note, reduced by 60% (4)
MEMO – ME (the writer) MO (second) – MEMO being 40% of a 10-letter MEMORANDUM.
17a Backed up attempt, being assertive (5)
PUSHY – A reversal (backed) of UP followed by SHY (attempt)
18a It’s needed by diplomat, actually (4)
TACT – Another lurker – diplomaT ACTuallly
20a Straightforward shot for model (6)
SITTER – An easy shot or someone who models for an artist.
21a Constable’s superior, American painter said (8)
SERGEANT – ‘said’ indicating a homophone of the surname of the American painter John Singer SARGENT.
23a Fast mode of transport put in front of school (7,5)
EXPRESS TRAIN – EXPRESS (put) TRAIN (school)
26a Country‘s anger, as expressed in blog? (4)
EIRE – Anything on the web usually is an e- something, eg email, so here – e anger would be E IRE.
27a County having season, as American says, that’s failure (8)
DOWNFALL – DOWN (one of the Six Counties of Northern Ireland) FALL (what the Americans call autumn).
28a Test ground with it for authority (8)
LORDSHIP – LORDS (cricket ground where test matches are played) HIP (with it)
Down
2d Assisting partner, get ample home partly set up (8)
HELPMATE – This craftily reversed (set up in a down clue) lurker was my last one in. It is found, partly, in gET AMPLE Home.
3d Marksman notes part of face (12)
SHARPSHOOTER – SHARPS (musical notes) HOOTER (a slang term for a nose, especially a large or ugly one)
4d Window that’s needed for theatre opening (6)
LANCET – A narrow pointed window or a surgical instrument used to open the site of a surgical operation.
5d Who, for example, gets work in decline? (4)
DROP – DR (Who, for example) OP (work)
6d Fellow that is caught in bank in violent fashion (8)
FIERCELY – F (fellow) IE (that is) plus C (caught) inserted in RELY (bank).
7d Source of special fare, reduced, as I went first to North (4)
DELI – The abbreviated (reduced) way we refer to a shop selling specialized food is a reversal (to north) of I LED (I went first)
8d Redesigned patterns for part of church (8)
TRANSEPT – An anagram (redesigned) of PATTERNS.
12d Characteristic of close-knit group to understand her point (12)
TOGETHERNESS – TO (from the clue) GET (understand) HER (from the clue) NESS (point)
14d Place offering respite from old fool grabbing one (5)
OASIS – O (old) ASS (fool) grabbing I (one)
16d Wrongly advises girl about heavy metal (8)
MISLEADS – MISS (girl) goes ‘about’ LEAD (heavy metal)
17d French citizen having change of air in Spain, possibly (8)
PARISIAN – an anagram (change of) AIR inserted into another anagram (possibly) of SPAIN.
19d New composition for cornet among 101 musical works (8)
CONCERTI – An anagram (new composition for) CORNET inserted into C I (101 in Roman numerals)
22d Kind of book, one of those author writes for (6)
READER – A reading book or someone an author hopes will buy their book.
24d Pirate fighter protecting wife for weakest man on board (4)
PAWN – This clue gets the ‘favourite’ top spot as I just loved the “Pirate fighter” – Peter PAN ‘protecting’ the abbreviation for Wife.
25d Utter hero of some central Europeans (4)
TELL – A verb meaning to utter or a Swiss hero.
S1
Oh dear! What passes as our ‘filing system’ seems to have gone wrong. I can find lots of old Sunday crosswords and last Sunday’s but not this one.
I can’t remember much about it other than being completely mystified as to why my 26a was right.
I know that I can safely say that I enjoyed it very much because I always enjoy Sunday crosswords so thanks to Virgilius and to CS.
Eire, brilliant. Ta to the usual culprits. When my house move works out, and now I can access the site …… keep you all posted. 2000 books gone to charity boo hoo, not posting as much as usual but will do soon, imminent house move eek