Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 28120
A full review by gnomethang
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
This puzzle was published on Saturday, 21st May 2016
Morning All! I solved this last night having been up at the Rugby League Magic Weekend in Newcastle last weekend. I found it a bit trickier than the last couple of weeks and all the better for it.
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Across
1a British tree with start of Dutch tree rot (10)
BALDERDASH – A charade of B(ritish) the ALDER tree, the start letter in D(utch) and finally the ASH tree.
6a Invites fool to entertain king (4)
ASKS – K for King inside (being entertained by) an ASS or fool.
9a Be glad I supply sarcastic response (3,4)
BIG DEAL – An anagram (supply, in a supply fashion) of BE GLAD I.
10a Person delivering incoherent speech rose (7)
RAMBLER – Two definitions, one who rambles incoherently and trailing/climbing plant typified by the rose.
12a A chum strutted about to make a good impression (3,3,7)
CUT THE MUSTARD – Make an anagram (indicated by about) of A CHUM STRUTTED.
14a Soldiers in gentle address to superior (6)
MILORD – Place OR (Other Ranks, soldiers) inside MILD for gentle.
15a Love books I found in SW county (8)
DEVOTION – O for Love/zero and OT, the Old Testament books in the bible, and I from the clue are all found inside the South West county of DEVON.
17a Coarse humour to tease hard-line Tory about a Liberal (8)
RIBALDRY – RIB for tease then place A L(iberal) before a DRY (a hard line Tory as opposed to the Wets).
19a Treacherous person with support (6)
WEASEL – W for with and then an EASEL or artist’s support for a painting.
22a He exchanged letters to correspond aimlessly about nothing (6,7)
DOCTOR SPOONER – An aimless anagram of TO CORRESPOND around O for nothing/zero.
24a Astronomical features unable to be resolved heading east (7)
NEBULAE – Make an anagram (to resolve) of UNABLE and place in front of (heading) E(ast).
25a Stop publicity happening (7)
PREVENT – Splitting as a P.R. Event gives a publicity which is occurring.
26a What you could get from cafe at school (4)
EATS – A hidden word and the definition is the entire instruction so an All-in-one. You could find food inside cafE AT School and EATS is a slang term for food.
27a Checks little fellow’s piece of embroidery (4,6)
STEM STITCH – A charade of STEMS (checks) and a TITCH or small person.
Down
1d Youngster born in stall (4)
BABY – B for Born (from the family tree abb.) inside a BAY or stall.
2d Soldier in pub making sense (7)
LOGICAL – Place an American G.I. soldier inside your LOCAL pub.
3d List of people to make cross (9,4)
ELECTORAL ROLL – A nice cryptic definition of the list of people who vote by making a cross, not a hate list as it reads in the clue.
4d I’d help out in place of oracle (6)
DELPHI – An anagram (out) of I’D HELP.
5d Play guitar with favourite loose woman (8)
STRUMPET – A charade of STRUM (play guitar) and a PET or favourite.
7d One dances around — unknown needing to get in programmes (7)
SYLLABI – Reverse (they are around) I for one and BALLS for dances and then the unknown variable Y needs to go inside.
8d Urgently employing craft carrying nuclear weapon (10)
STRIDENTLY – Place the TRIDENT nuclear defence missile inside SLY for ‘employing craft or being crafty.
11d Sent in, Mr M Gove sorted out bad policies (13)
MISGOVERNMENT – little bit of politics!. An anagram (sorted out) of SENT IN MR M GOVE.
13d Recipe soaked in sauce shows lack of judgment (10)
IMPRUDENCE – R for Recipe (The abb. for ‘take’) inside or soaked in IMPUDENCE or sauce/cheek.
16d Professional muscle restrained by street fighter showing promise? (8)
PROSPECT – PRO for Professional and then the PEC/Pectoral muscle inside ST for Street.
18d Spoke unkindly of rear — scrap follows (7)
BACKBIT – BACK for rear followed by BIT for scrap.
20d Something tempting passed without hesitation (7)
SERPENT – A great surface reading. Place SPENT (past/over) outside or without ER for hesitation.
21d Decoration for two Englishmen in Perth (6)
POMPOM – An Englishman in Perth, Australia is known as a Pommie or POM. Take two of those.
23d Eat out and so on with husband (4)
ETCH – ETC (et cetera/and so on) followed by H for Husband.
Thanks to the setter. I am off for a week.
Thanks Gnomey, looking at my notes I can see I was torn between too many favourites to make a valid choice but balderdash and the learned doctor were high up the list. Always Always enjoy your decode.