Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2854
A full review by Big Dave
This puzzle was published on 26th June 2016
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Gnomey seems to have gone walkabout, so I have put this review together quickly. While as enjoyable as ever I found this one to be easier than many recent Sunday puzzles.
Please a comment telling us what you thought.
Across
1a Typical cathartic cries when agitated (14)
CHARACTERISTIC: An anagram (when agitated) of CATHARTIC CRIES
9a Source of great power concerning person taking part (7)
REACTOR: A word meaning about followed by a person taking a part in a play
10a Official order also taken on board by ship’s officer (7)
MANDATE: A word meaning also or as well inside (taken on board by) a ship’s officer under the captain or master
11a Unfriendly — reason’s clear to me when you spell it out (3)
ICY: Spell out each of the letters in the answer to get “I see why”, a phrase meaning the reason is clear to me
12a Apple changed many things about computer, finally (6,5)
GRANNY SMITH: An anagram (changed) of MANY THINGS around the final letter of [compute]R
14a Place for putting European or English author (6)
GREENE: Start with a place for putting a golf ball and add either the abbreviation of E(uropean) or that for E(nglish)
15a Like old man‘s chum sheltering a seabird (8)
PATERNAL: a chum around the A from the clue and a seabird
17a Nothing broken when protected by railway with vigour (8)
ROBUSTLY: Put O (nothing) and a four-letter word meaning broken inside the three-letter abbreviation of railway
19a Within reason, mostly, politician can provide university place (6)
CAMPUS: inside (within) most of a reason put our usual politician
22a Made move that’s bad and frets about blunder (11)
TRANSFERRED: An anagram (bad) of AND FRETS around a blunder
23a Row that product of mine is said to produce (3)
OAR: sounds like (said) ORE, the product of a mine
24a Bad driver had crashed, having run rings around good (4,3)
ROAD HOG: An anagram (crashed) of HAD inside (having … around) R(un) and two of the ring-shaped letters all followed by G(ood)
26a Piece out of reach I eventually get (7)
ACHIEVE: hidden (piece out of) inside the clue
27a Performers of moving service for victims (9,5)
STRETCHER PARTY: A cryptic definition of a group of people who carry injured from the field of battle (or perhaps the football field!)
Down
1d Part of train coming back — it’s necessary at end of line (8,6)
CARRIAGE RETURN: A part of a passenger train followed by a word meaning a coming back gives what happens at the end of a line of typing
2d Make a detailed study of changing lane, say (7)
ANALYSE: An anagram (changing) of LANE SAY
3d Arouses hostility in lunatic one’s against (11)
ANTAGONISES: An anagram (lunatic) of ONE’S AGAINST
4d Walk around end of trench that’s needed for sewer (6)
THREAD: a verb meaning to walk around the final letter (end) of [trench – this sewer is one that sews, not a drain
5d European moved quickly to admit Arab (8)
ROMANIAN: A three-letter verb meaning moved quickly around (to admit) a national from a country in the Arabian peninsular
6d Possible result of love between partners (3)
SON: O (love) between two bridge partners are defined by all of this semi all-in-one clue
7d Like part of Mont Blanc — south of it, a climber almost falls (7)
ITALIAN: Below (south of in a down clue) IT place the A from the clue and most of LIAN[a], a climbing plant
8d Work in theatre performed with minimal cuts (7,7)
KEYHOLE SURGERY: A cryptic definition of a procedure carried out in the operating theatre which minimises the number of incisions
13d A pit’s reorganised with shrewd management (11)
STEWARDSHIP: an anagram (reorganised) of A PIT’S with SHREWD
16d Reacting sensitively as some work — in charge, after all (8)
ALLERGIC: A unit of work and the abbreviation for In Charge following (after) the ALL from the clue
18d Glaring at paragon of industry supporting British left (7)
BLATANT: The AT from the clue and an insect that is a paragon of industry preceded by (supporting in a down clue) B(ritish) and L(eft)
20d In middle of jetty, one who’s first to launch something? (7)
PIONEER: Start with a jetty and insert (in middle of) ONE
21d Secret kept hidden in war can emerge (6)
ARCANE: hidden inside the clue
25d House without even parts in shade (3)
HUE: Drop the even letters (without even parts) from the first word in the clue