DT 28210

Daily Telegraph No 28210

A full review by gnomethang

This puzzle was published on 3rd September 2016

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

Morning All! This was tricky in places for me but I struggled through and then wondered what the fuss was all about.

Across

7a           Accept members ready to fight (4,4)
TAKE ARMS – Take for Accept and ARMS for members (as are legs!).

9a           Frank‘s awful heartless cat (6)
DIRECT – Awful is DIRE and then add C(a)T with its heart removed.

10a         Independent work I found in British Columbia making film (6)
BIOPIC – Place I for Independent and OP (Opus or a musical work) and also I from the clue inside B.C., the abb. for British Columbia.

11a         Clumsily I cut hero, more likely to act hurt (8)
TOUCHIER – An anagram (indicated by clumsily, of I CUT HERO.

12a         Examination site where those with correct papers may pass (10)
CHECKPOINT – A cryptic definition of e.g. Checkpoint Charlie (Your papers are NOT in order!).

14a         Greek character‘s ten cheers (4)
IOTA – IO looks like 10 when written (I hate this!). Add TA or cheers/thanks.

15a         Enforce efficiency as captain with a drunken crew? (3,1,5,4)
RUN A TIGHT SHIP – A crew that is drunk will also be tight. Hence the job that is cut out for the captain.

17a         Bargain crop (4)
SNIP – A SNIP at the price (bargain) and also to cut/crop in this double definition.

18a         Engineer appeals about barrier, wobbly thing in pipe below head (5,5)
ADAMS APPLE – Make an anagram, or engineer, APPEALS around the outside of DAM or barrier. I really don’t like the definition even if it does sound a bit Civil Engineering.

20a         Prince in story‘s chapter causing damage (8)
CHARMING – C for C(hapter) and then HARMING for causing damage.

21a         That man should avoid the rough depression (6)
TROUGH – Remove HE (that man) from T(he) – it is avoiding the word – and then add ROUGH from the clue.

23a         More vulgar-sounding shopkeeper (6)
GROCER – A homophone.  Sounding like GROSSER ( more vulgar)

24a         Vehicle to bring back horse beyond marsh (8)
TOBOGGAN – Reverse (bring back) a NAG or horse after TO from the clue and also after (beyond) a BOG or marsh.

Down

1d           Blue language? (6)
DANISH – A not great cryptic definition referring to Danish Blue Cheese.

2d           Assist young dog to get a trim on top (4)
HELP – A (w)HELP or young pup with the top letter (in a down clue) trimmed off.

3d           Crazy person taking one drug after another (8)
CRACKPOT – A charade of two names for a drug – CRACK and POT.

4d           Fine-tune commercial objective (6)
ADJUST – AD for commercial and JUST for objective/fair.

5d           Church high-up‘s cold, seeking accommodation in parish with hob for cooking (10)
ARCHBISHOP – Place C for Cold inside an anagram (for cooking) of PARISH (with) HOB.

6d           Salary cap — one’s on the bottle! (5-3)
SCREWTOP – SCREW for pay/wage and TOP for cap.

8d           I start getting troubles, being easy victim (7,6)
SITTING TARGET – An anagram (troubles) of I START GETTING.

13d         Study on Southern crime in the main produces intrigue (10)
CONSPIRACY – Start with CON for study/read and then add PIRACY (crime in the main).

15d         Farmer hurried around, brave fellow (8)
RANCHERO – A charade of RAN (hurried) C for about (Circa) and finally HERO for brave fellow.

16d         Experimental piece of glassware? (4,4)
TEST TUBE – A cryptic definition for the glassware that is used in chemical tests in a lab.

18d         Birds roost here through sitting under a railway (6)
AVIARY – Place VIA (through) under (sitting under) A from the clue and finally add RY for Railway.

19d         Congestion record spread (3,3)
LOG JAM – A charade of LOG (record) and JAM (spread).

22d         Bess’s partner lacking power in party (4)
ORGY – Remove the P for Power from (P)ORGY (and BESS)

Thanks to the setter – I will see you all next Friday.