ST 2868

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2868

A full review by crypticsue

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This puzzle was published on Sunday 2nd October

BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ****

 

This fine example of a Virgilius puzzle was solved on a windy Wednesday afternoon, as I was too busy walking the Giant’s Causeway and then sightseeing in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter on the Sunday, to even think about crosswords.

Across

1a           Showing sign of nerves, yet was strangely composed (6)
SWEATY – An anagram (strangely composed) of YET WAS

4a           Annoyed, ran over fool (8)
HARASSED – HARED (run) over ASS (fool)

10a         E.g. coach, in fact, ran sportscast (9)
TRANSPORT – the first lurker can be found hidden in facT RAN SPORTscast

11a         Churchman‘s eye, we hear, caught by very short mini, say (5)
VICAR – I (a homophone, we hear, of eye) ‘caught’ by V (the abbreviated or short way of writing very) and CAR (a mini, say).

12a         Ringleader I put inside after being sent back for new case (7)
RETRIAL – I (from the clue) and R (the ‘leader’ of Ring) put inside a reversal (being sent back) of LATER (after)

13a         Recovered in league following run (7)
RALLIED – ALLIED (in league) follows R (run)

14a         Openings in sight as you seek official authorisation (3-2)
SAY-SO – The ‘openings’ of Sight As You Seek Official

15a         People having leading roles in pact, as arranged (8)
CAPTAINS – An anagram (arranged) of IN PACT AS

18a         Settle account, inserting line in dramatic announcement (8)
PLAYBILL – L (line) inserted into PAY BILL (settle account)

20a         Greek god — cast it in bronze (5)
TITAN – IT (from the clue) is cast in TAN (bronze)

23a         Hamlet being despicable about young woman repelled (7)
VILLAGE – Nice use of the deceptive capital letter at the start of the clue –   VILE (despicable) goes about a reversal (repelled) of GAL (young woman)

25a         Actual result of ingenue moving in (7)
GENUINE –  Simply move the IN at the start of INGENUE inside the other letters

26a         Prepare to fight again behind leader of militia (5)
REARM – REAR (behind) M (leader of Militia)

27a         Savage attack on street outside US city that’s disgusting! (9)
ONSLAUGHT – ON (from the clue) followed by ST (street) which goes outside LA (US city) and UGH (that’s disgusting)

28a         Most important piece in scattered notes on island (8)
KEYSTONE – An anagram (scattered) of NOTES goes on (or after) KEY (island)

29a         Almost name before time is ripe (6)
NEARLY – N (name) EARLY (before time is ripe)

Down

1d           Ridiculing author I found in dire straits (8)
SATIRIST – I (from the clue) found in an anagram (dire) of STRAITS

2d           Compel payment of pound before end of day? Quite (7)
EXACTLY – EXACT (compel payment) and L (£ pound sterling go before the ‘end’ of daY

3d           Evidence in trial supported by one with non-European funds (9)
TESTIMONY – TEST (trial) supported by I (one) and MONY (money or funds without the (non-) E for European

5d           Social scientist reading, perhaps, work held by literary collector (14)
ANTHROPOLOGIST –R (Reading, perhaps, being one of the three R’s) and OP (work) held by an ANTHOLOGIST (literary collector)

6d           Shoe-making equipment found in Roman villa (5)
ANVIL – Shoes for horses!   Found lurking in RomAN VILla

7d           Doctor notices something under microscope (7)
SECTION – An anagram (doctor) of NOTICES

8d           Mock revolutionary rising with incomplete plan (6)
DERIDE – A reversal (rising in a Down clue) of RED (revolutionary) with an IDEa (incomplete plan)

9d           Part of speech that never refers to one (10,4)
COLLECTIVE NOUN – which of course refers to more than one of something

16d         Become thin — from what we hear, you dined late (9)
ATTENUATE – AT TEN YOU ATE (you apparently dined late)

17d         In circumstances, trying descent (8)
ANCESTRY – Hidden in circumstANCES TRYing

19d         Composing song for child (7)
LULLABY – No 2 son, who wasn’t a very helpful baby when it came to sleeping, could  be ‘composed’ when someone sang the Neighbours theme tune to him – sad but true!

21d         After short time, construction worker set off (7)
TRIGGER – T (the short abbreviation for Time) and RIGGER (construction worker)

22d         Sort of vodka that’s about right for Czech musician (6)
DVORAK – An anagram (sort of) VODKA goes about R (right)

24d         Allow to enter random list, oddly deleted (5)
ADMIT – Delete the odd letters from rAnDoM lIsT

 

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