Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2869
A full review by crypticsue
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This puzzle was published on Sunday 9nd October
BD Rating – Difficulty **/*** – Enjoyment ****
I found this Sunday puzzle slightly trickier than previous weeks. Lots to enjoy – I marked three clues for special merit.
Across
1a Hunt runs in frantic chase (6)
SEARCH – R (runs in cricket scoring) in an anagram (frantic) of CHASE
4a Conservative legislation covering leader of union in plant (6)
CACTUS – C (Conservative) ACTS (legislation), the latter ‘covering’ the ‘leader’ of Union
8a No problem for top minion, as arranged (8)
INSOMNIA – An anagram (arranged) of MINION AS gives us something that wouldn’t be a problem for someone who sleeps ‘like a top’. I was intrigued as to how the saying originated and apparently when a top is spinning well the precessional effect causes its axis to remain stationary and it can appear to be still, that is, ‘sleeping’.
10a Person easily manipulated, that might be on hand (6)
PUPPET – A glove puppet might well be on a hand
11a Fool that was improperly taught, initially (4)
TWIT – The initial letters of That Was Improperly Taught
12a Not having any money – what’s heart-warming about that? (10)
ABSTINENCE – A clever clue that requires careful consideration to work out the definition and wordplay. ABSENCE makes the heart grow fonder (or warmer) and should be put about TIN (money)
13a Script producer and entire crew’s revised, finally right (6,6)
SCREEN WRITER – An anagram (revised) of ENTIRE CREWS with R (right) at the end (finally)
16a Improvement to house – addition of bar? (12)
REDECORATION – When you are given a medal you are said to be decorated, so if you added a further award of a bar to that medal, you’d definitely have been the subject of some redecoration
20a Gift divided by male, one in total control (10)
DOMINATION – DONATION (gift) divided by M (male) and I (one)
21a Signals left out of things like this (4)
CUES – Simply remove the L (left) out of CLUES (things like this)
22a Impact fellow with iron, in turn (6)
AFFECT – F (fellow) and FE (chemical symbol for iron) go in ACT (turn)
23a Put up at home, having no friend around (8)
NOMINATE – NO MATE (no friend) goes around IN (at home)
24a Split I discerned in British cult (6)
BISECT – I (from the clue) discerned or found in between B (British) and SECT (cult)
25a Undernourished family in Southern US city (6)
SKINNY – KIN (family) goes inside S (southern) NY (New York, US city)
Down
1d Kind of course that provides something to eat between rounds (8)
SANDWICH – The golf course not far from me has the same name as something to eat put between rounds of bread.
2d Dealing with an attack of disease? (5)
ABOUT – A BOUT (an attack of disease)
3d Restrict murderer oddly not put inside (7)
CONTAIN – An anagram (oddly) of NOT put inside CAIN (the first Old Testament murderer)
5d Install as a head, holding power (7)
APPOINT – A POINT (a head) holding P (power)
6d Street cop given new order that’s hush-hush (3-6)
TOP-SECRET – An anagram (given new order) of STREET COP
7d Start work on canvas in small sailing boat (6)
SKETCH – S (small) KETCH (sailing boat)
9d Removing disorderly brats before court case (11)
ABSTRACTION – An anagram (disorderly) of BRATS before ACTION (court case)
14d Basis of health, wealth and wisdom one’s seen in noble head (9)
EARLINESS – Because as everyone knows ‘early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise. I (one) is seen between EARL (noble) and NESS (headland)
15d Altered on the sly, believe me! (8)
HONESTLY – An anagram (altered) of ON THE SLY
17d Medic acts badly about onset of illness that’s severe (7)
DRASTIC – DR (doctor, medic) and an anagram (badly) of ACTS goes about I (the ‘onset’ of Illness)
18d A doctor, in row, went berserk (3,4)
RAN AMOK – Just to keep you up to speed on your medical abbreviations, another doctor, A MO (A doctor, Medical Officer) is inserted into RANK (row)
19d Have discussion about working capital (6)
CONFAB – C (about) ON (working) FAB (capital in the sense of splendid or marvellous)
21d Sound made by large gun, as a rule (5)
CANON – Sounds like a homophone of CANNON, large gun.
Virgilius does like his insertion type clues, half of the Acrosses and just under half of the Down clues require you to put something inside something else, which you probably wouldn’t particularly notice if you weren’t the blogger typing the review
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