Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2898
A full review by gnomethang
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
This puzzle was published on Sunday 7th May
BD Rating – Difficulty **– Enjoyment ***
Morning All! For some reason I stopped halfway through the solve on the day and picked it up the week after. Still some very good clues but I am not sure on the difficulty level.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought. You can also add your assessment by selecting from one to five stars at the bottom of the post.
Across
1a Authorised putting soldier in front of square (8)
Place a MAN or soldier in front of DATED for square or old-fashioned.
9a Vote in unusually polite line — then take part in this? (4,4)
EXIT POLL – An X for a vote (the letter you place on the ballot paper) inside an anagram (unusually) of POLITE and then finally add L(ine).
10a Piece of music band advertise endlessly (4)
OPUS – O for a ring or band and then PUS(h) for advertise with the end letter removed (endlessly).
11a Study of people from North misrepresented in sorry statement (12)
ANTHROPOLOGY – A misrepresented anagram of NORTH inside an APOLOGY or sorry statement.
13a Said bad things about male in regular row (8)
MALIGNED – M for Male and then ALIGNED or ‘in regular row’.
15a Expedition initially seeking a distant island (6)
SAFARI – The initial letter in S(eeking) followed by A from the clue, FAR for distant and I for Island.
16a Distress, we hear, that may stop runner (4)
WHOA – A homophone (we hear) of WOE or distress and the command to sto a runaway horse (runner) for example.
17a Woeful accommodation in hotel needing change of heart (5)
HOVEL – Nice and easy – change the middle letter in HO(T)EL from a T to a V i.e. a change of heart.
18a Be moved by bark from spaniel, oddly (4)
SAIL – The odd letters in S p A n I e L . Nice misdirection with BARK or BARQUE being a sailing boat.
20a Host, say, protected by brave person (6)
LEGION – a LION or brave person is covering or protecting E.G. for ‘say’.
21a Certain extract from bulletin, if edited the wrong way (8)
DEFINITE – A hidden reversed word indicated by an EXTRACT from ‘bull ETIN IF ED ited’ that is the wrong way round.
23a Perfectionist almost ruined first illustration in book (12)
FRONTISPIECE – An anagram (ruined of almost all of PERFECTIONIS(t) with the last letter removed.
26a Vehicle returned before end of warranty for service (4)
NAVY – Reverse (or return) a VAN/vehicle before the end letter in (warrant)Y.
27a Material about a Mediterranean area (8)
RELEVANT – RE (with reference to/about) followed by the LEVANT area of the Med.
28a With passion, they lead astray (8)
HEATEDLY – An anagram (astray) of THEY LEAD)
Down
2d Drive or other kind of golf shot (8)
APPROACH – Two definitions, a driveway is an APPROACH to a country house and one plays an APPROACH shot to a green in golf (which is another type of shot to a drive!).
3d Deal is arranged with people for main treatment? (12)
An anagram (arranged) of DEAL IS followed by NATION for people. The (Spanish) main being the sea.
4d Cutting a new pattern for unisex garment (6)
TARTAN – A charade of TART for cutting and A from the clue and N for New.
5d Beloved daughter hearing organ (4)
DEAR – D for Daughter and an EAR for a hearing organ.
6d Getting rid of old pass I shredded (8)
DISPOSAL – An anagram , indicated by ‘shredded’, of OLD PASS I.
7d How one flies extremely close to ground, mostly (4)
SOLO – All but the last letter (mostly) of SO LO(w) or extremely close to the ground.
8d Settle account, including pound for theatre poster (8)
PLAYBILL – Place (include) L for pound inside PAY BILL or ‘settle account’.
12d Biography with some text that’s appropriate for killer (4,8)
LIFE SENTENCE – LIFE for Biography with a SENTENCE or ‘some text’.
14d Philistine’s opponent, great French painter (5)
DAVID – The philistine being Goliath and his opponent also being the surname of Jacques-Louis DAVID, a French Neo-classical painter.
16d Irish writer putting in evergreen that quickly spreads (8)
WILDEFIRE – Place a FIR or evergreen inside Oscar WILDE.
17d Husband and I beat impediment (8)
HANDICAP – H for Husband then AND I from the clue followed by CAP or beat/trump.
19d Put in grave situation with very limited area left in gap (8)
INTERVAL – To INTER/place in a grave then V(ery), or very which is short/limited followed by A for Area and L for Left.
22d Religious celebration at centre of belief I establish (6)
FIESTA – A hidden word in the centre of belie F I ESTA blish.
24d Art of a kind, works primarily timeless (4)
OILS – Remover the Primary letter T for Time (is timeless) fron (t)OILS or works.
25d Substance that’s hard found at bottom of mine (4)
PITH – H for Hard under (at the bottom in a down clue) a PIT or mine.
Thanks to the setter – I will see you all tomorrow.
The usual great stuff on a Sunday.
As to the difficulty level I seem to remember remarking to pommette that this was Mr Greer with his very benign hat on so * or ** is probably about right.
Thanks to Mr Greer and Gnomey.
gnomethang – I would agree on the ** for difficulty. When I did my hints for this one I noted that Virgilius was not as benevolent as he had been in the couple of weeks before this puzzle.