Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 28456
A full review by gnomethang
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This puzzle was published on Saturday 17th June
BD Rating – Difficulty **– Enjoyment ***
Morning All! I found this a fairly standard puzzle for a Saturday with a few enjoyable clues.
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Across
1a Freshwater cod’s not usually found in this storage facility (5,2,7)
CHEST OF DRAWERS – An anagram (not usually) of FRESHWATER CODS.
9a Liking song by writer (8)
PENCHANT – CHANT for song after (by) PEN for writer.
10a One artist on TV quiz show is Arab (5)
IRAQI – Place I for one and RA for a Royal Academician (or artist) next to QI – the quiz show.
12a Foodstuff farm animals finding no good (4)
OATS – Remove the G (No Good) from GOATS for farm animals.
13a Finished being entertained by mischievous beggar (10)
IMPOVERISH – OVER for finished inside (being entertained by) IMPISH for mischievous.
15a Male singer with a single exception holds special attraction (8)
BARITONE – ‘With a single exception’ means BAR ONE. IT (special attraction, sex appeal) is held inside.
16a I’m surprised US soldiers could be the Queen’s companions? (6)
CORGIS – COR for ‘I’m surprised’ and GIS for US Soldiers.
18a No huge complex is adequate (6)
ENOUGH – An anagram (complex) of NO HUGE.
20a Drama school endlessly involved in work in USA and part of Canada (8)
LABRADOR – Remove the last letter (endlessly) from RAD(A), the drama school, and include in LABOR – how Americans spell LABOUR/work.
23a Diagnostic technique upset dour sultan (10)
ULTRASOUND – An anagram, indicated by upset, of DOUR SULTAN.
24a Block inexperienced reporter heading east (4)
CUBE – A CUB or young reporter in front of/heading E for East.
26a With daughter absent, perhaps son and I will deliver hot food (5)
CHILI – Remove D for Daughter from CHIL(d) – a son perhaps – and then add I from the clue.
27a Crazy male will make hard case (8)
NUTSHELL – A charade of NUTS (crazy) and HE’LL (male will).
28a Film wet area in French cheese bar (5,9)
BRIEF ENCOUNTER – A FEN or wetland area inside the French cheese BRIE and a COUNTER or bar/table top.
Down
2d Competitive rider always in hospital department? On the contrary (7)
EVENTER – The clue tells you to do the contrary of placing EVER (always) inside an ENT (Ear, Nose, Throat dept. in a hospital). That is ENT goes in EVER.
3d Dismiss taking time to push out second nail (4)
TACK – Start with SACK (dismiss) and push out the S(econd) whilst adding a T(ime).
4d Piece tabloid people penned in serious paper (8)
FRAGMENT – A RAG (tabloid newspaper) and MEN for people are contained in (penned by) the FT – Financial Times or ‘serious’ paper.
5d Allowance taken from Horatio Nelson (6)
RATION – A hidden word inside (taken from) Ho RATIO N elson.
6d Classroom display showing emblem of Richard III before his end (10)
WHITEBOARD – The emblem of Richard III was the WHITE BOAR. Add D (his last letter).
7d Studying in redbrick university (7)
READING – A double definition that I have not seen for a while – READING also being one of the ‘Red Brick’ universities.
8d See vet providing help for the bat (11)
SIGHTSCREEN – A charade of SIGHT (see/spy) and SCREEN for vet.
11d Cockney bigamist has this nonsense (6,5)
DOUBLE DUTCH – Them cockneys refer to their wife as the Old Dutch (presumably from Duchess). A cockney bigamist would double up on them.
14d Character of the dump portrayed by French artist — only one small smear (10)
STIGMATISE – Take STIG of the dump and add MATIS(s)E the French artist but with only one S for small.
17d Me acting outrageously having a certain attraction (8)
MAGNETIC – An outrageous anagram of ME ACTING.
19d Oxford University row about learner, one having no connections (7)
OUTLIER – The abbreviation for the Oxford Union – OU – then a TIER or row around/about L(earner).
21d Old habit that could make beer better (7)
DOUBLET – A nice observation. In order to turn the word BEER into BE TT ER one needs a DOUBLE-T.
22d British wildcat seen in spring (6)
BOUNCE – B for British and then an OUNCE for a wildcat.
25d The second person in Shakespeare to get short measure (4)
THOU – Two definitions – the second person in Shakespearean prose (Thou art) and also an abbreviation (short) for Thousands of an Inch in engineering measurements.