DT 28462

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 28462

A full review by crypticsue

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This puzzle was published on Saturday 24th June

BD Rating – Difficulty *– Enjoyment **

Solved late in the day to the accompaniment of Alfie showing his Grandpa the best way to do jigsaw puzzles. Wonder how long it will be before he’s telling me how to do cryptic crosswords? Fortunately, given all that was going on in the background, the Saturday puzzle was its usual helpful, friendly self..

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Across

1a Fairly good judge, following fashion (8)
MODERATE – RATE (judge) following MODE (fashion)

6a April’s turned out to be springlike (6)
SPIRAL – An anagram (turned out) of APRILS

9a Pile of hay’s put with wild fruit in carriage (8)
RICKSHAW – RICKS (pile of hays) put with HAW (wild fruit)

10a Channel without water mentioned (6)
STRAIT – A homophone (mentioned) of STRAIGHT (without water)

11a Fast eating that is initially not sparing (7)
LENIENT – LENT (fast) ‘eating’ IE (that is) and N (initially Not)

12a City in great shambles (7)
TANGIER – An anagram (shambles) of IN GREAT

13a Clear coach’s avoiding one father? (11)
TRANSPARENT – TRAINS (coach’s) without the I (avoiding one) PARENT (father?)

16a Summons to action from US president, and French come round (7, 4)
TRUMPET CALL – TRUMP (US President) ET (the French word for and) CALL (come round)

21a Leaving South Carolina, motorcyclist or walker (7)
RAMBLER – SCRAMBLER (motorcyclist) leaving off SC (South Carolina)

22a Humiliate degree-holder briefly seen in river (7)
DEGRADE – GRAD (graduate – degree holder ‘briefly’) seen in the River DEE

23a Killer struck worker (6)
HITMAN – HIT (struck) MAN (worker)

24a First couple in questions priest composed to be comic (8)
QUIPSTER – QU (the first couple of letters in QUestions and an anagram (composed) of PRIEST

25a After exercises, Swiss hero pullover in small ball (6)
PELLET – A reversal (pullover) of TELL (William the Swiss hero) goes after PE (Physical Exercise)

26a Inconsistent bishop avoids scepticism following fashionable article (2,3,3)
IN AND OUT – Remove the B for Bishop from DOUBT (scepticism) and put the result after IN (fashionable) AN (indefinite article)

Down

1d Man accepts alternative spirits (6)
MORALE – MALE (man) ‘accepts’ OR (alternative)

2d Pour out of brigade canteen (6)
DECANT – Lurking in brigaDE CANTeen

3d Admiration as Peter’s turned about 100 (7)
RESPECT – An anagram (turned) of PETERS ‘about’ C (the Roman numeral for 100)

4d One responsible for somebody’s health after a meal (11)
TOASTMASTER – A cryptic definition of someone who proposes toasts to someone’s health after a meal

6d Favourite college will get over a bloomer (7)
PETUNIA – PET (favourite) UNI (college) over A (from the clue)

7d Caught on concerning a sled I damaged (8)
REALISED – RE (concerning) A (from the clue) and an anagram (damaged) of SLED I

8d Intelligentsia must be switched on, period – it’s uplifting (8)
LITERATI – LIT (switched on) ERA (period) and a reversal (uplifting in a down clue) of IT

12d Have a fling then go? It’s what some do after retiring (4,3,4)
TOSS AND TURN – TOSS (having a fling) AND (then) TURN (go)

14d Features cool spacecraft (8)
STARSHIP – STARS (here a verb meaning ‘features’) HIP (cool, fashionable)

15d Grey knight in fix – and others (8)
GUNMETAL – The definition is grey – Put N (the chess abbreviation for knight) into GUM (stick) and add ET AL (and others)

17d Attendant coming over poorly gets sack (7)
PILLAGE – PAGE (attendant) over ILL (poorly)

18d Not a pleasing, deviating type of bowling (3,4)
LEG SPIN – Remove the A (not a) from PLEASING and then an anagram (deviating) produces a type of bowling in cricket

19d Junk excessively personal artwork (6)
TATTOO – TAT (junk) TOO (excessively)

20d Covert cult embracing religious class (6)
SECRET – SECT (cult) ‘embracing’ RE (religious education class)

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