DT 28534

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 28534

A full review by crypticsue

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This puzzle was published on 16^th September 2017

BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***

A Saturday pangram and, like most Saturdays, a few clues to bring out the ‘grumpies’. I haven’t got time to count but there do seem to be a lot of ‘insertions’, anagrams and even an anagram with an insertion too.

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Across

8a    ‘Stormy Weather’ overwhelms a songster (8)
WHEATEAR – An anagram (stormy) of WEATHER ‘overwhelms’ A (from the clue)

9a    Forge commonplace name as front for unknown quantity (6)
SMITHY – A common surname goes in front of Y (a mathematical unknown quantity)

10a    Agent keeps Rex nimble (4)
SPRY – SPY (agent) ‘keeps’ R (Rex, king)

11a    Recover consciousness — and die as result? (4,2,4)
COME TO PASS – COME TO (recover consciousness) PASS (die)

12a    Two separate points in landing-place could make you groggy (6)
QUEASY – The compass points E (east) and S (south) put in separate places in QUAY (landing place). At the time of typing this review, I appear to be the only person who didn’t think groggy and queasy mean the same thing.

14a    Passing over treeless area (8)
CLEARING – A verb meaning passing over or a noun meaning a treeless area in a wood or forest

15a    Make a takeover bid in the air (7)
SKYJACK – A cryptic definition

17a    Trace undergarment — one, say, that has been returned (7)
VESTIGE – VEST (undergarment) I (one) and a reversal (that has been returned) of EG (say)

20a    Stick bond with glue coming unstuck (8)
BLUDGEON – An anagram (coming unstuck) of BOND with GLUE

22a    Article by church dignitary of South American eminence (6)
ANDEAN – AN (indefinite article) DEAN (church dignitary)

23a    Announced more placid rambling (10)
PROCLAIMED – An anagram (rambling) of MORE PLACID

24a    Founder of football body I left (4)
FAIL – A misleading surface reading as here founder is a verb – FA (Football Association) I (from the clue) L (left)

25a    Joins together tunes I composed (6)
UNITES – An anagram (composed) of TUNES I

26a    Patent a clever gripping thing to wave about (8)
TENTACLE – Lurking in paTENT A CLEver

Down

1d    Rodent bit sandwiches I’m holding quietly (8)
CHIPMUNK – CHUNK (bit) ‘sandwiches’ IM (from the clue), the latter holding P (quietly)

2d    Last character coming in to cut grass is dim (4)
HAZY – Z (the last character in the alphabet) ‘coming in’ to HAY (cut grass)

3d    Catch sight of Swedes crying, seeing display of centre half! (6)
DESCRY – An obsolete verb meaning to discover by looking is found in the centre of SweDES CRYing

4d    Unpleasant expert gives scowl (7)
GRIMACE – GRIM (unpleasant) ACE (expert)

5d    Weariest after running around, in a way (2,2,4)
AS IT WERE – An anagram (after running around) of WEARIEST

6d    Stopped swallowing whisky, perhaps dejected (10)
DISPIRITED – DIED (stopped) ‘swallowing’ SPIRIT (whisky perhaps)

7d    So uplifting, tucking into cold chicken selected (6)
CHOSEN – A reversal (uplifting in a Down clue) of SO ‘tucking into’ C (cold) HEN (chicken)

13d    Notice little Judith in hearing, little Catherine being judge (10)
ADJUDICATE – AD (notice), a homophone (in hearing) of JUDY and CATE (little Catherine)

16d    Crack up in the mountains (8)
CREVASSE – A cryptic definition

18d    I dig all wild hedging round flowers (8)
GLADIOLI – An anagram (wild) of I DIG ALL ‘hedging’ O (round)

19d    Enliven an Ulster companion (7)
ANIMATE – A (an) NI (Ulster, Northern Ireland) MATE (companion)

21d    Animal seizing artist round throat (6)
LARYNX – LYNX (animal) ‘seizing’ a reversal (round) of RA (artist)

22d    Burning some garden trash (6)
ARDENT – another lurker – this one to be found in some gARDEN Trash

24d    Loud friend turns up — panic! (4)
FLAP – F (loud) followed by a reversal (turns up in a Down clue) of PAL (friend)

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