DT 28833

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 28833

A full review by crypticsue

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This puzzle was published on 1st September 2018

BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***

A mix of the usual ‘helpful’ Saturday prize puzzle type clues – well they do want a lot of entries for the 18a – and a few to make you think – the clues I particularly liked were all in the Downs, the two underwear-related ones and dear old Ernie

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Across

1a    Died — tombstone message makes little splash (4)
DRIP – D (died) RIP (tombstone message)

3a    If gin flows, night should resolve family feud (2-8)
IN-FIGHTING – An anagram (flows) of IF GIN followed by another (should resolve) of NIGHT

9a    Silent star’s lost ring and dress (4)
GARB – the ring-shaped letter at the end of Greta GARBo is ‘lost’

10a    Gracious foreign word for English instrument (3,7)
COR ANGLAIS – COR (gracious) ANGLAIS (foreign [French] word for English

11a    Spoilt brat under fire? (7)
INGRATE – IN GRATE (under fire)

13a    Rodents that might afflict a freezing school bedroom? (7)
DORMICE – DORM ICE (something that might affect a freezing boarding school bedroom)

14a    At sea, bosun’s torch toasted spring festival treat (3,5,3)
HOT CROSS BUN – An anagram (at sea) of BOSUNS TORCH

18a    Rival prize crossword? (11)
COMPETITION – To call this a double definition or not, that is the question

21a    Scots dance around Whitehall ministry convert (7)
REMODEL – REEL (Scots dance) goes around MOD (the Whitehall Ministry of Defence)

22a    Using piece of red rag, nervously put over challenge (2,5)
EN GARDE – Lurking in reverse (put over) in a piece of rED RAG NErvously

23a    Former servicemen scrap with soldier over what one should pay? (10)
EXORBITANT – EX (former) OR (Other Ranks, servicemen) BIT (scrap) ANT (soldier)

24a    26 traitors to the Left? (4)
STAR – A synonym for the solution to 26a is obtained by reversing (to the Left) some RATS (traitors)

25a    Takes flight desk shifts, adds getting the French on board (10)
SKEDADDLES – An anagram (shifts) of DESK followed by ADDS (from the clue) into which is inserted (on board) LE (French definite article)

26a    Blue-eyed boy‘s vow to marry by fifty (4)
IDOL – I DO (vow to marry) L (Roman numeral for 50)

Down

1d    Heightened clash of brawling boxers, say (8)
DOGFIGHT – A clash between fighter aircraft at close quarters sounds like some brawling boxer dogs

2d    Anger, having lost time for good soak (8)
IRRIGATE – Lose the first T for Time from IRRITATE (anger) and replace with G for Good – no indication as to which T to lose but the solution was obvious so …

4d    Person in charge perhaps is not a single person (2,3)
NO ONE – The person in charge could be called NO (number) ONE

5d    Impossible to catch popular German car — tooted endlessly (9)
INAUDIBLE – IN (popular) AUDI (German car) BLEw (tooted ‘endlessly’)

6d    Noble with two fouls in game’s first quarter (4-7)
HIGH-RANKING – HIGH and RANK (two words meaning foul) IN (from the clue) and G (the first of four letters (quarter) of Game

7d    Of a type inclined to show urgency? (6)
ITALIC – Of a sloping type used for emphasis

8d    After gossip, see that man’s tears (6)
GASHES – GAS (gossip) HES (that man’s)

12d    An item of clothing twice worn by bounder for a spell (11)
ABRACADABRA – A BRA BRA (item of clothing twice) into which is inserted (worn by) a CAD or bounder

15d    Pretended to be excited with temperature dropping (9)
SIMULATED – Another lose a T clue that doesn’t tell you which one to lose – Drop the first T from STIMULATED (excited)

16d    Russian plane, given ranking, went to land elsewhere (8)
MIGRATED – MIG (Russian plane) RATED (given ranking)

17d    Basic triangle ringing the changes (8)
INTEGRAL – An anagram (ringing the changes) of TRIANGLE

19d    Prepares item that may be first on and last off? (6)
BRIEFS – My d’oh moment of the day as it took me a while to realise what the item in question was

20d    Establish this person’s stance (6)
IMPOSE – IM (this person sis) POSE (stance)

22d    One piercing bird that used to go after Eric (5)
ERNIE – I (one) piercing ERNE (bird) – a clue that makes anyone with fond memories of Eric and Ern smile