DT 28893

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 28893

A full review by crypticsue

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This puzzle was published on 10^th November 2018

BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***

 

I found this inside back pager to be quite solver friendly, with several clues that made me smile

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

7a    Make smaller container holding very little (8)
DIMINISH – DISH (container) ‘holding’ MINI (very little)

9a    Letting one make a call after husband (6)
HIRING – I (one) RING (make a call) go after H (husband)

10a    Father with posh girl is thrifty (6)
FRUGAL – FR (father) U (posh) GAL (girl)

11a    Type of critic with no standing? (8)
ARMCHAIR – Cryptic definition

12a    Moderate Jack to plug debts (10)
ABSTEMOUS – AB (jack, sailor) STEM (plug) IOUS (debts)

14a    Come across swarm on the way back (4)
MEET – A reversal (on the way back) of TEEM (swarm)

15a    When athletes run without delay (4,3,4,2)
FROM THE WORD GO – Athletes do, of course, have to wait for the word go before they start a race

17a    Hit record with force first (4)
FLOG – LOG (record) preceded by (first) F (force)

18a    Having a trying time before play opens (10)
REHEARSING – Another nice cryptic definition

20a    Tart initially can be consumed — on this? (3,5)
TEA TABLE – T (tart initially) EATABLE (can be consumed)

21a    Aristocracy attempt to get primary information (6)
GENTRY – TRY (attempt) goes after (primary) GEN (information)

23a    Collided with second vehicle (6)
STRUCK – S (second) TRUCK (vehicle)

24a    Precise in theatre? (8)
SURGICAL – Double definition – the theatre being one in a hospital

Down

1d    Flier the setter’s sent up in this vein? (6)
MIDRIB – A vein in a leaf – A reversal (sent up) of BIRD (flier) IM (the setter’s)

2d    Player to be successful, good (4)
WING – WIN (to be successful) G (good)

3d    Certificate before tea say, for ambassador (8)
DIPLOMAT – DIPLOMA (certificate) goes before T (tea ‘say’)

4d    Father going to sea? (6)
THAMES – A very clever cryptic definition, even if the Word spell checker doesn’t think the final word of the clue is correct!

5d    Old mathematician distributed nameless merchandise (10)
ARCHIMEDES – An anagram (distributed) of MERCHAnDISE once you have removed the N (name less)

6d    Anchorite not about to turn into undignified leading character (4-4)
ANTI-HERO – Another ‘take out a letter, make an anagram of what’s left’ clue – ANcHORITE without the C (not circa, about) turns into an undignified leading character

8d    How gymnasts might fall in love? (4,4,5)
HEAD OVER HEELS – Another clue where sporty people do something where the same expression can mean something completely different

13d    Pensive, not empty-headed, so to speak (10)
THOUGHTFUL – Sounds like (so to speak) THOUGHT FULL (not empty)

15d    High river battle (8)
FALSETTO – FAL (river) SET TO (battle)

16d    Greenhouse in another colour over railway (8)
ORANGERY – ORANGE (another colour that’s not green) over RY (railway)

18d    Reprimand junky occasionally sitting in spilt beer (6)
REBUKE – The occasional letters of jUnKy ‘sitting’ in an anagram (spilt) of BEER

19d    Ordinary novice supporting lady (6)
NORMAL – L (learner, novice) supporting or going after NORMA (lady)

22d    Brad and Angelina originally in love (4)
NAIL – A (Angelina ‘originally’) in NIL (love)