DT 28929

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 28929

A full review by crypticsue

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***

What I like about this relatively new to Saturdays Mysteron is that he always provides clues that require a bit of work by the solver but which, once solved, are quite easy to explain in a review.

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

1a    American chemical company taken in by staff person on the fiddle perhaps (8)
MUSICIAN – US (American) ICI (chemical company) taken by or inserted into MAN (staff)

5a    House’s top storey left out, contrarily (4)
ROOF – A reversal (contrarily) of FlOOR (storey) without the L (left out)

9a    People farming small-scale little vegetables and animals (8)
PEASANTS – PEAS (little vegetables) ANTS (animals)

10a    It’s not very long and very small (6)
MINUTE – As I said to Mr CS while solving this clue – change the Its to what and you have a Christmas cracker conundrum

11a    Grand bit of cricket attended by neither head of state? (8)
GOVERNOR – G (grand) OVER (bit of cricket) NOR (neither)

12a    Fifty diets represented on the menu? (6)
LISTED – An anagram (represented) of L (Roman numeral 50) DIETS

14a    Discovered one in a hundred will offer charity, say (10)
FOUNDATION – FOUND (discovered) and I (one) inserted in A TON (a hundred)

18a    The nude ran, wobbling below (10)
UNDERNEATH – An anagram (wobbling) of THE NUDE RAN

22a    Resoundingly haughty king’s dropped out, university’s admitted (6)
LOUDLY – Remove the R (King’s cropped out) of LORDLY (haughty) and replace (admitted) with U (University)

23a    Cabinet‘s award going to ‘Shakespeare in Love’? On the contrary (8)
CUPBOARD – CUP (award) going to O (love) in BARD (Shakespeare)

24a    Trapped in poverty, having to keep dry (6)
NETTED – NEED (poverty) having to ‘keep’ TT (teetotal, dry)

25a    Guided westwards, with sensitive state of the east (8)
DELAWARE – A reversal (westwards in an Across clue) of LED (guided)followed by AWARE (sensitive)

26a    Sky can be seen through this bit of pottery? (4)
DISH – This piece of pottery has the same name as a satellite DISH used to ‘see’ Sky television channels

27a    Crooning about tango is creating irritation (8)
STINGING – SINGING (crooning) ‘about’ T (Tango in the NATO Phonetic Alphabet)

Down

2d    Without wishing, fast watch rudely gets stuck around five (6)
STARVE – STARE (watch rudely) stuck around V (Roman numeral for five)

3d    Runs meeting rockers? (6)
CHAIRS – A verb (runs meeting) or types of seating such as rockers

4d    Scientist whose research needs looking up (10)
ASTRONOMER – A cryptic definition of someone who studies are up in the sky

6d    First to get over splintered railing (8)
ORIGINAL – O (over) and an anagram (splintered) of RAILING

7d    UK ministry, talking shop with its counterparts, will meet volunteers in spring (8)
FOUNTAIN – FO (Foreign Office, UK ministry) UN (its counterparts) meeting TA (Territorial Army volunteers) and IN (from the clue)

8d    Cultivating grass in Crosby? (8)
BREEDING – REED (grass) in BING (Crosby?)

9d    Section of biography perhaps shows anger when sacrificing rook for pawn (4)
PAGE – Swap (Sacrifice) the R (Rook) in RAGE (anger) and replace with P (Pawn)

13d    What’s needed for 1a    part of refrain — strum enthusiastically! (10)
INSTRUMENT – Lurking in part of refraIN STRUM ENThusiastically

15d    Putting coat on, yearns for old-fashioned measurements (8)
FURLONGS – FUR (coat) put on LONGS (yearns)

16d    Dead drunk, imbibing barely changed (8)
ADJUSTED – An anagram (drunk) of DEAD ‘imbibing’ JUST (barely)

17d    Cyber bullies set about the old over moving beds? (8)
TROLLEYS – TROLLS (cyber bullies) set about a reversal (over) of YE (old ‘the’)

19d    Secure in wrecked boat at first (6)
OBTAIN – An anagram (wrecked) of BOAT goes at first or before IN (from the clue)

20d    Hip and excellent island state (6)
HAWAII – HAW (small fruit as is hip) AI (excellent) I (island)

21d    Going up, for instance, from French border (4)
EDGE- A reversal (going up) of EG (for instance) DE (French word for from)