DT 29168

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29168

A full review by crypticsue

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This puzzle was published on 28^th September 2019

BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***

Another nice Saturday puzzle – I think I’ve guessed the setter correctly (there’s a lot of anagrams ). My favourites were 24a for the singing opportunities and 3d for the d’oh moment when the definition became clear.

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Across

1a    Get back in touch with antique car that’s broken down (10)
REACQUAINT – An anagram (that’s broken down) of ANTIQUE CAR

6a    Nadir perhaps — making regular appearances in Mansfield (4)
ASIL – The regular letters of mAnSfIeLd – I remembered this particular Nadir but it does seem a bit unfair to younger or overseas solvers

10a    Brown arboreal creatures making comeback round India (5)
SEPIA – A reversal (making comeback) of APES (arboreal creatures) ‘around’ I (India in the NATO Phonetic Alphabet)

11a    Because of attraction to opposite sex, Edward VIII perhaps abdicating (9)
FORSAKING – FOR (because of) SA (sex appeal) KING (Edward VIII perhaps)

12a    Hermit — a person having doubts spending penny (7)
ASCETIC – A (from the clue) SCEpTIC (person having doubts) ‘spending’ or losing the P for penny

13a    It’s wicked consuming last of plonk, as much as one can drink (7)
SKINFUL – SINFUL (wicked) ‘consuming’ the K that is the last letter of plonk

14a    Banisters are cracked, leading to problems (12)
BRAINTEASERS – An anagram (cracked) of BANISTERS ARE

18a    Burn-out male’s battling can be overcome (12)
SURMOUNTABLE – An anagram (battling) of BURN OUT MALES

21a    Stop old comedian being upright (7)
ENDWISE – END (stop) WISE (Ernie the ‘old’ comedian)

23a    Get excited about space — so English (7)
ENTHUSE – EN (space) THUS (so) E (English)

24a    Getting cold in rough sea, hobby surfers from the 1960s (5,4)
BEACH BOYS – C (cold) inserted into an anagram (rough) of SEA HOBBY – anyone else spend the next hour or so after solving singing songs from these 1960s surfers?

25a    Be despondent, backing second coming in — here? (5)
EPSOM – A reversal (backing) of MOPE (be despondent) into which is inserted (coming in) S (second)

26a    Quits late in the day (4)
EVEN – Double definition – one a verb, the other described by the BRB as ‘obsolete, poetic or dialect’

27a    Trader cheers in the Pequod perhaps (10)
WHOLESALER – OLE (a Spanish cheer) inserted into WHALER (the Pequod perhaps)

Down

1d    Rogue artist reaching Southern California (6)
RASCAL – RA (Royal Academician, artist) S (southern) CAL (California)

2d    View quietly adopted by a religious group (6)
ASPECT – P (piano, musical instruction to play quietly) ‘adopted’ by A (from the clue) SECT (religious group)

3d    Provide billet for crew in 1945? (7,2,5)
QUARTER TO EIGHT – QUARTER (provide billet) TO (for) EIGHT (rowing crew)

4d    Love of fiance developed, taking time (9)
AFFECTION – An anagram (developed) of OF FIANCE ‘taking’ T (time)

5d    Standards of behaviour and not way to address a lady? (5)
NORMS – NOR (not) MS (way to address a lady)

7d    Smell almost not as much — effect of runny nose? (8)
SNIFFLES – SNIFF (smell) and almost all of LESs (not as much)

8d    Brief speech? (8)
LEGALESE – A cryptic definition of the sort of language a brief (lawyer) might use

9d    Characters shifted landlords from Paris? (7,7)
CAPITAL LETTERS – Use the shift key and you’ll get something that might describe landlords in the capital of France

15d    Crossing Republic of South Africa, journey around (9)
TRAVERSAL – TRAVEL (journey) goes ‘around’ RSA (Republic of South Africa)

16d    Meet with fool going to national stadium endlessly (8)
ASSEMBLE – ASS (fool) going to wEMBLEy (the national stadium without the letters at either end)

17d    Educated person argued at random (8)
GRADUATE – An anagram (random) of ARGUED AT

19d    Item of seafood picked up with not so much hesitation (6)
MUSSEL – A reversal (picked up in a Down clue) of LESS UM (not so much hesitation)

20d    Brazilian footballer seen in Hackney Marshes (6)
NEYMAR – A footballer I’d actually heard of (although I will admit to not knowing he was Brazilian!) seen in HackNEY MARshes

22d    Manage to upset husband for a very long time (5)
EPOCH – A reversal (to upset) of COPE (manage) followed by H (husband)