Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29592
A full review by gnomethang
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This puzzle was published on 6th February 2021
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Morning All! I found this quite enjoyable and tricky to parse in places.
Across
1a Designs strong boxes to carry drug (7)
CREATES – CRATES or strong boxes carrying E for Ecstasy (a drug).
5a Clear around sides of lightweight screening structure (7)
SHELTER – Place SHEER or clear around the side letters in L(ightweigh)T.
9a Account for former partner without addition (7)
EXPLAIN – The former partner is an EX. Add PLAIN for ‘without addition’.
10a People used to pulling strings? (7)
ARCHERS – A cryptic definition which has nothing to do with puppets!.
11a Authorisations of dad’s frolics? (9)
PASSPORTS – Dad’s Frolics might cryptically be referred to as PA’S SPORTS.
12a Absolute state (5)
UTTER – Two definitions – complete and to speak/state.
13a Jog naked? Good to go inside! (5)
NUDGE – G for good inside NUDE/naked.
15a Cunningly resist rat, female who betrays (9)
TRAITRESS – Not a common word but an anagram (cunningly) of RESIST RAT.
17a Precedents of good person about to be admitted by Guys? (4,5)
TEST CASES – ST for saint (good person and C for about (one of the abbs. Of Circa) inside /admitted by TEASES for guys.
19a Overstrains joints? (5)
RACKS – Another double definition with the second being of the meat variety e.g. a joint/rack of lamb.
22a Some decor almost deep orange-pink (5)
CORAL – A hidden word is some of de COR AL most.
23a Researcher, say, one going into trail of evidence, is right at last (9)
SCIENTIST – Place I for one inside a SCENT or trail then add IS form the clue and the last letter of (righ)T.
25a Put another way, the girl is more cheerful (7)
LIGHTER – Make an anagram (to put another way) of THE GIRL.
26a Beasts harshly censure fashionable adult in review (7)
ANIMALS – A reversal (in review) of SLAM/harshly censure, IN for fashionable and finally A(dult).
27a Party I’d organised for excursion (3,4)
DAY TRIP – An anagram (organised) of PARTY I’D.
28a Roughly three billion yen — about that amount (7)
THEREBY – An anagram (roughly) of THREE then B(illion) and Y(en).
Down
1d Devalue revolutionary article and writer (7)
CHEAPEN – A charade of CHE Guevara (a revolutionary), A for an article and PEN for writer.
2d European, with Times, sat in the open (7)
EXPOSED – E(uropean) and X for Times (by) followed by POSED for sat.
3d Vagrant male caught by snare (5)
TRAMP – M for male caught inside a TRAP or snare.
4d Foreign girls in flawed assertion (9)
SENORITAS – A flawed anagram of ASSERTIONS.
5d Sailor on board performs exceptionally (5)
STARS – A TAR or sailor inside SS, a ship, i.e. he is ‘on board a ship’.
6d Two thirds of men opposing meeting (9)
ENCOUTER – EN, or two thirds of the word (m)EN followed by COUNTER for opposing.
7d End up in stitches here? (7)
THEATRE – It could be a surgical THEATRE or a comedy THEATRE.
8d Once again arranges holiday locations (7)
RESORTS – Another double def. – to order again and e.g. a beach RESORT.
14d Cycling, climb a little hill in endless series of steps (9)
ESCALATOR – An unusual cryptic device for a standard back-pager. To Cycle is to move the back letter of a word to the front. Hence SCALE/climb when cycling becomes ESCAL. Add A from the clue and a TOR or little hill.
16d Alsatians mauled attacker (9)
ASSAILANT – A mauled anagram of ALSATIONS and a nice, concise clue.
17d Amused moment was among the first (7)
TICKLED – A TICK for a moment/second and LED for ‘was among the first’.
18d Having an untidy outline, steep initially, and full of rocks (7)
SCRAGGY – The initial letter of S(teep) followed by CRAGGY for full of rocks.
20d Around capital, cold and extremely tense atmosphere (7)
CLIMATE – C(old) and the outside/extreme letters in T(ens)E around the capital city LIMA.
21d To meet requirements, announce hedging possibly fits (7)
SATISFY – SAY for announce s around/hedges an anagram (possibly) of FITS.
23d Criticism from harbours on the rise (5)
STROP – A reversal (on the rise) of PORTS/harbours,
24d Racket made by single piercing hooter (5)
NOISE – I for one/a single inside/piercing a NOSE for hooter.
On the day I thought that 19a was a cryptic definition of what a torturer might do but it works equally well as a double definition.
Thanks to Gnomey for the review.
Didn’t think of that. Frankly, gazza, I think you could take your pick of either!
Got 17a but never heard of “teases” meaning “guys”
Capital G, London hospital
Welcome to the blog. The capital G is there to confuse the solver into thinking of the name rather than the verb ‘guy’ meaning to tease
Thanks CS – to be clear to others, you are allowed to capitalise something that is not (necessarily) always capitalised but you are NOT allowed to remove capitalisation from a word that requires it.
Many very entertaining clues but 23d brought us up short. I can’t find a dictionary or thesaurus that says the meanings of ‘criticism’ and ‘strop’ are linked.
Welcome to the blog
Welcome, Niglin’
Chambers has the following definition under Nounal Def #2 (after the leather thang):
1) (A fit of) bad temper
2) Censure, criticism, esp in the phrase “give someone strop”
I must confess that I hadn’t heard of it but the answer was pretty clear from the checkers and wordplay.
Used to do this crossword in the 80’s with great enjoyment. Started again very recently but am now giving up as I find so many of the answers are vague, inconsistent and often bearing very little connection with the clues.
Welcome to the blog, Despen.
I haven’t noticed any of the clues being “vague, inconsistent…” etc myself, I think the combination of setter self checking and Puzzle Editor keeps things pretty straight and fair. I hope you stick around!