DT 27038

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27038

A full review by gnomethang

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BD Rating – Difficulty **– Enjoyment ***

Morning All!. I am pretty sure that this is a Cephas production. Whilst reviewing it I noticed an incredible amount of charade or word-sum clues. The reviewing was a bit monotonous but I do recall enjoying things a bit more on the day and recalled it being quite a fast solve.

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.  You can also add your assessment by selecting from one to five stars at the bottom of the post.

Across

1a           Have forty-one winks? (9)
OVERSLEEP – One too many from forty winks in this cryptic definition.

9a           Type of selling still has first-class backing (7)
INERTIA – INERT for still/immobile and then a reversal of AI (A-One or first class). I must confess the phrase is unfamiliar to me – It is the (old) technique of sending unwanted goods to a household and then attempting to charge for them when they are not returned.

10a         Expand measure by stirring lager (7)
ENLARGE – EN is the measure of space of a single-space character in typesetting (EM is the double space character( e.g. m,w). Start with the former and add an anagram (stirring of LAGER.

11a         Trouble taking drug? One’s likely to complain (7)
FUSSPOT – A charade of FUSS (trouble/ado) and POT (weed/grass)

12a         Commonplace parking requires licence (9)
PLATITUDE – The use of commonplace as  noun was unfamiliar to me (I was thinking a mistake) but it is exactly synonymous with P (Parking) plus LATITUDE (License/leeway).

14a         African moving nearer to snare it (8)
ERITREAN – Make an anagram (moving) of NEARER and include (ensnare) IT to get the crossword setter’s favourite African with lots of lovely common letters.

15a         It is made to scale (6)
LADDER – A pleasing cryptic definition – not a model car but a ladder manufactured (made) for climbing (to scale).

17a         See slip being adjusted in coat (7)
PELISSE – This went in from the checking letters and the obvious anagram of SEE SLIP (being adjusted). A PELISSE is , amongst other types, a fur lined military coat.

20a         Window decoration keeps out unknown missile (6)
TRACER – remove the unknown mathematical variable Y from TRACER(Y) which is a fine window decoration on Gothic architecture.

23a         Sudanese variety entertainer (8)
DANSEUSE – A female dancer is an anagram of SUDANESE (indicated by ‘variety’)

25a         Only chap on strike? (3,3,3)
ODD MAN OUT – A perfect &Lit or all in one clue. We have ODD (only,sole) then MAN (chap) and OUT (on strike).

26a         Nothing at breakfast that will make porridge? (7)
OATMEAL – O (zero, nothing) then AT from the clue followed by MEAL, of which breakfast is an example.

27a         Member’s turn to compose form of delivery (3,4)
LEG SPIN – Cricket Ahoy!. A LEG (a member or limb) then SPIN for turn gives a type of bowling delivery on cricket.

28a         Cash register silver deposited by Earl for cultivation (7)
TILLAGE – Another charade, this time of TILL (cash register) then AG (the abbreviation of Argentum, the old chemical name for silver) and finally E for Earl.

29a         Scented drink could be got up stream perhaps (9)
ROSEWATER – A charade of ROSE (got up ) and WATER (a stream perhaps).

Down

 

2d           Article in house that adds taste (7)
VANILLA –  – The indefinite article, AN, inside a VILLA – a Roman or holiday house.

3d           Baked a Dorset recipe (7)
ROASTED – Baked or broiled for our American cousins. An anagram (indicated by recipe) of A DORSET.

4d           Four-fifths of regulation twisted cord (8)
LIGATURE – The first 8 letters in a ten letter word (REGULATIon), when twisted, give the thing cord twists around the neck.

5d           Take a little from top and bottom of loaf, getting put in dock (6)
PILFER – The top (L) and bottom (F) from LOAF inside PIER (dock/quay)

6d           Barker embarrassed over yours truly (3,6)
RED SETTER – Red for embarrassed and a SETTER – The crossword setter (your’s truly form his perspective).

7d           One does not continue giving a plug (7)
STOPPER – A cryptic definition plus definition.

8d           Exclude offer from local worker (9)
BARTENDER – BAR (exclude) and TENDER (offer). I’ve just realised the charade count has gone through the roof!

13d         Determined to have detectives involved in act (7)
DECIDED – the CID (detectives ) in the usual DEED for act

15d         One boasting gaudy entrance (9)
LOUDMOUTH – LOUD as in a gaudy shirt and MOUTH for the entrance (of a river for example)

16d         Short-lived hybrid of maple here (9)
EPHEMERAL – An easily spotted anagram just from the fodder. A ‘hybrid’ of MAPLE HERE.

18d         Beastly rush (8)
STAMPEDE – A nice cryptic definition, although ‘beastly’ is a tad dated!.

19d         Set up in booth (7)
INSTALL – In from the clue and STALL as in a booth in a fair.

21d         One cannot remember having it (7)
AMNESIA – Chestnuts Ahoy! for this cryptic definition!.

22d         Learned European wants hors d’oeuvres topped and tailed (7)
ERUDITE – A much more satisfying clue for me. E for European then remove the first and last letters (topped and tailed) of cRUDITEs, the French hors d’oeuvres.

24d         You need to get over replacing a tray (6)
SOLVER – You the solver of the Crossword. Start with SALVER and replace the A with an O for Over in cricketing notation.

 

I’ll see you all next Friday for another Saturday review.