DT 27570

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27570

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BD Rating – Difficulty **/***– Enjoyment ***

This puzzle was published on Saturday, 16th August 2014

I thought it was just me being exhausted after nearly two weeks of “holidaying” and Granny duties, but it turned out that quite a lot of other people thought this was a trickier than usual Saturday puzzle.

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           Antagonism in work place (10)
OPPOSITION –   OP (work) and POSITION (place)

6a           Unusual getting second chances (4)
ODDS –   ODD (unusual) plus S (second).

10a         Socially dominant in sacred river area (5)
ALPHA –   This river features in a poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge – “In Xanadu did Kubla Khan, a stately pleasure-dome decree: where Alph, the sacred river, ran…” – follow the river’s name  with an A (area) to get a word meaning socially dominant, powerfully influential.

11a         Not entirely risky acquiring horse for old coach (9)
CHARABANC –   Insert an ARAB horse into CHANCY (not entirely risky).

12a         Drama of fine end-of-series deciders (4-4)
PLAY-OFFS –   PLAY (drama) OF (from the clue) F (fine) and S (end of series).

13a         Briefly visit old man at home (3,2)
POP IN –   POP (an informal word for father – old man) and IN (at home).

15a         Entrant, a competitor on river (7)
ARRIVAL –   A (from the clue) R (river) followed by (on) RIVAL (competitor)

17a         Sound    check (7)
STAUNCH –   Double definition – firm and steady (sound) or check in the sense of  stop.

18a         Greeting composer, one leaving barbecue (7)
HIBACHI –   HI (a greeting) BACH (a composer) and I (one).

21a         Court finally presented with motive for crime (7)
TREASON –   The finally letter of courT and REASON (motive).

23a         Piece of spinach on a tortilla chip (5)
NACHO is hidden in a piece of spiNACH On

24a         Loyal follower, guy from a Belgian river port? (8)
LIEGEMAN – a loyal follower could be said, if split 5, 3, to be a man from  the Belgian port of Liege.

27a         Beginning to like catching Latin lecture (7-2)
TALKING TO –   TAKING TO (beginning to like)with L (Latin) inserted.

28a         High explosive is used by leader of team in spectacular theft (5)
HEIST – HE (high explosive) IS (from the clue) and T (the leader of Team).

29a         Almost half of bedtime drink (4)
NIGH –   Half of a NIGHtcap (bedtime drink).

30a         Clue for Poirot, say, could bring dishonour to family (10)
BLOOD STAIN –   Split 5,5   BLOOD means family and STAIN dishonour.

Down

1d           What’s touching about mother country? (4)
OMAN –   ON (touching or in contact with) around MA (mother).

2d           Widely admired university in London area (7)
POPULAR – U (university) inserted into POPLAR (an area of London).

3d           A duke in cast, underhand (5)
SHADY – A (from the clue) and D (duke) inserted into SHY (cast, throw).

4d           Diplomatic in court dividing fault roughly (7)
TACTFUL –   CT (the abbreviation for court)  is inserted into (dividing)  an anagram (roughly)of FAULT.

5d           Famous Greek is below on a ship (7)
ONASSIS –   ON (from the clue) A (from the clue) and SS (ship) followed by IS (from the clue).

7d           Empty, obsolete bain-marie? (7)
DEADPAN –   DEAD (obsolete) and PAN (of which a bain-marie is an example)

8d           Used additional bit of help (6-4)
SECOND-HAND –  SECOND (additional) and HAND (help)

9d           Fighter having to turn from correct course over channel (8)
WARPLANE –   WARP (turn from correct course) and LANE (channel).

14d         Used to be nothing, cracked up to be a US president (10)
WASHINGTON –   WAS (used to be) and an anagram (cracked up) of NOTHING.

16d         First one to get on a four-wheeled carriage (8)
VICTORIA –   VICTOR (first) I (one) and A (from the clue).

19d         Finance account in arrears (7)
BACKLOG –   BACK (provide finance for) and LOG (account, record).

20d         Bad carrying on with a criminal (7)
ILLEGAL –   ILL (bad) with LEG (on side in a game of cricket) and A (from the clue).

21d         Venetian painter to fasten sports shirt (7)
TIEPOLO –   Split 3, 4, you get TIE (fasten) and POLO (a type of sports shirt).

22d         It’s a man running, showing staying power (7)
STAMINA is an anagram (running) of ITS A MAN.

25d         Guiding beliefs set out involving husband and love (5)
ETHOS –   An anagram (out) of SET plus (involving) H (husband) and O (love).

26d         College bill rising (4)
ETON college is a reversal (rising in a down clue) of a NOTE (bill).

Thanks to the Mysteron for the crossword and,  in advance,  to  the holidaying Gnome for the pudding!