ST 2797

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2797

A full review by crypticsue

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

This puzzle was published on Sunday, 24th May 2015

The usual great Sunday ‘service’ from Virgilius.

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.  You can also add your assessment by selecting from one to five best!

Across

1a           Resident, before long, admitting hard worker, say (10)
INHABITANT –   H (hard) is admitted to IN A BIT (before long) and the result followed with ANT (worker).

6a           Within academic education, reduced number of degrees (4)
ICED –   Hidden in academIC EDucation is a way of saying reduced the number of degrees of temperature in something.

9a           Conservative is alone backing powerful organisations (7)
COLOSSI – C (Conservative) followed by (backing) IS SOLO (is alone).

10a         Follow a random path as repairman covering area (7)
MEANDER –   A (area) inserted into MENDER (repairman)

12a         In essence, provide resources for article, using brain (13)
FUNDAMENTALLY –   FUND (provide resources for) A (indefinite article) MENTALLY (using brain).

14a         Are joining Society that’s nicer to fellows? (6)
SEXIST – S (society)   EXIST (are) – the original definition of this word referred to discrimination or offensive behaviour to women on the grounds of sex, hence the ? at the end of the clue.

15a         Achieve without expert’s approval? Just the opposite (8)
REPROACH –   REACH (achieve) goes outside (without) PRO (expert).

17a         Doing very little to improve one’s health? (4,4)
REST CURE –   A cryptic definition of treatment involving inactivity and quiet.

19a         Fling a fellow’s had with blonde (6)
AFFAIR – A (from the clue) F (fellow) FAIR (blonde).

22a         Visual aids placed just in front of pupils (7,6)
CONTACT LENSES –   A cryptic definition of visual aids that I’d literally be lost without.

24a         Provide backing for track about pair holding hands (7)
SPONSOR –   SPOOR (track) goes round NS (North and South being partners in a game of bridge, so holding hands of cards).

25a         Pawn and rook I win, playing chess — or bishop, perhaps (7)
PRIMATE – P (pawn) R (rook) I (from the clue) MATE (win a game of chess).

26a         Finishes off crossword puzzle on Sunday for contest (4)
DENY – Found in the ‘finishes’ of crossworD puzzlE oN SundaY

27a         It’s hot in a fire, then — possibly as indicated by this? (10)
FAHRENHEIT –   An anagram ( possibly)of A FIRE THEN and H (hot).

Down

1d           It’s more of a hand than a foot (4)
INCH –   A quarter of a hand – four inches – used to measure horses – or a twelfth of a foot.

2d           Prince provided a cross for Northern town (7)
HALIFAX – HAL (prince) IF (provided) A (from the clue and X (cross).

3d           In clubs, assess differently where some high-fliers sit (8,5)
BUSINESS CLASS –   An anagram (differently) of IN CLUBS ASSESS.

4d           Island in East that is oddly lacking in colour (6)
TAIWAN –   The odd letters of ThAt Is followed by WAN (lacking in colour).

5d           Anaesthetised English left-winger came to (8)
NUMBERED –   NUMB (anaesthetised) E (English) RED (left-winger).

7d           Low mark in French I called wrong (7)
CEDILLA –   A punctuation mark placed under (low) a letter in a French word such as garçon used to indicate that the letter in question should be pronounced as an s.

8d           American bowler’s to take on cricket team here (10)
DERBYSHIRE –   DERBY (an American hat we’d call a bowler) and HIRE (take on).

11d         Father of Asian maltreated, in a way (5,1,7)
AFTER A FASHION – An anagram (maltreated) of FATHER OF ASIAN.

13d         Aids sector wrongly excluded from society (10)
OSTRACISED –   An anagram (wrongly) of AIDS SECTOR.

16d         Key ceremony and broadcast raised standards (8)
CRITERIA – C (musical key) RITE (ceremony) and a reversal (raised) of AIR (broadcast).

18d         Event seen in evening paper saddened (7)
SUNDOWN –   SUN (newspaper) DOWN (saddened).

20d         Reduce severity of clot you reported, over time (7)
ASSUAGE –   ASS (clot) U (you ‘reported’ or said out loud) and AGE (time)

21d         Harden or soften (6)
TEMPER –   Double definition

23d         Without a break, attend strike (4)
BEAT –   Remove the space between BE AT (attend) and you get a word meaning strike.

The last Sunday puzzle review did produce a few comments – though not really on the puzzle, mostly recommendations of brands of tea.   I’ve looked and looked but can’t see anything likely to produce a conversation this week, but I do hope I’m proved wrong.

S2