ST 2874

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2874

A full review by gnomethang

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This puzzle was published on Sunday 13th November

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

 

Morning All! Quite a quick solve but the usual enjoyment

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           How to start recycling paper showing where minister stands (6)
PULPIT – Split as (4,2) to get PULP IT – the way to recycle paper.

4a           Test like this is detested, certainly (6)
INDEED

8a           Composing, thus, old article (8)
SOOTHING – A charade of SO (thus), O for Old and a THING or article.

10a         Decline in royal company (6)
WITHER – in royal company might be said to be WITH E.R (Elizabeth Regina, the current Queen in the UK.

11a         Endless supply of food for wild animal (4)
BOAR – The supply of food is BOARD. Remove the last letter (endlessly).

12a         European adult shielding one declared innocent (10)
EXONERATED – Place E for E(uropean) and ONE from the clue around (shielding) X for Adult (rating in cinemas) and follow with RATED for declared.

13a         Severe sentence in novel is not prim about people (12)
IMPRISONMENT – An anagram (novel) of IS NOT PRIM around/about MEN for people – IMPRISON (MEN) T.

16a         Why a report is strangely admirable (12)
PRAISEWORTHY – An anagram, indicated by ‘strangely’ of WHY A REPORT IS.

20a         Legal group revealing a substance concealed by male, with distinctive flavour (10)
MAGISTRACY – A GIST or ‘a substance – the nub of the gist’ inside or hidden in M for Male and RACY for ‘with distinctive flavour’

21a         Fail to hit single person (4)
MISS – Two definitions – The first to MISS the dartboard (think the Slaughtered Lamb) and the second a single female.

22a         River breaks over opening to harbour (6)
THAMES – You need to place TAMES (breaks in like a horse) around/over the opening letter in H(arbour).

23a         Like mate in game that’s not competitive (8)
FRIENDLY – Two definitions again – easy enough when you see the split and read non-competitive into the (football) game.

24a         Primate and king embraced by sovereigns, for example (6)
MONKEY – Place K for King (chess notation) inside MONEY  – of which gold sovereigns are an example.

25a         Veteran who advises soldiers to run (6)
MENTOR – A charade of MEN (soldiers), TO from the clue, and R for Run from the cricketing abb.

Down

1d           Choice between academic and graduate, following set procedure (3,5)
PRO FORMA – The clue, when split as (4,2,2) reads PROF OR MA, the choice between a professor or a Master of Arts.

2d           Off-putting statement that could make one alert (5)
LATER – An anagram (could make one) of ALERT.

3d           Some medicines sent that’ll bring temperature down (7)
ICINESS – A hidden word, or some of, medICINES Sent.

5d           Out of the running at this point — twice (7)
NOWHERE – A charade of NOW and HERE – two synonyms for ‘present’.

6d           Two people in film sharing a kind of fan (9)
EXTRACTOR – Start with an EXTRA and an ACTOR in a film and combine the common A to get EXTR(A)CTOR.

7d           Fuel driver smells — what are the odds? (6)
DIESEL – The odd letters of DrIvErSmElLs.

9d           Workers preparing field drag stuff on haphazardly (6,5)
GROUND STAFF – An anagram, indicated by haphazardly, of DRAG STUFF ON.

14d         Traveller with fliers for mechanics, for instance (9)
REPAIRMEN – A REP or traveller followed by AIRMEN or fliers/pilots.

15d         After game with a lot of cards, sides surrounding English ref? (8)
WHISTLER – Follow a game of WHIST with L(eft) and R(ight), sides, around E for English.

17d         Entertainer, from start, is terrific (7)
ARTISTE – Another hidden word (from) inside stART IS TErrific.

18d         Edge of path that’s unusually wide, say (7)
WAYSIDE – An unusual anagram of WIDE SAY.

19d         Understand in depth (6)
FATHOM – Two definitions: to understand and a nautical depth.

21d         Painter almost ready on time (5)
MONET – Almost all of MONE(y) or ready (almost) followed by T for Time.