DT 28294

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 28294

A full review by crypticsue

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This puzzle was published on Saturday 10th December

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

 

It is very rare on a Saturday that I’d have suggested starting with the Downs, but I got on much better with them to start with than I did with the Acrosses.   My favourite has to be 10a, not least because thinking of the national treasure that is the lovely Sir David always makes me smile.

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           Contracted Spanish city girl to provide song (8) MADRIGAL –  Almost all of (contracted) MADRId and a GAL (girl)

5a           Person who takes things the wrong way (6) ROBBER – A cryptic definition that did on first reading make me wonder if I was looking for a palindrome

8a           Horse perhaps that’s not much of a goer (6) STAYER – A person or animal, especially a horse or greyhound, of good lasting qualities for a race, which might not necessarily be a goer, either in the sense of leaving or being particularly fast

9a           Attenborough maybe winkling out little fellow, one barely seen in public (8) NATURIST – Sir David Attenborough is well-known for being an example (maybe) of a NATURALIST and you need to ‘winkle out’ AL (little or abbreviated Albert, fellow)

10a         Country steps back too much — it elevates a woman (8) STILETTO – STILE (country steps) and a reversal (back) of OTT (over the top, too much)  

11a         Sour habitual response by expert (6) ACETIC – TIC (habitual response) goes by ACE (expert)

12a         Arranged one behind another, cyclically? (2,6) IN TANDEM – An arrangement of two things one behind the other, not necessarily on a bicycle built for two!

13a         Pop in translated name for country (6) NIPPON – An anagram (translated) of POP IN and N (name) gives us the Japanese name for Japan

15a         Everyone assembled outside that club? (6) MALLET- ALL (everyone) with MET (assembled) outside

18a         Unreliable story about sick revolutionary (8) FALLIBLE – FABLE (story) goes outside a reversal (revolutionary) of ILL (sick)

20a         Capital increasin’ by 100 per cent, it is reported (6) DUBLIN – A homophone (it is reported) of DOUBLIN’ (increasing by 100%)

21a         Extra pay might make you this? (8)   TAX PAYER – A craftily hidden anagram (might make)  9f EXTRA PAY

23a         One swallows pills, strangely aromatic flavour (8) ALLSPICE – ACE (one) ‘swallows’ an anagram (strangely) of PILLS

24a         Gosh, care when stirring must come first in buttery (6) CREAMY – MY (gosh) preceded by (must come first) an anagram (when stirring) of CARE

25a         Please cast off and slip away (6) ELAPSE – An anagram (cast off) of PLEASE

26a         Condition made by church council withholding zero foreign capital (8) SYNDROME – Remove the O (withholding zero) from SYNOD (church council) and follow with ROME (the capital of Italy)

Down

1d           Leader of exodus from East entering Stirling, say (5) MOSES –  E (east) entering MOSS (Stirling, perhaps)

2d           Kingly post? (5,4) ROYAL MAIL – Another cryptic definition.  

3d           Rewritten tragedy was revolutionary (7) GYRATED – An anagram (rewritten) of TRAGEDY

4d           Taff’s harmony led rousing anthem (4,2,2,7) LAND OF MY FATHERS – An anagram (rousing) of TAFFS HARMONY LED

5d           Keep crossing river in coach again (7) RETRAIN – RETAIN (keep) crossing R (river)

6d           Urban, and more muscular? (5-2) BUILT-UP – A description of an urban area might describe someone with more muscles than average

7d           Fashion centre with diamonds in reserve (9) RETICENCE – An anagram (fashion) of CENTRE into which is inserted ICE (diamonds)

12d         I am to intervene without delay (9) IMMEDIATE – IM (I am) MEDIATE (intervene)

14d         Plundering vessel, soldier is supported by the monarch (9) PRIVATEER –  PRIVATE (soldier) is supported, or followed by in a Down clue, ER (the regnal cipher of our current monarch)

16d         Eccentric liable to eat nothing but a flower (7) LOBELIA – An anagram (eccentric) of LIABLE ‘eating’ O (nothing)

17d         Number residing on southern French island is capable of being stretched (7) TENSILE – TEN (number) S (southern) ILE (French island)

19d         Book that makes you cross, one clutched by silly clone (7) LEXICON –  X (the letter that looks like a cross) I (one) ‘clutched by’ or inserted into an anagram (silly) of CLONE

22d         Have correspondence at the end? (5) RHYME – A cryptic definition of something that sounds alike (has correspondence) at the end of the word/line

S1