Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26849
Hints and tips by pommers
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
Hola from the Vega Baja. Well, after last week’s walk in the park we have a pretty tricky puzzle from Jay this week. It was close to getting 4* but I clicked 13d just in time! I enjoyed the tussle! You don’t really need to start with the downs but it will help if you have your slightly American hat on today as several of the clues have a distinctly US flavour.
The clues I like most are in blue and the answers can be seen by highlighting the space between the curly brackets. 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
9a Instant cure initially found in most of samples (5)
{TRICE} – This is an instant as in short period of time. You need a word for samples or tests and remove the last letter (most of) and then insert C (Cure initially).
10a Percentage losing heart during speech surgery (9)
{OPERATION} – Definition is surgery . Take a popular crosswordland word for a speech and insert (during) PE (PercentagE losing heart).
11a Why a severe punishment? (4,3)
{WHAT FOR} – Another way of asking why is also a colloquial term for a punishment as my mother used to give me.
12a Time is lost — and energy — producing list (7)
{ITEMISE} – This word meaning to list is an anagram (lost) of TIME IS and E(nergy). Thanks to Gazza for putting me right on this one!
13a Inexperienced soldiers beset by information (5)
{GREEN} – A word for inexperienced is some of the usual soldiers surrounded by (beset) a term for information.
14a Dispatched to cover a press ceremony in church (9)
{SACRAMENT} – A church ceremony is a word for dispatched, a letter perhaps, placed around (to cover) A (from the clue) and a word meaning press or stuff.
16a This lawyer can reach us — blame changes (9,6)
{AMBULANCE CHASER} – A term of US origin for a lawyer who seeks to profit from the lawsuits of accident victims is an anagram (changes) of CAN REACH US BLAME. The first of the slightly American clues.
19a Launch full of drugs? (9)
{SPEEDBOAT} – A small, fast craft if split (5,4) would sound like it was delivering amphetamines. Don’t know about amphetamines but the bad guys use these to smuggle cannabis into Spain from Morocco across the Straits of Gibraltar!
21a Signs nothing — and people sail without trouble (5)
{OMENS} – These sign or portents are a charade of O(nothing), some male people and S (Sail with the AIL (trouble) removed)
23a Sick twice, absorbing wife’s hostility (3-4)
{ILL WILL} – Take a word for sick or unwell, repeat it (twice) and insert (absorbing) W(ife) and then split that lot (3,4) and you get some hostility.
25a Used explosive bullets initially and survived (7)
{BLASTED} – Definition is used explosive. Start with B (Bullets initially) and follow with a word for survived or continued.
27a Relative’s known aims to be put off (9)
{KINSWOMAN} – A female relative is an anagram (to be put off) of KNOWN AIMS.
28a Enthusiastic about including Mahler’s last opening bars (5)
{INTRO} – The opening of a piece of music is R (MahleR’s last) inserted into (including) a slang term for enthusiastic about or keen on.
Down
1d Stitch around back of skirt causing worry (4)
{STEW} –Another word for to stitch placed around T (back of skirT) gives a word for worry.
2d Face drop during struggle (6)
{VISAGE} – This is a posh word for your face. Take a word for struggle (3) and insert (during) a word meaning drop or droop.
3d Excessively modern England few regulated (10)
{NEWFANGLED} – A word meaning excessively modern is an anagram (regulated) of ENGLAND FEW.
4d Theatre dames with right to drop a couple of places (6)
{BOARDS} – A colloquial term for the theatre or stage is made by taking an American term for women and moving the R(ight) two places down. I like this one as ‘dames’ is also an American term for women which might give a pointer to the word you need – cue video!
ARVE Error: need id and provider
5d Second-rate crossword compiler cried about keeping love (8)
{MEDIOCRE} – A word for second rate is formed from how the compiler might refer to himself followed by an anagram (about) of CRIED with O (love) inserted (keeping).
6d Cotton belt’s first alcoholic drink (4)
{BALE} – A large bundle of cotton is B (Belt’s first) followed by an alcoholic drink. In the USA this word means specifically 500 pounds of cotton.
7d Lacking a stone, grabs one showing no mercy (8)
{PITILESS} – Not sure how to explain this one! Start with an American term for a fruit stone and add LESS so it means ‘lacking a stone’ and then insert (grabs) I (one) and you get a word meaning without mercy. If anyone can come up with a better way of hinting this one please let me know!
8d Plates placed under popular apprentices’ contracts (10)
{INDENTURES} – These apprentices’ contracts are the usual word for popular (2) followed by the type of plate you might need to wear in your mouth.
13d Shifts clobber before staff realises, finally (4-6)
{GEAR STICKS} – The definition is shifts and you need your American hat on again – it’s to do with a car transmission! The first word is clobber as in clothing and the second is another word for a staff or rod followed by S (realiseS finally). This was my last in and it took ages for the penny to drop!
15d A dreamer with no name embraces church, having no shade (10)
{ACHROMATIC} – A word meaning without colour is formed from A (from the clue) and another word for a dreamer with the N removed (with no Name) and then all this lot placed around (embraces) one of the usual abbreviations for church.
17d Scurrying supporter is up, wearing fancy jewellery (8)
{BEETLING} – Take a supporter found on a golf course and reverse it (is up in a down clue) and then surround it (wearing) some fancy jewellery to get a word for scurrying. I think we’ve had this supporter quite recently.
18d He is excluded from design of phenomenal source of illumination (4,4)
{NEON LAMP} – Remove the HE (he is excluded) from PHENOMENAL and make an anagram (design) of what’s left and you get a sort of light.
20d Haul includes container for wine and pipes (6)
{TUBING} – Take a word for haul or pull (3) and insert (includes) a place where wine bottles are stored and you get some pipes. A pipe is also a container for wine measuring 105 gallons – don’t drink it all at once!
22d Being a bit different, it yields (6)
{ENTITY} – This being is hidden (a bit) in different it yields.
24d Channel island area and state (4)
{IOWA} – For this American state we don’t need one of the Channel Islands but we do need the abbreviation for an island found in the English Channel. Add A(rea) and you get the state.
26d Dump doctor before work (4)
{DROP} – A charade of one of the abbreviations for doctor and the usual word for work give a word meaning to dump or get rid of.
I like all the ones in blue but favourite was 13d, just for the D’oh moment when the penny finally dropped – you probably heard the clang!
The Quick crossword pun: {yore} + {sews} + {wheat} = {you’re so sweet}
