Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2922
A full review by crypticsue
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This puzzle was published on 22nd October 2017
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Some really splendid lurkers this week, the particular favourite being 24d but I’d have the other one 18a, and also 21a as runners up on the podium.
Across
1a Framed by narrow window, behold gallant knight (8)
LANCELOT – LO (behold) ‘framed’ by LANCET (narrow window)
9a Bury gold around island — not the coastal part (8)
INTERIOR – INTER (bury) and OR (heraldic term for gold) around I (Island)
10a Crazy characters turned round in shock (4)
STUN – A reversal (turned round in an Across clue) of NUTS (crazy characters)
11a Creating distraction, wrongly directs a monarch (12)
SIDETRACKING – An anagram (wrongly) of DIRECTS A followed by KING (monarch)
13a Nurse visibly embarrassed about drug offered (8)
TENDERED – TEND (nurse) and RED (visibly embarrassed) ‘about E (Ecstasy, drug)
15a Place for putting European or English novelist (6)
GREENE – GREEN (place for putting) E (European)
16a Wild animal finding nothing in watering hole (4)
BOAR – O (nothing) in BAR (watering hole)
17a Turned to leading man or lady, one playing central role (5)
PIVOT – A reversal (turned) of TO (from the clue) VIP (leading man or lady)
18a Big game repeatedly spotted in vast estates there (4)
TEST – Repeatedly spotted lurking in vasT ESTaTES There
20a Doctor wearing protective gear for fighting (6)
COMBAT – MB (Bachelor of Medicine, doctor) ‘wearing’ COAT (protective gear)
21a One or two girls providing shrub (8)
ROSEMARY – One or two girls because you can use two girls ROSE and MARY together or just use, one, ROSEMARY
23a Stupid person the day before helping to produce solemn statement (12)
ASSEVERATION – ASS (stupid person) EVE (the day before) RATION (helping)
26a Autocrat, identified as terrible, reformed in vain (4)
IVAN – An anagram (reformed) of VAIN
27a That chap and I, holding pound, invest capital in Europe (8)
HELSKINKI – HE (that chap) and I holding L (£ sterling) and SINK (invest)
28a Apart from revolutionary in old hat, turned back (8)
DETACHED – CHE (Mr Guevara the revolutionary) in a reversal of DATED (old hat)
Down
2d One far from admirable character or another I upset (4-4)
ANTI-HERO – An anagram (upset) of ANOTHER I
3d A great deal of Tory party followed by half-hearted mob (12)
CONSIDERABLE – CON (Tory) SIDE (party) RABbLE (half-hearted or without its middle letter)
4d Problem with hose that firemen often raise (6)
LADDER – Nice surface reading for this double definition
5d Add colour with explosive stuff about one of the Romans (4)
TINT – TNT (explosive stuff) about I (the Roman numeral for one)
6d Frank view about paintings put up (8)
STRAIGHT – SIGHT (view) about a reversal (put up in a Down clue) of ART (paintings)
7d Fruit that bird can’t get in tree (4)
KIWI – A fruit or a flightless bird who can’t get into a tree
8d Small piece or scrap of cloth people wrapped in paper, initially (8)
FRAGMENT – RAG (scrap of cloth) MEN (people) wrapped in FT (the initials by which the Financial Times newspaper is known)
12d Habitual thief and policeman endlessly take off together (12)
KLEPTOMANIAC – An anagram of POLICEMAn and TAKe once you have removed the last letters (endlessly)
14d Drunkard finally finished port (5)
DOVER – D (the final letter of drunkarD and OVER (finished)
16d Support getting over each awfully painful experience that’s behind one (8)
BACKACHE – BACK (support) over an anagram (awfully) of EACH
17d Salesman’s pitches about new models (8)
PATTERNS – PATTERS (salesman’s pitches) about N (new)
19d Play in attempt to win a hand? (8)
SERENADE – A song played under a lady’s window by a would-be suitor
22d Insult that’s small, easy to bear (6)
SLIGHT – S (small) LIGHT (easy to bear)
24d Going either way in metropolis, I located food store (4)
SILO – Found going either way – firstly reversed and then ‘normally’ in metropOLIS ILOcated
25d Enthusiastic support, having very briefly contributed (4)
AVID – V (very ‘briefly’) contributed to AID (support)
B2