Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2926
A full review by crypticsue
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This puzzle was published on 19th November 2017
BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
I really enjoyed this Sunday puzzle – lots of Virgilius ‘specials and some lovely surface readings too.
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Across
1a Fundamentals, thus, grasped by degrees (6)
BASICS – SIC (thus) ‘grasped by’ BAS (Bachelors of Art, degrees)
4a Merciful judge, one who regularly trains? (8)
COMMUTER – A merciful judge who changes a death sentence for a less severe punishment’ someone who travels to work by train
10a Oddly elect to retain right to hold property for customers (9)
CLIENTELE – An anagram (oddly) of ELECT ‘retains’ LIEN (right to hold property)
11a Healthy, from what we hear (5)
SOUND – A double definition
12a It comes between flights, one way or another (7)
LANDING – Flights of aircraft or flights of stairs, thus one way or another
13a Deservedly get to hold article of baked clay (7)
EARTHEN – EARN (deservedly get) to ‘hold’ THE (definite article)
14a Wait on answer (5)
SERVE – And another double definition
15a Comprehensively added everything carried outside (8)
TOTALLED – TOTED (carried) goes outside ALL (everything)
18a Against current university student group holding power (8)
UPSTREAM – U (University) STREAM (student group) ‘holding’ P (power)
20a Kept in school and given all the extra duties, initially (5)
GATED – The initial letters of Given All The Extra Duties
23a Male surrounded by fools and duds (7)
CLOTHES – Sometimes informal terms are so helpful for a setter in need of a nice surface reading. Here duds is the plural of a very old word of unknown origin, once applied to coarse cloaks, but now used for clothes of any kind. HE (male) ‘surrounded by’ CLOTS (fools)
25a Titian excited about very successful picture (7)
TITANIC – An anagram (excited) of TITIAN followed by C (circa, about)
26a Unlimited poverty, clear for all to see (5)
OVERT – Remove the outside limits of pOVERTy
27a Lead, for instance, around work — running for union? (9)
ELOPEMENT – Lead is an example of an ELEMENT, which should be put round OP (work)
28a Bright learner in exam that’s extremely short (8)
LITTLEST – LIT (bright) L (learner) in TEST (exam)
29a Collect, for example, from settler across river (6)
PRAYER – PAYER (settler) ‘across’ R (river)
Down
1d Support painful punishment that produces strong reaction (8)
BACKLASH – BACK (support) LASH (painful punishment)
2d Web designer creating something angler can use online? (7)
SPINNER – A description of something that ‘designs’ or builds a web is a piece of fishing tackle used on the end of the line
3d Satisfied about occupying part of the world (9)
CONTINENT – CONTENT (satisfied) about IN (occupying)
5d Superior to European, I’m in position? That’s highly inaccurate (14)
OVERESTIMATION – OVER (superior to) E (European) and then IM (from the clue) inserted into STATION (position)
6d Economiser? Not half (5)
MISER – You only need the second half of econoMISER
7d Almost closed with disgusted expression — that is no easy puzzle (7)
TOUGHIE – TO (almost closed) UGH (disgusted expression) IE (that is)
8d Small mammal‘s lair surrounded by rubbish (6)
RODENT – DEN (lair) surrounded by ROT (rubbish)
9d Light scattered in various directions, something astronaut may experience (14)
WEIGHTLESSNESS – An anagram (scattered) of LIGHT in various directions or abbreviated compass points
16d Starts off flight, my dear — it’s extremely far (5-4)
LIGHT-YEAR – Take the ‘starts’ off fLIGHT mY dEAR
17d Doctor courted a mistress, say (8)
EDUCATOR – An anagram (doctor) of COURTED A
19d Demonstration from expert prior to big game (7)
PROTEST – PRO (exert) TEST (big game)
21d E.g. perfect lady’s limits in edgy fashion (7)
TENSELY – TENSE (eg perfect) and the limits of LadY
22d Train group of swimmers (6)
SCHOOL – Another double definition: the first a verb, the other a collective noun
24d Place to stay that’s cool, paradoxically, on English lake (5)
HOTEL – HOT (cool paradoxically) E (English) L (lake)
B2