DT 28629

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 28629

A full review by gnomethang

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This puzzle was published on ^6th January 2018

BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***

Morning All! This had a couple of head-scratchers for me and the clue at 1d appears to be the wrong way round but otherwise quite straightforward.

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

7a           Vincent accepts Leo running wild in brutality (8)
VIOLENCE – VINCE(ent) contains/accepts an anagram (running) of LEO.

9a           Plain central stretch of inlet undrained (6)
TUNDRA – A hidden word that is hidden centrally (a central stretch of) inle T UNDRA ined.

10a         Ancient city, not all in South Africa (6)
SPARTA – A PART (not all) inside SA for South Africa.

11a         Device used when travelling from Cape Horn? (3,5)
CAR PHONE – An anagram (travelling) of CAPE HORN.

12a         Tom caught in falsehood after outing in three parts (10)
TRIPLICATE – Place a Tom CAT inside a LIE (falsehood) after a TRIP or outing.

14a         Charged for fodder (4)
FEED – FEE can be a verb so FEED is charged as well as fodder for animals.

15a         Chatter disturbed tragedian’s waffle (3,3,7)
GAS AND GAITERS – Not a phrase with which I am familiar. Start with GAS for chatter and then add a disturbed anagram of TRAGEDIANS.

17a         Find out about scrapping over record (4)
DISCOVER – Quite straightforward this: remove/scrap OVER from DISC(over) or find out.

18a         Shabby fluff behind foot? (4-2-4)
DOWN-AT-HEEL – If some fluff where behind one’s foot then one might cryptically say that one had some DOWN AT (the) HEEL.

20a         Eavesdrop in this direction, you say? (8)
OVERHEAR – A homophone, you say, of OVER HERE! (in this direction).

21a         Flood at home, getting cross after complaint (6)
INFLUX – IN for at home, then FLU for a complaint/malady with X for cross afterwards.

23a         Go with Queen’s painter (6)
TURNER – A TURN or go (at a board game e.g.) followed by E.R. for Elizabeth Regina, our current Queen.

24a         Sure things should be secure, organised best (4,4)
SAFE BETS – SAFE for SECURE then an anagram (organised) of BEST.

Down

1d           Captain’s given fish but not head (6)
KIPPER – The requirement to get the answer is to remove the head letter from (S)KIPPER or captain but the clue reads as if one must remove the head letter from a fish to get a captain. I am not the only one to question this clue.

2d           Endless drink making one do this? (4)
SLUR – Remove the end letter (endless) from SLUR(p) or drink.

3d           Vain son I ordered to get occupation (8)
INVASION – An anagram (ordered) of VAIN SON I.

4d           Look about five, and go hungry (6)
STARVE – A STARE (look) around/about the Roman Numeral V for five.

5d           Present going with birthday suit (2,3,5)
IN THE FLESH – The first is the definition and the second cryptically refers to being naked.

6d           They take care of the draught but also sink the spirits (8)
DRINKERS – A cryptic definition of those that take draught beer and also ink spirits/draughts.

8d           Quarrel — and produce sword? (8,5)
EXCHANGE WORDS – A reverse anagram where the word SWORD might be an EXCHANGE of WORDS.

13d         Racing foolishly, tense at first but no longer concerned (4,6)
PAST CARING – Place an anagram (foolishly) of RACING with the PAST tense first.

15d         Doctor gives our outcome to be severe (8)
GRIEVOUS – Make an anagram of (or doctor) GIVES OUR.

16d         Bagged up very soon? (2,1,5)
IN A JIFFY BAG – A JIFFY being a well known trade name for a bag. SO bagged up cryptically is “IN A JIFFY”

18d         Gloomy organ in arid setting (6)
DREARY – Place an EAR/organ inside DRY for arid.

19d         Looking towards heaven, person that’s holy and chaste spouts (6)
ERUPTS – Reverse (looking to heaven in a DOWN clue) a ST for Saint and then PURE for chaste.

22d         Lies if coming up with abuse regularly (4)
FIBS – A reversal (coming up) of IF and then add the even/regular letters in a B u S e.

Thanks to the setter – I am back next Thursday.