Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2946
A full review by gnomethang
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This puzzle was published on 8th April 2018
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Morning All! – Thanks to crypticsue for this review – I had a memory lapse Wednesday and a lot of work yesterday.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.
Across
1a Detrimental, hard, and as much as one can bear (7)
HARMFUL – H (hard) and ARMFUL (as much as one can bear)
5a After reform, time’s up? This keeps movement going (7)
IMPETUS – An anagram (after reform) of TIMES UP
9a Something worn in solitary confinement, finally (7)
SINGLET – SINGLE (solitary) and T (the final letter of confinement)
10a Test explosive device after returning fire (7)
EXAMINE – MINE (explosive device) goes after a reversal (returning) of AXE (fire)
11a Portion of what one mentioned as reparation (9)
ATONEMENT – Found lurking in a portion of whAT ONE MENTioned
12a Like deluded emperor or a king in dreadful end (5)
NAKED – A (from the clue) K (king) inserted into an anagram (dreadful) of END
13a Material taken from ground put back (5)
DENIM – A reversal (put back) of MINED (taken from ground)
15a Advocate taking increase, mostly in exchange for something else (9)
BARRISTER – Most of RISe (increase mostly) inserted into BARTER (exchange for something else)
17a Puzzling statements from member of team in processions (9)
PARADOXES – OX (member of team) in PARADES (processions)
19a Swindle foreign woman and daughter (5)
FRAUD – FRAU (foreign woman) and D (daughter)
22a Like beavers, grow up in European river (5)
EAGEr – AGE (grow up) inserted in between E (European) and R (river)
23a Hampered by winter weather currently in South, before spring (9)
SNOWBOUND – NOW (currently inserted after S (South) and before BOUND (spring)
25a Bad feeling I am going to leave to others (3,4)
ILL WLL – I’LL WILL (I’ll leave to others)
26a Embrace uncle I’d mistreated (7)
INCLUDE – An anagram (mistreated) of UNCLE ID
27a Essay about old play such as Hamlet (7)
TRAGEDY – TRY (essay) ‘about’ AGED (old)
28a Use of firearms spoiled plan fellow conceals (7)
GUNPLAY – An anagram (spoiled) of PLAN ‘concealed’ in GUY (fellow)
Down
1d Consort with, ultimately, American gang (7)
HUBAND – H (the ultimate letter of with) US (American) BAND (gang)
2d Continued holding Eastern game in Asian city (7)
RANGOON – RAN ON (continued) ‘holding’ GO (Eastern game)
3d Almost too ironbound? Wrong (5)
FALSE – ALSo (almost all of also, too) bound in FE (the chemical symbol for iron)
4d Holder of post I, for example, fight (9)
LETTERBOX – LETTER (of which I is an example) BOX (fight)
5d Showing lack of skill — it holds writer up (5)
INEPT – IT (from the clue) holds a reversal (up) of PEN (writer)
6d Person taking action that’s clear over row (9)
PLAINTIFF – PLAIN (clear) over TIFF (row)
7d Ornamental piece knitter modified (7)
TRINKET – An anagram (modified) of KNITTER
8d Slim, small type who makes advances (7)
SLENDER – S (small) LENDER (type who makes advances)
14d Fashion rebel introducing new change to be trendy (9)
MODERNISE – MODE (fashion) RISE (rebel) ‘introducing’ N (new)
16d Making good piece of jewellery others love initially (9)
RESTORING – REST (others) O (love) go before (initially) RING (piece of jewellery)
17d Foresee monarch being put into power with decree (7)
PREDICT – R (Rex, King, monarch) put between P (power) and EDICT (decree)
18d Formal attire from Algeria altered (7)
REGALIA – An anagram (altered) of ALGERIA
20d In customary way, USA upset, then disrupted, left (2,5)
AS USUAL – Reverse (upset) USA and follow with an anagram (disrupted) of USA and add L (left) at the end
21d Stranger replacing contents of dairy, not stable (7)
DODDERY – ODDER (stranger) replacing the contents of DairY
23d Sudden outburst from second mate (5)
SALLY – S (second) ALLY (mate)
24d Meat that can be saved and brought home (5)
BACON – Apparently saving the bacon goes back to ancient times when the bacon stored for the winter had to be saved from the household dogs. Bringing home the bacon refers to winning the prize of a side of bacon in a contest such as the Dunmow Flitch