DT 28755

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 28755

A full review by gnomethang

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This puzzle was published on 2^nd June 2018

BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***

Morning All! I solved this on the fun-bus going to Epsom and promptly forgot about it!!

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

1a           Next X-ray should be here in hospital directory (10)
AFTERWARDS – Split as (5,5) and you may find the Xray department AFTER the WARDS in a hospital.

6a           Sport where players change clubs with no transfer fee (4)
GOLF – A cryptic definition of the sport where the14 clubs in the bag can be changed with no charge.

9a           Take and squander? (5)
SPEND  – To SPEND/take time and to SPEND/squander money.

10a         Plastic egret — nice, should be animated (9)
ENERGETIC – A plastic anagram of EGRET NICE.

12a         Cabinet perhaps goes off to the Left — maturity comes later? (7)
STORAGE – A reversal (to the left) of ROTS/goes off followed by age/maturity.

13a         Rambling pair left for thirty days (5)
APRIL – An anagram (rambling) of PAIR followed by L for Left.

15a         Taking part in sportswear, a cheat reveals something wrong in the head (7)
EARACHE – A hidden clue that is ‘taking part in’ sportsw EAR A CHE at.

17a         Proclaim as leader of the Americans and French (7)
TRUMPET – The leader/president of America, TRUMP, followed by ET or ‘and’ in French.

19a         Lose heart, having endless need to accommodate dad … (7)
DESPAIR – All but the last letter (endless) of DESIR( e) including/to accommodate PA for dad.

21a         … following grasping half-idle mum (7)
SILENCE – SINCE or following to include/grasp half of the word (id)LE.

22a         One’s trapping in river areas (5)
ACRES – ACES or ones in cards including/trapping R for river.

24a         Funny thing, there’s nothing in packet (7)
CARTOON – Another insertion, this time place O for nothing in a CARTON/packet.

27a         Schools with no one left to get bus, maybe (9)
TRANSPORT – TRA(i)NS or schools, with no I for one and then PORT for left.

28a         King being shown in reduced one’s rank, having stripes (5)
SKUNK – Place K for King inside SUNK or reduced.

29a         Assess velocity (4)
RATE – A straightforward double definition.

30a         This person tucking into meat shuns prepared relish (10)
ENTHUSIASM – Place I (this person, me) inside an anagram (prepared) of MEAT SHUNS

Down

1d           Most of capital area is upwardly mobile too (4)
ALSO – A reversal of both most of the Capital City OSL(o) and A for Area.

2d           Hoards made by 29 ground squirrels, oddly (9)
TREASURE – An anagram (ground) of RATE (the answer to 29a) and then the odd letters in SqUiRrElS.

3d           After artist died, half of score is set to be heard (5)
RADIO – RA for Royal Academician or artist, then D for Died (an abb. from the family tree) and finally IO which is allowed for ten, or half a score.

4d           Norm is too old, rejecting one blood type after another (7)
AVERAGE – Start with OVERAGE for too old and then replace the O blood type for the A blood type.

5d           Nuisance, having to shore up river that’s most low (7)
DEEPEST – Pest for nuisance underneath (shoring up in a down clue) the river DEE.

7d           Being seen by water getting more warm, going topless (5)
OTTER – Remove the first letter (going topless) of (h)OTTER or more warm.

8d           Ladies — maybe diverting if it’s Alice, or maddening if it’s Celia? (10)
FACILITIES – Two anagrams – divert IF ITS ALICE and a maddening one of IF ITS CELIA.

11d         Step-by-step rag for playing as a pair (7)
GRADUAL – An anagram (for playing) of RAG followed by DUAL/as a pair.

14d         School captain‘s striking effort, blocked by post … (10)
HEADMASTER – A HEADER (striking effort in football) outside of/blocking a MAST or post. I always thought that the school captain was the Head Boy!

16d         … roughly misses — he sets up these sessions (7)
CLASSES – C for about/roughly (both C and CA are abb. of Circa in Latin) and then LASSES for misses/girlies. The ‘he ‘ in this instance refers to the elided previous answer.

18d         Projection that water won’t quite go round (9)
PENINSULA – A cryptic definition of a projection of land that is not quite fully surrounded by water.

20d         Commander’s tracked vehicle reversed over animal (7)
RACCOON – CO for Commander follows (tracks) the reversal of CAR and then finally add ON for over/about.

21d         Improvised score (7)
SCRATCH – Two definitions, to create something from SCRATCH or improvise and to score or SCRATCH a surface.

23d         Engineers show what chemicals may do (5)
REACT – RE for the Royal Engineers and then an ACT/show.

25d         Sulphur used in crop driers (5)
OASTS – S – the chemical symbol for Sulphur inside OATS (a crop).

26d         Small Korean ruler over-the-top scoop! (4)
SKIM – S for Small and then KIM Jong-Un the current Korean Glorious Leader.