Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2964
A full review by gnomethang
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This puzzle was published on 12th August 2018
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Morning All! A very nice puzzle that was over a bit too quickly.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.
Across
8a Endlessly arid zone as part of US (7)
ARIZONA – Remove the last letters (endlessly) of ARI(d) ZONE(e) A(s). Given the accurate description this counts as an all-in-one or &Lit as well!
10a Use as model I am sitting in front of current gallery (7)
IMITATE – Place I’M (I am) in front of I for current/amperes and the perennial TATE gallery.
11a Settling about name very fast (9)
LIGHTNING – LIGHTING or landing/settling around the outside of N for Name.
12a Philosopher inserting line in page, odd selection for author (5)
PLATO – Place L for Line inside P(age) and the oddly selected letters of A u T h O r.
13a Central character in broadcast, as heard on radio (5)
DELTA – The central letter in broadcast is D which phonetically (on the radio) in the NATO phonetic alphabet is denoted by DELTA.
14a Where to find fruit or vegetable (7)
ORCHARD – Simple and seen before. OR from the clue and a CHARD vegetable.
17a Be encouraging about time in office, short for politician (7,8)
FOREIGN MINISTER – We need to place REIGN (time in royal office) and MINI (short) inside FOSTER or be encouraging. Quite hard to spot the wordplay.
19a Said to include section of round-the-world trip (7)
ORBITAL – ORAL or said including a bit or section.
21a Doctor needing medical help that’s often boring (5)
DRILL – DR, one abb. for Doctor, and then ILL (in need of medical treatment).
24a Carefully consider, in manner of speaking? (5)
WEIGH – A homophone (of speaking) of WAY/manner.
26a Cronies, having performed turn, remain for comedy act (9)
SLAPSTICK – A reversal (having performed a turn) of PALS/cronies and then STICK for remain.
27a Soldier‘s uniform (7)
REGULAR – A fairly straightforward double definition.
28a Alternative to case contributing to foolish old allegations (7)
HOLDALL – A hidden word that is contributing to the phrase ‘foolis H OLD ALL egations’.
Down
1d Song and dance followed by commercial (6)
BALLAD – A BALL/dance followed by an AD(vertisement) or commercial.
2d Remarkable as fish may be, unlike whales or dolphins (8)
SINGULAR – The first is the straight definition and then note that whilst ‘whales’ and ‘dolphins’ must be plural the word FISH can also be SINGULAR.
3d Deny I had flipped in agreement (10)
CONTRADICT – reverse (it is flipped) I’D for ‘I had’ inside a CONTRACT or agreement.
4d Is a dosing ordered as result of this? (9)
DIAGNOSIS – An anagram (ordered) of IS A DOSING).
5d Primarily weak, ineffective, mild person (4)
WIMP – An acrostic with the Primary letters of Weak Ineffective Mild Person and another &Lit
6d Part of hand that has slippery skin (6)
BANANA – A cryptic definition of one element of the collective noun for BANANAs.
7d Part-time judge has request again about start of case (8)
RECORDER – Place REORDER (request again) around the outside of the starting letter of C(ase).
9d Opposing something that goes with it (4)
AGIN – The drink being a GIN and IT (Italian vermouth) hence A GIN can go with IT.
15d Unfriendly when embracing cute person in immature way (10)
CHILDISHLY – CHILLY or unfriendly surrounding (embracing) DISH – an increasingly archaic word for a cute or attractive person.
16d Once rule’s broken, it’s put in writing (9)
ENCLOSURE – An anagram (broken) of ONCE RULES. The only definition I can see is that ‘ENCLOSURE’ is ‘that which is enclosed, especially in a letter’ from Chambers or else that IT is enclosed in wr IT ing. Am I missing something else?
17d Dancing skill possibly OK for covering tango requirement (8)
FOOTWORK – Make an anagram (possibly) of OK FOR and place that around (covering) TWO – the requisite number of people required to Tango, proverbially.
18d After short voyage North with one parent, land in Caribbean (8)
TRINIDAD – A TRI(p) or voyage that is short, then N for North, I for one and a DAD (parent).
20d Game for which paired opponents appear in answer (6)
BRIDGE – The card game in which the playing partners (North/South) and (West/East) appear inside the word ‘a NS WE r’.
22d Suitable flower planted around Kew, mostly (6)
LIKELY – The LILY flower is planted around most of the word KE(w).
23d German musical family‘s group losing heart (4)
BACH – Remove the middle letter (heart) of a BA(T)CH or group.
25d Nelson, for example, in part of ship (4)
HOLD – Two definitions – one a wrestling HOLD and the other where stuff is kept in a ship.