Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2986
A full review by crypticsue
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BD Rating – Difficulty */** – Enjoyment ****
Definitely more like Sundays used to be, not least for the number of times something had to be inserted into something else, not to mention the return to a distinct dearth of comments on the reviews
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.
Across
1a Bed delivery discussed? (5)
BERTH – A homophone (discussed) of BIRTH (delivery)
4a Smart wrapping paper going in large quantities (9)
STREAMING – STING (smart) ‘wrapping’ REAM (quantity of paper)
9a Sculpture of mere balsa, light (5,4)
LASER BEAM – An anagram (sculpture) of MERE BALSA
10a Wood pigeon’s head cradled by bloke (5)
MAPLE – P (the ‘head’ of pigeon) ‘cradled’ by MALE (bloke)
11a Amenity to be repaired — date not fixed (7)
ANYTIME – An anagram (to be repaired) of AMENITY
12a Support true reforms after move quickly backfiring (7)
NURTURE – An anagram (reforms) of TRUE goes after a reversal (backfiring) of RUN (move quickly)
13a Where nurses may be found, ahead (6)
ONWARD – A very old friend of the crossword solver – split your solution 2, 4 to see where nurses may be found
15a Those looking to clothe king in his birthday suit? (8)
STARKERS – STARERS (those looking) to ‘clothe’ K (King) – anyone else solve this and hope that Senf wouldn’t select this clue to hint and, more importantly, illustrate?
18a Driver perhaps hit reversing, then hit again (4,4)
GOLF CLUB – A reversal of FLOG (hit) followed by another (again) synonym for hit – CLUB
20a Feeder scoffing last of dessert, perfect! (4,2)
SPOT ON – SPOON (feeder) ‘scoffing’ the T that is the last (letter) of desserT
23a Whitewash clothes (7)
CLOBBER – Defeat overwhelmingly or a slang term for clothes
24a Two rights thrown in unexpectedly equal fight (7)
QUARREL – RR (two rights) ‘thrown’ in an anagram (unexpectedly) of EQUAL
26a Case left behind large rooms, unopened (5)
TRIAL – L (left) goes behind aTRIA, unopened telling you that you don’t need the first letter
27a Hoarding money abroad, cadaverous elderly relative (5-4)
GRAND AUNT – GAUNT (cadaverous) ‘hoarding’ RAND (money ‘abroad’)
28a Percentage turned around, saving dosh initially in hospitals (9)
HUNDREDTH – An anagram (around) of TURNED ‘saving’ D (dosh initially) inserted between two abbreviations for Hospital
29a Related item hotel at Bangkok perhaps reported? (3-2)
TIE-IN – A homophone (reported) of THAI INN (hotel at Bangkok)
Down
1d Invoice Gabon produced for flooded channel in Oz (9)
BILLABONG – BILL (invoice) and an anagram (produced) of GABON
2d Dangerous rig unfinished, limit to achievement? (5)
RISKY – RI (rig ‘unfinished) and SKY (the sky’s the limit)
3d Dog that flies! (7)
HARRIER – Is it a hunting dog? Is it a type of bird (that flies)?
4d Vegetable garden’s ending in the country (6)
SWEDEN – SWEDE (vegetable) and N (the ending of garden)
5d Seriously consider space in rowing team, after audition? (8)
RUMINATE – A homophone (after audition) of ROOM IN EIGHT (space in rowing team)
6d Butcher married lover (7)
ADMIRER – An anagram (butcher) of MARRIED
7d Audacious banking rules originally, not wise (9)
IMPRUDENT – IMPUDENT (audacious) ‘banking’ R (rules originally)
8d Flier in garden, bee regularly seen (5)
GREBE – This bird (flier) is seen in the regular letters of GaRdEn BeE
14d Son-in-law and I suspect one supported old US president (9)
WILSONIAN – An anagram (suspect) of SON IN LAW and I
16d Chant revealed spinster or bachelor? (9)
SINGLETON – SING (chant) LET ON (revealed)
17d Wrong grade needing correction, shocked (8)
OUTRAGED – OUT (wrong) plus an anagram (needing correction) of GRADE
19d Learner dropping in 23, one working at last (7)
COBBLER – The L (learner) in your solution to 23a dropping down the word a bit
21d Praise suggestion to carry double in lift (7)
PLAUDIT – A reversal (in life) of DUAL (double) inserted into (to carry) TIP (suggestion)
22d Extract juice from fruit (6)
SQUASH – A verb or a fruit many people would think of as a vegetable
23d Somewhat ecstatic at changes in contract (5)
CATCH – Lurking in some of ecstatiC AT Changes – here the definition of contract relates to catching an infectious disease, for example
25a Path where first of twigs collected by rake (5)
ROUTE – T (the ‘first’ of Twigs) collected by ROUE (rake)
I thought this was a up a notch in the enjoyment factor too. 5d &15a raised a smile in particular.
Thanks for the review CS
Fabulous. This was like Sundays of old, made last Sunday’s all the more disappointing by Dada reverting to type.
3*/4*…
liked 23A (whitewash clothes) and 19D (learner dropping in 23, one working at last).