Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3002
A full review by crypticsue
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This puzzle was published on 5th May 2019
BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment **/***
Crosswords don’t come easier than this one – probably because there are so many repeated clue types. My favourite Across clue was 20a and my Down favourite, for the reasons I give below, has to be 4d
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.
Across
8a Sweet mug (4)
FOOL – Double definition – A food can be a pudding (sweet) I always associate with gooseberries or an easy dupe
9a Head wants barrel rolled over (3)
NUT – A reversal (rolled over) of TUN (barrel)
10a Sore carer? (6)
TENDER – Feeling sore or someone who cares or looks after you
11a Oxford accent (6)
BROGUE – An Oxford is another name for a BROGUE shoe; it can also mean a lilting Irish accent
12a A can coated with dark red metal (8)
PLATINUM – A (from the clue) TIN (can) ‘coated with’ or inserted into PLUM (dark red)
13a High street with random pet shop (10,5)
DEPARTMENT STORE – An anagram (high) of STREET with RANDOM PET
15a English politician drawn and drained (7)
EMPTIED – E (English) MP (politician) TIED (drawn)
17a Careless on foot? Just the opposite? (7)
OFFHAND – OFF HAND being the opposite of ON FOOT
20a Happy as a polar bear, but not as a penguin? (2,3,2,3,5)
ON TOP OF THE WORLD – Polar bears living in the Arctic (at the top of the world) and penguins living at the bottom of the world
23a Beauty drunk and I found in people (8)
RADIANCE – An anagram (drunk) of AND I ‘found in’ RACE (people)
25a Change last of letters: bad speller? (6)
SWITCH – S (the last letter of letters) WITCH (bad speller)
26a Each dish eaten by one (6)
APIECE – PIE (dish) ‘eaten’ by ACE (one)
27a Child star on the radio? (3)
SON – A homophone (on the radio) of SUN (star)
28a Basic unit in half the dictionary? (4)
ATOM – A TO M being the first half of the dictionary
Down
1d Croaky animal, we hear? (6)
HOARSE – A homophone (we hear) of HORSE (animal)
2d Shocking colours joining rave (8)
FLAGRANT – FLAG (colours) RANT (rave)
3d Possible location of panic button, illegal (5-3-7)
UNDER-THE-COUNTER – without the hyphens a description of where you might find a panic button
4d Old king has put foot down over broody female (7)
STEPHEN – This reminds me of teaching no 1 son how to spell his name – with a STEP (put foot down) over HEN (broody female)
5d SOS! A first mate in stormy waters off Italy (6,2,7)
STRAIT OF MESSINA – An anagram (stormy) of SOS A FIRST MATE
6d Join up squiggly lines, ending in portrait (6)
ENLIST – An anagram (squiggly) of LINES followed by the T at the end of portrait
7d Beloved possession of Robin Hood, did you say? (4)
BEAU – Another homophone (did you say?) of BOW (possession of Robin Hood)
14d Manage string of performances (3)
RUN – Double definition
16d Rising shortly, dub knight, perhaps? (3)
MAN – Truncate (shortly) a reversed NAMe (dub)
18d Tough rotting in gaol under house (8)
HOOLIGAN- An anagram (rotting) of IN GAOL goes under HO (house)
19d Finally grasping conclusion of debate, if nothing else (2,5)
AT LEAST – AT LAST (finally) ‘grasping’ the E at the conclusion of debatE
21d Extract of ‘Chicago’, live rehearsal for musical (6)
OLIVER – Lurking in an extract of ChicagO LIVE Rehearsal
22d Reader sees voter blowing top (6)
LECTOR – Blow the top off or remove the first letter from eLECTOR (voter)
24d Mountain range spread endlessly upwards (4)
ALPS – Take the end off SPLAY (spread) and then reverse (upwards) what’s left
Agree with the opening statement. I know setters can’t please all of the people all of the time, but in all honesty, slightly disappointing for me. Thanks setter and CS
Pleased that you had the good taste (4d) to give your “no 1 son” such a fine Christian name Sue
2*/2*….
no particular clues caught my fancy.