Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29066

A full review by gnomethang

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This puzzle was published on 1st June 2019

BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***

Morning All! This was just about  a 2 star solve and fairly normal for a Saturday Prize Puzzle.

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

1a           Come together on part of ship for a game (8,6)
CONTRACT BRIDGE – A charade of CONTRACT (come together) and the BRIDGE of a ship.

9a           Fault-finding like one in an armchair perhaps (8)
CRITICAL – A cryptic definition referring to an armchair critic.

10a        Marsupial way beyond perch (5)
ROOST – Place a kangaroo/marsupial with  ST (Street/way) beyond that.

12a        Drag from anteroom as stated (4)
HAUL – A homophone (as stated) of a HALL or anteroom.

13a        Train speed somehow not very fast (10)
PEDESTRIAN – An anagram (somehow) of TRAIN SPEED.

15a        Paled, having lost blood with inner pain (8)
BLEACHED – BLED or lost blood with an inner ACHE/pain.

16a        Greek character taking time to make mark (6)
STIGMA – Place T for Time inside SIGMA (a Greek character/letter)

18a        Gritty? It is not clear (6)
GRAINY – Both granular and not clear (as in a GRAINY photographic image).

20a        Separate a continental pair (8)
UNCOUPLE – UN for ‘a’ I French (on the continent) and then a COUPLE or pair.

23a        Fellow with endless fish getting behind tug for carriage (7,3)
PULLMAN CAR – Place a MAN/fellow and an endless CAR(p) for fish behind PULL for tug.

24a        Second-rate fool and singer? (4)
BASS – B for second rate and an ASS or fool.

26a        99th record? It stands to reason (5)
LOGIC – A 99^th record might cryptically be described as LOG IC (being 99 in Roman Numerals).

27a        Some shady work coming out of an egg (8)
HATCHING – Two definitions – a method of shading an area and a chick HATCHING from an egg.

28a        Understand article I have written for game (6-2-6)
FOLLOW MY LEADER – To FOLLOW or understand an argument and then MY LEADER for a newspaper article that I have written.

Down

2d           Upbringing of awkward runt on river (7)
NURTURE – An awkward anagram of RUNT on (above in a Down clue) the river URE

3d           Cycle from a hill to the north (4)
ROTA – A reversal (to the north in a Down clue) of A TOR/hill.

4d           Bird observed at an angle (8)
COCKEYED – A COCK bird and then EYED for observed.

5d           Contradicted old priest in Rose’s place (6)
BELIED – Place ELI (an old priest n the bible) inside a BED – the place where a Rose might be found.

6d           It could bring one up to scratch (10)
IRRITATION – A fairly un-cryptic definition.

7d           Heartless girl in debt is full of praise (7)
GLOWING – Remove the heart in G(ir)L and add OWING/in debt.

8d           Suffer a hoax; it’s an order (5,2,4)
STAND AT EASE – to suffer a hoax might be to STAND A TEASE.

11d        Definitely important fruit coming from city? (3,3,5)
THE BIG APPLE – A definitely important fruit is THE BIG APPLE.

14d        Saving claim one prepared about small company (10)
ECONOMICAL – Prepare an anagram of CLAIM ONE around CO for small company.

17d        Supporter fills in test for part of the army (8)
INFANTRY – Place a FAN/supporter inside IN TRY/test.

19d        Scored briskly? (7)
ALLEGRO – A musical instruction in a score to play briskly – nothing to do with cricket!.

21d        Moved camera round left as intended (7)
PLANNED – Place PANNED (moved camera) around L for left.

22d        ‘No way out’ admits husband, carelessly (6)
ANYHOW – An anagram (out) of NO WAY with H for Husband admitted inside.

25d        What’s worn part of brake? (4)
SHOE – An article of clothing worn on the foot and part of a brake mechanism.