ST 3007

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3007

A full review by crypticsue

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

This puzzle was published on 9^th June 2019

BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***

On the easier side of ‘just right for a Sunday’

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

1a    Congestion in throat after large measure of vodka, say? (10)
BOTTLENECK – NECK (throat) goes after BOTTLE (large measure of vodka, say)

6a    On holiday, a king of Mercia (4)
OFFA – OFF (on holiday) A (from the clue)

9a    Possible description of commentary — in boxing? (4-2-4)
BLOW-BY-BLOW – An adjective referring to a very detailed story sounds like it might be used to describe a boxing match in great detail

10a    Fee payable for misdemeanour, OK (4)
FINE – Double definition

12a    Very quick, huge car sped round corner, finally (12)
SUPERCHARGED – An anagram (round) of HUGE CAR SPED goes round (round doing double duty here) the final letter of corneR

15a    Hostile, a part of poem? (6)
AVERSE- A (from the clue) VERSE (part of poem)

16a    Congratulations certainly not rare! (4,4)
WELL DONE – This way of congratulating someone could describe a fully cooked steak

18a    Shipment remarkably found next to shop (8)
DELIVERY – VERY (remarkably) found next to DELI (shop)

19a    Small flier then, or cuckoo (6)
HORNET – An anagram (cuckoo) of THEN OR

21a    A breeze travelling behind flier, did you say? (5,7)
PLAIN SAILING – SAILING (travelling) goes behind a homophone (did you say?) of PLANE (flier)

24a    Some sensational island off Scotland (4)
IONA – Found in some of sensatIONAl

25a    Ancient caskets in wreckage of a cargo ship (10)
SARCOPHAGI – An anagram (wreckage) of A CARGO SHIP

26a    Initials of Giotto on drawings seen in gallery (4)
GODS – This theatrical gallery is obtained from the initials of Giotto On Drawings Seen

27a    Only pearls flawed, as far as one is concerned (10)
PERSONALLY – An anagram (flawed) of ONLY PEARLS

Down

1d    Academic award alongside personal project (4)
BABY – BA (Bachelor of Arts, academic award) BY (alongside)

2d    Saw, for example, cash being lifted (4)
TOOL – A reversal (lifted in a Down clue) of LOOT (cash)

3d    Efficient — as a political rescue package? (6-6)
LABOUR-SAVING – this term meaning efficient could perhaps describe a political rescue package

4d    Aristocrats gathered up by damsel, bonded (6)
NOBLES – Lurking in reverse (gathered up) in damSEL BONded

5d    Note theatre-goers originally in stitches (8)
CROTCHET – T (the original letter of theatre-goers) inserted into CROCHET (stitches)

7d    Entertainment centre just reduced to tiny pieces (10)
FAIRGROUND – FAIR (just) GROUND (reduced to tiny pieces)

8d    Changes man set about to conceal repair (10)
AMENDMENT – An anagram (about) of MAN SET into which is inserted (to conceal) MEND (repair)

11d    Party issue shut up writer (9,3)
BALLPOINT PEN – BALL (party) POINT (issue) PEN (shut up)

13d    Worker bound to produce gymnastic feat (10)
HANDSPRING – HAND (worker) SPRING (bound)

14d    Thoroughly deserved we understood, first in literature bagged (4-6)
WELL-EARNED – WE LEARNED (we understood) ‘bagging’ the L that is the first letter of Literature

17d    Feed in item of fruit for primate (5,3)
GREAT APE – EAT (feed) inserted into GRAPE (item of food)

20d    Aboard ship, want casual attire (6)
SLACKS – LACK (want) goes ‘aboard’ SS (steam ship)

22d    Follow story that’s read out (4)
TAIL – A homophone (that’s read out) of TALE (story)

23d    Shame it is entertained by outsiders in party (4)
PITY – IT (from the clue) ‘entertained by’ the outside letters of PartY