DT29114

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29114

A full review by gnomethang

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This puzzle was published on 27^th July 2019

BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***

Morning All! Pretty Standard Saturday fare.

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Across

7a           Rebuke salesperson given fish (8)
REPROACH – A REP (representative or salesperson) given to a ROACH/fish

9a           A desert animal losing its tail with another one on mount (6)
ARARAT – A RA(t) or desert animal shortly/losing tail and then another RAT.

10a        Drier about middle of March? Gardener might need this (6)
TROWEL – A TOWEL or drier around the middle letter of (ma)R(ch).

11a        Ignore stumbling medical officer giving war cry (8)
GERONIMO – An anagram (stumbling) of IGNORE followed by MO for Medical Officer.

12a        Actor flown out will find cause of travel disruption (10)
CONTRAFLOW – An anagram (out) of ACTOR FLOWN.

14a        Evict some rebellious tenants (4)
OUST – A hidden word is part or SOME of rebelli OUS T enants.

15a        Scrum, perhaps, that happens down the line? (5-2,6)
KNOCK-ON EFFECT – A scrum in rugby could a result of (be an EFFECT of) a KNOCK-ON infringement.

17a        One in a hundred? Just the opposite in the past (4)
ONCE – It is not ONE from the clue inside C for a hundred, but the opposite i.e. C in ONE.

18a        Thoughtful mood of one looking in the mirror? (10)
REFLECTIVE – The cryptic part of the definition being a reflection in the mirror.

20a        Passed said lamb, maybe I will get beef (8)
PASTRAMI – PAST (a homophone, said, of passed) then a RAM for a lamb (maybe – could be a ewe!) and then I from the clue.

21a        Country with a president in the 1990s (6)
WALESA – The country of WALES with A from the clue. Lech Walesa being a Polish union trouble-maker turned president.

23a        Food that’s awkward to deal with when hot (6)
POTATO – The Hot POTATO being a troublesome or difficult topic to handle.

24a        Gareth reported to be with junior body of troops (8)
GARRISON – A homophone (reported) of GARRY/Gareth and then a SON or junior.

Down

1d           Eccentric having party under waterfall (6)
WEIRDO – A DO or party underneath a WEIR or waterfall.

2d           British bridge partners make tea? (4)
BREW – R for British and then E(ast) and W(est) as partners in the game of Bridge.

3d           Approximate sphere of activity (4,4)
BALL PARK – The cryptic definition being a rough circle or sphere where baseball is played.

4d           Rod and line in cart (6)
BARROW – A BAR or rod and a ROW or line.

5d           Wooded area in Orient’s far removed (10)
RAINFOREST – An anagram, indicated by removed, of ORIENT’s FAR.

6d           Monkey or burrowing animal going round Kent area (8)
MARMOSET – Place a MARMOT or burrowing rodent round SE – South East or kent area of the UK.

8d           Tossing the caber, steps on the floor? (8,5)
The straight definition is the dance (steps on the floor) and the cryptic part is a FLING or toss of the caber in the HIGHLAND Games.

13d        Ken to baste exotic meat (1-4,5)
T-BONE STEAK – An exotic anagram of KEN TO BASTE and a nice surface reading.

15d        Join auk flying to secure peek at last tree-dweller (8)
KINKAJOU – I resorted to a dictionary to check the word. Place the final letter (at last) of (pee)K inside an anagram (flying) of JOIN AUK.

16d        Worry over effort producing decorative design (8)
FRETWORK – FRET or worry above (over in a down clue) WORK or effort.

18d        Work out why (6)
REASON – Two definitions, the second a noun for why things happened and the second a verb to figure/work out.

19d        Ability to see vivid mental images? (6)
VISION the second (cryptic definition being a type of hallucination.

22d        Landowner stopped short in den (4)
LAIR – A LAIR(d) or landowner in Scotland) with the last letter removed (stopping short)