ST 3015

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3015

A full review by crypticsue

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BD Rating – Difficulty */** – Enjoyment ***

What we expect on a Sunday these days – although I did seem to be typing ‘reversal’ and ‘inserted’ quite a lot when preparing this review

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

9a    Could girl be put out? (5)
ISSUE – IS SUE (could be girl)

10a    Send back list including a bit of fish — large snapper? (9)
ALLIGATOR – A reversal (send back) of ROTA (list) including A (from the clue) and GILL (bit of fish)

11a    Mark good enough, if up to this? (7)
SCRATCH – The second part of the clue referring to the expression ‘up to scratch’ meaning good enough

12a    Some returned mail, a German sovereign’s collection (7)
REGALIA – Lurking in reverse (some retuned) in mAIL A GERman

13a    Surrey town remote, map leads to farm, all concluding (5)
EPSOM – The concluding letters of remotE maP leadS tO farM

14a    Indian’s centre spread shown (9)
DISPLAYED – DI (the letters in the centre of India) SPLAYED (spread)

16a    Pivotal moment, ace in tennis? (5,2,2,6)
POINT OF NO RETURN – you can score a point in a game of tennis if you serve an ace that your opponent can’t return

19a    Awful weight to bear, don’t attack Lebanese port! (5,4)
SPARE TYRE – SPARE (don’t attack) TYRE (Lebanese point)

21a    Spanish food: odd bits of that with juice on the counter (5)
TAPAS – The odd letters of ThAt with a reversal (on the counter) of SAP (juice)

23a    Securing runs, I thump ground in victory (7)
TRIUMPH – Secure or insert R (runs) into an anagram (ground) of I THUMP

25a    Touching line from man with whip (7)
TANGENT – GENT (man) with TAN (whip) – although nothing in the clue tells you to put the whip before the man?

27a    Rose late, lover set about throttling paramour for a start! (9)
OVERSLEPT – An anagram (about) of LOVER SET ‘throttling’ P (the letter that starts Paramour)

28a    Famous — as are Mozart’s works? (5)
NOTED – Mozart’s works are full of notes

Down

1d    Legs cut doing a backflip (4)
PINS – Another reversal – this time SNIP (cut) does a backflip

2d    God thus climbing above goddess (6)
OSIRIS – A reversal (climbing) of SO (thus) goes above IRIS (goddess of the rainbow)    

3d    Measure bringing age into focus (10)
CENTIMETRE – TIME (age) inserted into CENTRE (focus)

4d    Into the embrace of father, that girl ran (6)
DASHED – SHE (that girl) inserted into [the embrace of] DAD (father)

5d    English king and James VI, say, both briefly outside (8)
ALFRESCO – Briefly indicates the need to remove the final letter from the English King ALFREd and SCOt (James the VI being King of Scotland)

6d    Back on summit in Greece, very excited (4)
AGOG – AGO (back) on the first letter (summit) of Greece

7d    Financial promise broken by broadcaster, that’s for sure! (1,4,3)
I TELL YOU – IOU (financial promise) into which is inserted (broken by) TELLY (broadcaster)

8d    Dogs spoilt garden seat (5,5)
GREAT DANES – An anagram (spoilt) of GARDEN SEAT

13d    Show what one used to do for work? (10)
EXPOSITION – EX POSITION (what one used to do for work)

15d    Rank place, occupant below (10)
LIEUTENANT – LIEU (place) with TENANT (occupant) below in a Down clue

17d    Fabulous gem India sent abroad (8)
IMAGINED – An anagram (sent abroad) of GEM INDIA

18d    Turner placing wife between insect and rat (8)
FLYWHEEL – W (wife) is placed or inserted between FLY (insect) and HEEL (rat)

20d    Everything one owns ending in garbage, say (6)
ESTATE – E (the ending in garbage) STATE (say)

22d    Fairly fair (6)
PRETTY – Double definition

24d    Coaster circling south pole (4)
MAST – MAT (coaster) ‘circling’ S (South)

26d    Still not accomplished? Bother! (2-2)
TO-DO – I think TO DO in the sense of still not accomplished doesn’t have a hyphen, unless it is accompanied by the word list