ST 3018

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3018

A full review by crypticsue

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

This puzzle was published on 25^th August 2019

BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ****

Memo to self: when drafting the review on the day the crossword was published, don’t forget to write the prologue so you don’t have to try and remember what you thought about a particular Sunday crossword ten days later – Looking at the grid, and the ratings, I’d say it was nice and straightforward and good fun.

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

1a    European landmark in Rome, dirt cheap to renovate (3,2,8)
ARC DE TRIOMPHE – An anagram (to renovate) of ROME DIRT CHEAP

9a    Well-respected place besieged by a rebel, unfortunately (9)
REPUTABLE – PUT (place) ‘besieged by’ or inserted into an anagram (unfortunately) of A REBEL

10a    Best to dock heading to dwarf planet (5)
PLUTO – PLUm (best ‘docked’ or without its last letter) TO (from the clue)

11a    Very fine total (5)
SHEER – Double definition

12a    Stuck in rut, a habitual state (4)
UTAH – Lurking (stuck) in rUT A Habitual

13a    Sharp dessert (4)
TART – Double definition – hopefully the plum ‘dessert’ I’m planning for Sunday lunch will be sweet rather than sharp

15a    Bureaucracy, having shifted communist to the right, came to a point (7)
TAPERED – Shift the RED (communist) from the start of RED TAPE (bureaucracy) to the ‘right’ or end

17a    First stage involves a racket (7)
LEADING – LEG (stage) ‘involves’ A (from the clue) DIN (racket)

18a    Stir as sleep passes (7)
ELAPSES – An anagram (stir) of AS SLEEP

20a    Italian dish not bad, regularly seen behind bar (7)
POLENTA – The regular letters of NoT bAd ‘seen behind’ POLE (bar)

21a    Sound of swine in fine houses (4)
OINK – Nice to have a completely different clue for this noise – usually we get references to not having any ink – this time OK (fine) ‘houses’ IN (from the clue)

22a    Dress ripped at top initially, darn it (4)
DRAT – The initial letters of Dress Ripped At Top

23a    Pair of Manx cats love tropical tree (5)
CACAO – Manx cats have no tails so CAt CAt (two ‘Manx’ cats) O (love)

26a    In conference, check rule (5)
REIGN – A homophone (in conference) of REIN (check)

27a    Clue I get with no working out, making progress slowly and carefully (9)
TIPTOEING – TIP (clue) and an anagram (working out) of I GET with NO

28a    Brief success, cook’s brilliant moment? (5,2,3,3)
FLASH IN THE PAN – Nothing to do with cooking – a failure after a showy beginning, like the attempt to discharge an old flint-lock gun that ends with a flash in the lock-pan

Down

1d    Where rook may go, affecting everyone (6,3,5)
ACROSS THE BOARD – The moves that can be made by a rook in a game of chess

2d    Police beginning to enter wood (5)
COPSE – COPS (police) followed by the ‘beginning’ to Enter

3d    Key: use leverage in business (10)
ENTERPRISE – ENTER (key on a computer keyboard) PRISE (use leverage)

4d    English lamb finally entering ring — spring back? (7)
REBOUND – E (English) B (lamb ‘finally’) ‘entering’ ROUND (ring)

5d    Acting as supreme leader in general (7)
OVERALL – OVER ALL (acting as supreme leader)

6d    Father — one after Oscar? (4)
PAPA – Papa coming after Oscar in the NATO Phonetic Alphabet

7d    Auntie and doctor not half wrong — child’s right! (9)
EDUCATION – An anagram (wrong) of AUNTIE and the first half of DOCtor

8d    Thug also battered Welshman in old Welsh county (5,9)
SOUTH GLAMORGAN – An anagram (battered) of THUG ALSO followed by MORGAN (Welshman)

14d    Menu set on end of bench covering item for dinner, perhaps (10)
TABLECLOTH – TABLE (menu) CLOT (set) H (the ‘end’ of bench)

16d    Person with complaint, argument that’s nothing special? (9)
PLAINTIFF – a PLAIN TIFF would be a not particularly special argument

19d    Lengthen period of confinement (7)
STRETCH – Double definition

20d    Construct one lacking English used (3-4)
PUT UPON – PUT UP (construct) ONe (one lacking the E for English)

24d    Primate briefly places church above devil (5)
CHIMP – CH (church) above (in a Down clue) IMP (devil)

25d    Old South American occupying most extreme parts of Colombia (4)
INCA – IN (occupying) CA (the ‘most extreme’ or outside letters of ColombiA