Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29263
A full review by crypticsue
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This puzzle was published on 18th January 2020
BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment **
A short-lived solving experience for a Saturday prize puzzle which I didn’t find as enjoyable as others appeared to on the day
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.
Across
1a Perfectionist‘s fine American pickle (7)
FUSSPOT – F (fine) US (American) SPOT (pickle)
5a Unevenly coloured 25 dish: no cover on top? (7)
PIEBALD – PIE (baked (the solution to 24a) dish) BALD (no cover on top). One of my pet peeves is a clue early on in a crossword which references another much further down the puzzle – at least this clue was easy to solve without having to wait until the other clue had been solved
9a Hands down, it’s a revolution! (9)
CARTWHEEL – A cryptic definition where you solve the clue by finding a word that fits the checking letters, and then look back at the clue to find out how to parse it
10a Frigg ultimately appears in this swirling vision (5)
SIGHT – G (the ultimate letter of FrigG) appears in an anagram (swirling) of THIS
11a Superior stimulant (5)
UPPER – Double definition
12a Hormone from kidneys — there’s a row about that (9)
ADRENALIN – A DIN (a row) goes about RENAL (from kidneys)
13a Spiny lobster could be gelatinous without one (9)
LANGOUSTE – An anagram (could be) of GELATiNOUS without the I (one)
16a Tree needing oxygen as it happens (5)
OLIVE – O (chemical symbol for oxygen) LIVE (as it happens)
17a That is chump catching ball (2,3)
TO WIT – TWIT (chump) ‘catching’ O (letter that is ball-shaped)
18a Old fear and hurt transformed in prayer (3,6)
OUR FATHER – An anagram (transformed) of O (old) FEAR HURT
20a Failing to supply a bouquet? (9)
ODOURLESS – Cryptic definition
23a Blank, news boss stared stupidly (5)
GAPED – GAP (blank) ED (editor, news boss)
25a Criminal eats King Edward, initially cooked thus? (5)
BAKED – BAD (criminal) ‘eats’ K E (King Edward initially)
26a One unlikely to be out for whole night (9)
INSOMNIAC – Cryptic definition
27a Canal’s entrance in eastern Lahore collapsed (7)
EARHOLD – An anagram (collapsed) of E (eastern) LAHORE
28a Revolutionary soldier given no wine shunned (7)
IGNORED – A reversal (revolutionary) of GI (American soldier) followed by NO (from the clue) RED (wine)
Down
1d Part of spoof actually for real (7)
FACTUAL – Lurking in part of spooF ACTUALly
2d Paddy right to enter bar (5)
STROP – R (right) to enter STOP (bar)
3d Vessel has tangled rope at bow (9)
POWERBOAT – An anagram (tangled) of ROPE AT BOW
4d Written in Sanskrit, he takes letter to Greeks (5)
THETA – Another lurker – written in SanskriT HE TAkes
5d Quietly coming upon exotic arboreal creature (5,4)
POLAR BEAR – P (musical instruction to play quietly) and an anagram (exotic) of ARBOREAL
6d German city needs some brickies sent (5)
ESSEN – And another lurker – brickiES SENt
7d One backing search for swimmer (9)
ANGELFISH – ANGEL (one backing a theatre production, for example) FISH (search)
8d River claims dwelling: is it international climate warming? (7)
DÉTENTE – The River DEE ‘claims’ TENT (dwelling)
14d Fresh delivery for Brooklyn addressee? (3,6)
NEW YORKER – NEW (fresh) YORKER (cricket delivery)
15d Result: twenty given job (9)
SCORELINE – SCORE (twenty) LINE (job)
16d Protestant marching from mountains in state (9)
ORANGEMAN – RANGE (mountains) in the state of OMAN
17d Hot water‘s exciting role with tub (7)
TROUBLE – An anagram (exciting) of ROLE with TUB
19d Cut grass hides bird without tail (7)
REDUCED – REED (grass) ‘hides’ DUCk (a bird without its last letter or tail)
21d Set to transmit commercial in Brazilian city (5)
RADIO – AD (commercial) in RIO (Brazilian city) – the Saturday Times crossword had this same clue in almost the same place on the grid, 23d in the case of the Times clue
22a Son with us greeting tasty Asian dish (5)
SUSHI – S (son) US (from the clue) HI (greeting)
24a Previous leader in monastery (5)
PRIOR – A chestnut of a double definition to finish
The only remarkable thing about this puzzle was the 21d coincidence which gave me a slightly freaky deja vu moment
Thanks for the review CS
Thanks for the review CS, and thanks to the setter. I’m sorry this one didn’t float your boat, I found it very quick but very enjoyable too.
As a technicality, there is an error in your answer to 27ac, not that I suppose anyone else will see it at this late date!