DT 29281 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 29281

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29281

A full review by crypticsue

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This puzzle was published on 8th February 2020

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

One of those crosswords where the bottom was a lot trickier than the top. The repetition radar also bleeped along the way.

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

1a    Hungry strict religious group given food outside (8)
FAMISHED – FED (given food) goes outside AMISH (strict religious group)

5a    Like this clue? Annoyed with answer given first (6)
ACROSS – CROSS (annoyed) with A (answer) given first

10a    Yet this is how all-seater stadiums are (15)
NOTWITHSTANDING – NOT WITH STANDING (like an all-seater stadium)

11a    Trick cyclists needing quiet places to skate (7)
SHRINKS – SH (quiet) RINKS (places to skate)

12a    Get along fine mostly putting donkey in prestigious event (7)
CLASSIC – Most of CLICk (get along fine) into which is inserted ASS (donkey)

13a    Mediterranean city‘s greeting to departing North American spies (8)
VALENCIA – VALE (an interjection or greeting to someone leaving), N (north) CIA (American spies)

15a    Just offside? (5)
RIGHT – Double definition, the second referring to the right-hand side of a vehicle

18a    Hardy heroine takes in tense international matches (5)
TESTS – TESS (Hardy heroine) takes in T (tense)

20a    Dislike state’s entity having charge (8)
AVERSION – AVERS (states) ION (entity having charge)

23a    What clergy wear suit mostly needing belt? (7)
CASSOCK – The second use of ‘mostly’ to indicate a truncated word, this time CASe (suit) to which should be added SOCK (belt in the sense of hit)

25a    Competition needing horses you rent out (7)
TOURNEY – An anagram (out) of YOU RENT

26a    Emaciated condition in lank lads treated by doctor (3,4,3,5)
ALL SKIN AND BONES – An anagram (treated) of IN LANK LADS with BONES (doctor)

27a    Speaking role finally censored from ‘Love Actually’ (6)
ORALLY – O (love) ReALLY (censored telling you to remove the E that is the final letter of role)

28a    Block group from circa 1970 reaching number one (8)
DOORSTOP – DOORS (group from circa 1970) TOP (number one)

Down

1d    Heartless Scandinavian murder? (6)
FINISH – Remove the ‘heart’ from FINnISH (Scandinavian)

2d & 3d Field of research that could produce essential ceramic (9,7)
MATERIALS SCIENCE – An anagram (could produce) of ESSENTIAL CERAMIC

4d    Character revealed by stethoscope (5)
ETHOS – Lurking in (revealed by) stETHOScope

6d    Mythical creature of unusual nature with colt’s head (7)
CENTAUR – An anagram (unusual) of NATURE with C (the head of Colt)

7d    Leaves American university so upset about it (5)
OMIT – Both the BRB and I think this should be ‘leaves out’ – MIT (American university) inserted into a reversal (upset in a Down clue) of SO

8d    After slump a financial centre shows good sense (8)
SAGACITY – A (from the clue) and CITY (financial centre) go after SAG (slump)

9d    Break code — task providing defence (8)
STOCKADE – An anagram (break) of CODE TASK

14d    Tribal leader making a lot of noise (8)
CLANKING – CLAN KING (tribal leader)

16d    Stop fool flying — it’s not worth much apparently (9)
GROUNDNUT – GROUND (stop) NUT (fool) – another word for the peanut, which in the plural can be used informally to indicate a paltry sum of money (not worth much)

17d    Two jazz fans going head to head, coming in so jumpily? (8)
STACCATO – Two lots of CAT (jazz fans), the first reversed so that they go ‘head to head’ and then inserted into SO (from the clue)

19d    Swimmer’s aid — something to help one see coming up round Orkney — not half (7)
SNORKEL – A reversal (coming up) of LENS (something to help one see) going round the first half of ORKney

21d    Fail to pay attention that’s small inconvenience (7)
SLUMBER – S (small) LUMBER (inconvenience)

22d    Fashion shops stocking unknown fragrant plant (6)
HYSSOP – An anagram (fashion) of SHOPS ‘stocking’ Y (mathematical unknown). Obviously DT Herb of the Weekend as it appeared in the Giant General Knowledge Crossword too

24d    Dressing for dance (5)
SALSA – Double definition

25d    Dance beat requiring energy (5)
TANGO – TAN (beat) GO (energy)

B2

5 comments on “DT 29281

    1. Hello Stuart – Do you mean
      ‘Thank you for the review CS
      PS There is a wee typo in the answer to 9d’ (not that it makes any difference to anything)

      1. Thank you – 134 people have so far looked at this review today and only one has pointed out my typo – now corrected

  1. 11 a – what has ‘rinks’ or ‘sh’ got to do with cyclists???? Skaters use a rink – not cyclists : And why “trick” cyclists????

    1. Welcome to the blog, Steve (I edited your alias to use lower-case which is preferable).
      “Trick cyclist” is a humorous way of describing a psychiatrist.

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