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
9 Down. Stockade
Not STOCKAGE
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)
Thank you – 134 people have so far looked at this review today and only one has pointed out my typo – now corrected
11 a – what has ‘rinks’ or ‘sh’ got to do with cyclists???? Skaters use a rink – not cyclists : And why “trick” cyclists????
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.