DT 29395

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29395

A full review by gnomethang

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This puzzle was published on 20^th June 2020

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

It was obvious fairly early on to guess which setter was responsible for this Saturday Prize Puzzle, Morning All! – There were a couple of clues that held me up on this (for no good reason!) which led me into 3-star territory.

Across

1a           Cheat to start puzzle (8)
CONFOUND – A charade of CON/cheat and FOUND for start/inaugurate.

5a           Player is wearing tight boot (6)
OBOIST – IS form the clue inside (wearing) a tight/drunk anagram of BOOT.

9a           Inherit clubs with mixed emotion (4,4)
COME INTO – C for Clubs (from the Bridge game notation) and then an anagram (mixed) of EMOTION.

10a        Take shells from water, anxious, and see fish (6)
WRASSE – Take only the outside letters (shells) of the words W ate R A nxiou S and S e E.

12a        Bill in close-fitting jacket for performance (6,3)
DOUBLE ACT – An AC or Account/bill inside a DOUBLET (an old close fitting jacket).

13a        Floridian city monkey caught? (5)
TAMPA – A homophone (caught by the ear) of TAMPER or monkey (around with).

14a        Release without charge (4)
FREE – A simple double definition.

16a        Glorious under the Linden tree? (7)
SUBLIME – SUB for under and then a LIME or Linden tree (being the same genus I assume).

19a        City subordinate to address filth in lucre? (7)
LAUNDER – L.A. or the city of Los Angeles and then UNDER for subordinate.

21a        Have quick look in either direction (4)
PEEP – A word for a quick look that is also a palindrome (it is the same in either direction).

24a        United supporters returned in chaos (5)
SNAFU – A reversal (returned) of U(nited) and FANS for supporters. Nice surface reading.

25a        Cheerfully irresponsible friends retired in good spirits (4-5)
SLAP-HAPPY – A reversal (retired) of PALS/friends and then HAPPY/in good spirits.

27a        Ambassador blocks Conservative plan (6)
THEORY – H.E. for His Excellency – the correct address to an ambassador – inside (it blocks) TORY or Conservative.

28a        Not fair when superior virtually eclipses career (8)
BRUNETTE – Almost all (virtually) of the word BETTEr/superior outside/eclipsing RUN for career.

29a        Hate exam following low grades (6)
DETEST – A TEST or Exam follows the low grades D and E in said tests.

30a        Singer’s very nearly changed name (4,4)
VERA LYNN – A timely yet sad clue. V for Very then an anagram/changed of NEARLY and finally N for Name.

Down

1d           Scoundrel in American intelligence finds bug (6)
CICADA – Place a CAD or scoundrel inside the CIA – Central Intelligence Agency in America.

2d           Cloud and rain, finally — I’m taking public transport (6)
The final letter in (rai)N then IM from the clue and a BUS (public transport.

3d           Four, five, all regularly seen in college (5)
ORIEL – The even/regular letters on f O u R f I v E a L l.

4d           Compound tax for dummies? (7)
NITRATE – A tax levy for dummies/idiots might cryptically be referred to as a NIT RATE.

6d           Rabbit led astray where food is put out (4,5)
BIRD TABLE – An anagram, indicated by ‘astray’, of RABBIT LED.

7d           Not really a problem one can sleep on? (8)
INSOMNIA – A cryptic definition of the condition that precludes sleep, making it impossible to ‘sleep on it’.

8d           Adolescent ate green bananas (8)
TEENAGER – A ‘bananas’ anagram of ATE GREEN.

11d        Love but no husband for this regretful lady (4)
OTIS – O for love then remove the H(usband) from T(h)IS. I didn’t get the reference but got the answer from the wordplay.

15d        Looking embarrassed, protects Maoists (3,6)
RED GUARDS – To be RED/embarrassed and then GUARDS for protects.

17d        Mean 50s lout shut away (8)
CLOSETED – CLOSE for mean/near/tight and then a TED or Teddy Boy – a 50’s Lout.

18d        Shoot a troublemaker in European city (8)
BUDAPEST – BUD for shoot then A from the clue and a PEST or troublemaker.

20d        Climber came up (4)
ROSE – The ROSE has climbing varieties. The second is a straight synonym.

21d        Couple crossing river that is in grassland (7)
PRAIRIE – A PAIR or couple goes around (is crossing) R for River then add I.E.- Id Est or ‘That Is’ in Latin.

22d        Eating too much, mole covered in pimples (6)
SPOTTY – A SPY or mole eats OTT – Over The Top or too much.

23d        Dragon, mostly green, captured by Welshman (6)
WYVERN – Most of VER(t), the heraldic name for Green, is captured by WYN – a Welsh Christian name.

26d        Bird over new atomic plant (5)
HENNA – A HEN or bird goes above (over in a Down clue) N(ew) and A(tomic).