Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29395
A full review by gnomethang
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This puzzle was published on 20th 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).
I was amused but surprised by 24 across. The acronym SNAFU contains quite strong language for the Telegraph!!
Welcome to the blog
You are absolutely right on Linden and Lime. No relation to the citrus tree.
Are not the Lime and Linden the same tree ? I thought the Lime was the modern name for Linden tree . Really helpful Blog.
Welcome to the blog – I too thought linden and lime were the same thing – although these lime trees aren’t the one’s that produce limes!
I assume 11d is about the Cole Porter song Miss Otis Regrets if google pointed me in the right direction as I too did not get the reference from the clue!
Welcome to the blog Angus