Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29425
A full review by gnomethang
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This puzzle was published on 25th July 2020
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Morning All! I quite enjoyed some of the clues and surface readings here.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.
Across
7a Sit with Queen on carthorse (9)
PERCHERON – To PERCH or sit, E.R. for Elizabeth Regina, our Queen in the Commonwealth, and then ON from the clue.
8a Sierra exactly right for carnivore (5)
STOAT – S(ierra) in the NATO phonetic alphabet, then TO A T or exactly right.
10a Clandestine romance just beyond a female (6)
AFFAIR – FAIR or just goes after (beyond) A F(emale).
11a Kill many among rodents going back in time (8)
DECIMATE – A reversal of MICE (rodents going back) inside DATE for time.
12a Sloshed son in women’s clothing? (6)
TIGHTS – TIGHT for sloshed and S for Son.
14a Servant — need you back! (6)
LACKEY – To LACK or need and a reversal (back) of YE for you archaically.
16a Endless crack in part of mug (4)
CHIN – All but the last letter (endless) of CHIN(k) or crack.
17a Fish starters in top restaurant forbidden (5)
TROUT – The starter letters in T(op) R(estaurant) and then OUT for forbidden.
18a Excise duty applied to one vehicle (4)
TAXI – TAX or excise duty is next to (applied to) I for one.
19a Seafood — have most of mine (6)
SCAMPI – To SCAM or have (over) next to most of PI(t) or mine.
21a Disheartened Euell quits team (6)
ELEVEN – Remove the internal letters (dishearten) in E(uel)L and add EVEN for quits.
24a A way to enter hotel and club in Aspen? (8)
A RD (A Road/way) entering H(otel) and a WOOD or (golf) club.
26a Posh leaving desirable London area (6)
POPLAR – Remove the U (posh) from POP(u)LAR/desirable to get a London area which is slightly less desirable!.
27a Beginning to suppress cough in hovel (5)
SHACK – The beginning letter in S(uppress) and then HACK for cough.
28a Witness protects a suspect (9)
SPECTATOR – A suspect anagram of PROTECTS A and a nice concise clue.
Down
1d Pottery expert invests pound (5)
DELFT – Place L for pound (Librum) inside DEFT or expert.
2d Do call (8)
OCCASION – Two definitions: The noun as in party/do and to call (for) as a transitive verb..
3d Diamonds on ground in shortage (6)
DEARTH – D for Diamonds (from abbreviations in card game notation) and then EARTH for ground.
4d Stick with 007 (4)
BOND – A simple definition plus cryptic def. (assuming you have heard of Ian Fleming’s agent!
5d Alpha male in charge for minute (6)
ATOMIC – A for Alpha then TOM for male (cat) and finally IC for In Charge.
6d Domineering person in fight getting cut (6-3)
BATTLEAXE – A charade of BATTLE (fight) and AXE (cut).
9d Old twit injecting drug spotted cat (6)
OCELOT – O for Old ad then a CLOT/twit with E for Ecstasy/drug injected.
13d Plain cake small once cooked (5)
SCONE – S(mall) and a cooked anagram of ONCE.
15d Dance series, repeated twice, never popular (3-3-3)
CHA-CHA-CHA – A Series is a CHAIN. Add two more (repeated twice) and remove IN for popular every time (never popular).
17d Clothier in Rialto ruined (6)
TAILOR – An anagram (ruined) of RIALTO.
18d RADA graduate loathes piano frames (8)
THESPIAN – A hidden word is framed by loa THES PIAN o.
20d Short pronouncement welcomed by second doctor (6)
MEDICO – An EDIC(t) or pronouncement that is short of one letter inside a MO(ment) or second.
22d Await former favourite, catching cold (6)
EXPECT – A former favourite is an EX-PET. It then gets (catches) C for Cold.
23d Salted meat for artist (5)
BACON – Two definitions – the king of meats and the famous artist.
25d Chump scheduled to seize power (4)
DUPE – DUE or scheduled grabbing P for Power.