DT 29461

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29461

A full review by crypticsue

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This puzzle was published on 5 September 2020

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

While most people were trying desperately to find a copy of the puzzle (the newspapers having been held ‘hostage’ by protesters), Tilsit and I were once again playing ‘Guess the Setter’. It used to be quite easy to know who’d set the Prize Puzzle by the style of the clues, but lately they’ve changed quite a bit and become trickier too.

My first ever blog was of a Cephas Saturday Prize Puzzle and I was rather hoping that the puzzle I’d be reviewing in my blog number 1,0001 would be by him too – apparently it was the work of one of the Saturday Mysterons but we’d not even had him on our shortlist.

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

1a    Rehearse murder with sword (3,7)
RUN THROUGH – To murder someone using a sword, you would run [them] through

6a    Touch on a doubt (4)
ABUT – A (from the clue) BUT (doubt)

9a    Experiencing charm of spring after short time (10)
SPELLBOUND – BOUND (spring) goes after SPELL (short time)

10a    A male excited about big cat (4)
PUMA – A reversal (about) of A (from the clue) M (male) UP (excited)

12a    Circling a lake with my waterproof footwear (6)
GALOSH – GOSH (my) goes round (circling) A (from the clue) and L (lake)

13a    What could be integral part of percussion section (8)
TRIANGLE – An anagram (what could be) of INTEGRAL

15a    Tome annalist edited as part of the bible (12)
LAMENTATIONS – An anagram (edited) of TOME ANNALIST

18a    Unruly children trade in fear (6-6)
TERROR-STRUCK – TERRORS (unruly children) TRUCK (trade)

21a    Garden feature takes time, it’s supposed to be difficult (8)
ROCKETRY – ROCKERY (garden feature) ‘takes’ T (time) – rocket science is supposed to be difficult

22a    Hide in church after escape (6)
FLEECE – CE (Church of England) goes after FLEE (escape)

24a    Piece of equipment needed in campsite mainly (4)
ITEM – Hidden in campsITE Mainly

25a    Starter motor finally found in quarry, apparently (10)
MINESTRONE – The final letter of motoR found in MINE STONE (quarry here being a verb)

26a    Sharp intake of breath from rabbit punch initially (4)
GASP – GAS (rabbit) followed by the initial letter of Punch

27a    A time to give such as Rudolph ‘orse food (3,4,3)
RED NOSE DAY – Rudolph the Reindeer was RED NOSED, the ‘orse food is obviously ‘AY

Down

1d    Abdicate, installing son in rule as monarch (6)
RESIGN – S (son) installed into REIGN (rule as monarch)

2d    Wind-up gramophone requires it (6)
NEEDLE – Double definition

3d    Control such as Nelson far too much (4,4,4)
HOLD SWAY OVER – Nelson is an example of HOLDS in wrestling, follow them with WAY OVER (far too much)

4d    Old tenor’s music producer (4)
OBOE – O (old) BOE (Alfie Boe, the tenor) – I have a grandson called Alfie and the predictive text thingy on the phone always suggests that I should follow this with ‘Boe’

5d    Parents perhaps creating greater son (10)
GENERATORS – An anagram (creating) GREATER SON

7d    BBC chief detained by adult working for club (8)
BLUDGEON – DG (BBC chief) ‘detailed’ by BLUE (adult) and followed by ON (working)

8d    Oblique note about illegal party goers? (8)
TRAVERSE – TE (musical note) goes about RAVERS (illegal party goers)

11d    Stipulate car’s given out form of pollution (12)
PARTICULATES – An anagram (given out) of STIPULATE CARS

14d    China has big problem with crime (3,7)
TEA SERVICE – TEASER (big problem) VICE (crime)

16d    Nick fish in Scottish city (8)
STIRLING – STIR (nick, prison) LING (fish)

17d    Nuts — something we associate with Christmas (8)
CRACKERS – Double definition

19d    One who’s taken silver back (6)
SECOND – The medal awarded for second place or a verb meaning to back

20d    Just count on supporting me (6)
MERELY – RELY (count on) supporting or going after in a Down clue, ME (from the clue)

23d    Plant that’s right in marshy ground (4)
FERN – R (right) inserted into FEN (marshy ground)