Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29497
A full review by gnomethang
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BD Rating: Difficulty *** Enjoyment ****
This puzzle was published on 17th October 2020
Morning All! I found this a very enjoyable puzzles with some great surface readings and good Cryptic Definitions.
Across
1a Online writer — second-class feller (7)
BLOGGER – B for second class and then a LOGGER or (tree) feller.
5a An outside line to ring? (7)
TANGENT – A great cryptic definition of a line that is outside a circle (ring) and just touches it once.
9a Article about wine that covers grand French location (7)
AVIGNON – A (the indefinite article) and ON/about cover VIN (wine) which itself includes G for Good.
10a Such gentlemen as have origins abroad? (7)
SIGNORI – An anagram (abroad) of ORIGINS and a good Semi-all-in-one.
11a Deep breath? (3,6)
SEA BREEZE – A cryptic definition of a breath of wind on the ocean/deep.
12a Nonsense some might swallow? (5)
TRIPE – The cryptic definition being offal – which I for one will not swallow.
13a US prosecutor holding sheep in tense situation (5)
DRAMA – A DA or District Attorney holding a RAM/sheep.
15a State capital has no love for religious ritual (9)
SACRAMENTO – Remove the O for Love from SACRAMENT(o), Florida.
17a Long drink containing very soft fruit (9)
PINEAPPLE – To LINE or long (for) and ALE/drink contain PP for ‘very soft’ in musical notation.
19a Odds in rugby tournament slashed at the outset (5)
EVENS – Remove the start letter/outset from a Rugby (s)EVENS tournament.
22a Back-to-back, various graduates dance (5)
SAMBA – Place some MAS (Master of Arts Graduates back to back/reversed with a BA (Bachelor of Arts graduate).
23a Fat soldier catching fish (9)
MARGARINE – A MARINE/soldier catches a GAR/fish.
25a Wanting more? Time to tuck into whipped sundae! (7)
UNSATED – Place T for Time inside whipped anagram of SUNDAE.
26a Ne plus ultra strangely unremarkable (7)
NEUTRAL – A nice spot with plus here meaning and/with. An anagram (strangely) of NE and/with ULTRA.
27a Follows to protect king and makes secure (7)
ENSURES – ENSUES or follows containing/protecting R(ex) for king.
28a Gem dealer nuts to accept million (7)
EMERALD – A nuts anagram of DEALER accepting M for Millions.
Down
1d Cooked bass initially weighed (7)
BRAISED – The start/initial letter in B(ass) followed by RAISED for weighed (as in anchor).
2d All family members at home in Scots island? (7)
OKINAWA – Big Dave’s hint on the day was” Split as (1,3,3), if true, could mean all the family members are at home to a Scot”. What this means is there are no (O) KIN AWA (away).
3d Live wire round pole? One’s had it! (5)
GONER – A GOER or live wire around N for the North Pole.
4d Bean soup — nothing less for seconds? (7-2)
RUNNERS-UP – Start with a RUNNER bean and then add S(o)UP which is minus/less O for nothing.
5d Experience important as team shows (5)
TASTE – A hidden word is shown in ‘importan T AS TE am’.
6d Mounted champion decapitated? It’s terrifying! (9)
NIGHTMARE – A mounted champion (in a down clue) is a KNIGHT on a MARE. Remove his first letter (decapitated)
7d Controversial European driver (7)
EMOTIVE – E for European and MOTIVE for a driver/causation.
8d Don’t start raucous jabber! (7)
TRIDENT. Lose the first letter (don’t start) in (s)TRIDENT or raucous. A sneaky definition.
14d Stone in blast area shattered (9)
ALABASTER – A shattered anagram of BLAST AREA.
16d Green light in spare room (9)
CLEARANCE – Two definitions – An indication to go (or CLEARANCE for take-off) and spare space/room.
17d Over street in immaculate carriage (7)
POSTURE – O for Over (from cricket scoring shorthand) and ST(reet) in PURE or immaculate.
18d Meissen smashed in retribution (7)
NEMESIS – An apposite anagram indicator( smashed) for the pottery MEISSEN
20d A royal flag from the South African nation (7)
ERITREA – A reversal (from the South in a Down clue) of A, ER (Elizabeth Regina a royal) and TIRE or flag.
21d Dropped bombs without casing (7)
SHELLED – Two definitions, the second one referring to e.g. peanuts that are ready to eat..
23d Not happy, one male brought up to be king (5)
MIDAS – A reversal (brought up) of SAD/not happy, I for one and M(ale).
24d British in Australia finally denounce exploitation (5)
ABUSE – Place B for Britain inside AUS (Australia’s 3 letter abbreviation and then add the final letter in (denounce)E.
Point out my error please? Doesn’t this solution require letter, row 3, column 15 to be both I and E?
I think a typo is involved. The answer is the plural, signori, to cross with 8d.
Thanks!
I’ve fixed the typo.
Thanks DT – Pesky Auto-correct!
Hi. First time up, but a fairly longtime follower of this excellent site. Just wondered about 9a … could not AN be the article, VINO be the wine, and of course G be grand? Does it work more smoothly in terms what’s “about” what, and what “covers” what? Maybe someone has actually pointed this out and I missed it though. Forgive the lateness of this post, but this particular DT crossword is new in our newspaper today (14 December) in our sunny land. Anyway, thanks to setter and hinters.
Welcome to the blog, Euclid. Now that you’ve introduced yourself I hope that you’ll become a regular commenter.
Your parsing of 9a is undoubtedly correct.
Whereabouts is your sunny land?
Euclid has a new job!
My sunny land is on the African continent, about as far south as one can go, and I reside in the Friendly City. Some call it the Windy City (but that really only applies in the months ending in R, so it is said). Cheers for now.