ST 3088

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3088

A full review by gnomethang

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This puzzle was published on 27^th December 2020

BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***

Morning All! A fairly standard Sunday puzzle with a nice mix of clues and nothing to frazzle the brain cells after Christmas.

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

1a           Let down sack? (10)
DISAPPOINT – The forst is the definition. In the second, if you hire someone you appoint them to a position so cryptically if you fire them you might be said to DIS-APPOINT them.

6a           Brute sent over to collect large weight (4)
KILO – Reverse/send over an OIK or brute and insert L for Large.

9a           Nicest ripe bananas for beneficiaries (10)
RECIPIENTS – A bananas/mad anagram of NICEST RIPE.

10a        Change, with turner turning? (4)
EDIT – Reverse (turning) a TIDE which turns/is a turner. The Question Mark indicates the additional complexity.

12a        Weakling, politician joining women’s group (4)
WIMP – An MP or politician joins the W.I. or Women’s Institute.

13a        Sailor and apostle wearing heavy cloth (9)
TARPAULIN – A TAR for sailor, then the apostle PAUL followed by IN for ‘wearing’.

15a        Dancing, skin becoming paler? (8)
TANGOING – If your skin was becoming paler your TAN might be GOING.

16a        A fop on top! (2,4)
AS WELL – A SWELL (fop) spit as (2,4).

18a        Lay out fashionable underwear (6)
INVEST – IN for fashionable and VEST for underwear.

20a        Desirable thing to bank a metal — this one’s precious! (8)
PLATINUM – A PLUM or desirable thing (like a plum job) holding (to bank) A TIN (a metal).

23a        Note Wagnerian work bubbling up (9)
LATHERING – LA is a note in the tonic sol-fa scale. Add THE RING for a musical work by Wagner.

24a        See the numbers drop away, every last one (4)
ESPY – Every last letter (one) of the words thE numberS droP awaY.

26a        For example, duck in cricket perhaps? (4)
GAME – The GAME bird and also the GAME of cricket.

27a        Restriction left impression (10)
LIMITATION – L for Left and IMITATION for impression/impersonation.

28a        Very little in supermarket in York (4)
TINY – A hidden word in supermarket T IN Y ork.

29a        When one sees the most tourists spring up, possibly? (4,6)
HIGH SEASON – Cryptically, Spring being up might be referred to as a HIGH SEASON.

Down

1d           Challenge coming up in better adventure (4)
DARE – A reversed hidden clue (it is coming up in) inside bett ER AD venture,

2d           Bit dry, crackers on it (7)
SECTION – SEC for dry (as in champagne) and then a crackers anagram of ON IT.

3d           Kitchen device fixed to tap with purpose (3-2,7)
POP-UP TOASTER – An anagram (fixed) of TO TAP and/with PURPOSE.

4d           This writer after clear message that’s implicit (8)
OVERTONE – Place ONE (me/the setter) after OVERT for clear.

5d           Essence in tea urn, brewed (6)
NATURE – A brewed anagram of TEA URN.

7d           Nanny eluding shambles (7)
INDULGE – An anagram , indicated by shambles, of ELUDING.

8d           In precarious position upon thin end of branch? (3,2,1,4)
OUT ON A LIMB – Being n the thin end of a branch in a tree is being OUT ON A LIMB.

11d        Recording new test case, listen in on evidence, firstly (8,4)
CASSETTE TAPE – Make an anagram (new) of TEST CASE, then add TAP for ‘listen in on; and finish with the first letter in E(vidence).

14d        Remove flimsy tube attached to ceiling (10)
STRIPLIGHT – TO STRIP or remove (clothing/coating and then LIGHT for flimsy.

17d        Slow — as a bullet? (8)
SLUGGISH – A bullet is also a SLUG so ‘like a bullet’ might be SLUGGISH.

19d        Energy drinks tasting awful initially in organic compound (7)
VITAMIN – VIM or energy takes in (drinks) the initial letters in T(asting) A(wful) and I followed by IN from the clue.

21d        Rest put on top of food in waste collectors (7)
NAPPIES – Place a NAP/rest on top of PIES/food (note that this only works in a Down clue).

22d        Gear selected by swimmer cyclin’ over island (6)
BIKINI – BIKIN’ or Cyclin’ on top of (over in a Down clue) I for Island.

25d        Article working for unknown author (4)
ANON – The article is AN – add ON for working/operating.