Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3088
A full review by gnomethang
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This puzzle was published on 27th 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.
Lovely surface readings and not too many of those ‘shove something into a word’ clues – that’ll do me nicely
Thanks to Gnomethang and Dada