ST 3090

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3090

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This puzzle was published on 10^th January 2021

BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***

Another Sunday Prize Puzzle, this one with a splendid variety of insertion indicators

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Across

1a    Author composes clause, looking tired (5,7)
RIDER HAGGARD – RIDER (clause) HAGGARD (looking tired)

9a    Heathen left beside fiend, I recollected (7)
INFIDEL – L (left) goes beside or after an anagram (recollected) of FIEND I

10a    Western character banking gold somewhere in Canada (7)
TORONTO – TONTO (Western character) banking OR (heraldic term for gold)

11a    Meat in paella evidently rejected (4)
VEAL – Hidden in reverse (rejected) in paelLA EVidently

12a    Narrow lips of tiger biting gorilla, say? (5)
TAPER – The ‘lips’ of TigeR biting APE (gorilla, say)

13a    Famous person, prowler (4)
LION – Double definition

16a    Around carnival city, pipsqueak cut loose (3,4)
RUN RIOT – RUNT (pipsqueak) around RIO (carnival city)

17a    One gathering hard pebbles (7)
SHINGLE – SINGLE (one) gathering H (hard)

18a    Tick isn’t confused with insect (7)
INSTANT – An anagram (confused) of ISNT with ANT (insect)

21a    Bad sign cutting into beef, don’t be upset (4,3)
COME NOW – OMEN (bad sign) cutting into COW (beef)

23a    Flatten bread (4)
ROLL – Double definition

24a    Tea: a large quantity from the East (5)
ASSAM – A (from the clue) and a reversal (from the East in an Across clue) of MASS (large quantity)

25a    Stocked by bodegas, Tibetan wine (4)
ASTI – Hidden in (stocked by) bodegAS TIbetan

28a    Capital seen by pilot flying around Rhode Island (7)
TRIPOLI – An anagram (flying) of PILOT around RI (Rhode Island)

29a    Embellishment flashy clothing needed, originally (7)
GARNISH – GARISH (flashy) clothing N (needed originally)

30a    I fear terror suspect stashing grenades primarily in kitchen appliance (12)
REFRIGERATOR – An anagram (suspect) of I FEAR TERROR stashing G (grenades primarily)

Down

1d    Owner of whistle has come down for chorus (7)
REFRAIN – REF (owner of whistle) RAIN (come down)

2d    Twice cook very old bird (4)
DODO – DO (cook) twice

3d    Ancillary priest captivated by loud speech (7)
RELIANT – ELI (Old Testament priest) captivated by RANT (loud speech)

4d    Natural lacking in skill? (7)
ARTLESS – Lacking in art (skill)

5d    Blood and guts general’s oration raising eyebrows, first of all (4)
GORE – The first letters of General Oration Raising Eyebrows

6d    Published piece in position (7)
RANKING – RAN (published) KING (chess piece)

7d    Poisonous substance: it’s irrelevant, surprisingly (6,7)
SILVER NITRATE – An anagram (surprisingly) of ITS IRRELEVANT

8d    Reportedly hang on under bar for balance (13)
COUNTERWEIGHT – A homophone (reportedly) of WAIT (hang on) goes under COUNTER (bar)

14d    Children’s writer not entirely encapsulating a city in Italy (5)
MILAN – Almost all of (A A) MILNe (children’s writer) encapsulating A (from the clue)

15d    Easy shot: one millimetre to go in say, after rolling up (5)
GIMME – I MM (one millimetre) to go in a reversal (after rolling up) of EG (say)

19d    Cross, father swallows key (7)
SALTIRE – SIRE (father) swallows ALT (computer key)

20d    Sampling dishes in street, starter from Indonesia packed in flavour (7)
TASTING – ST (street) and I (the starter from Indonesia) packed in TANG (flavour)

21d    Mistake, something clashing? (7)
CLANGER – Something clashing in a bell, perhaps?

22d    Education’s ending, as grade not so good (7)
NASTIER – N (the ending of education) AS (from the clue) TIER (grade)

26d    Fly hurt, by the sound of it? (4)
SOAR – A homophone (by the sound of it) of SORE (hurt)

27d    Dry in physical, having wiped foot (4)
BRUT – ‘wipe the foot’ of BRUTe (physical)