Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3094
A full review by crypticsue
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This puzzle was published on 7th February 2021
BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***
An enjoyable Sunday puzzle, full of anagrams, insertions and reversals, with a slight theme of expressions of surprise, not to mention the first of several appearances in Crosswordland of the Tibetan in 1a!
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Across
1a Sino-Tibetan turn of phrase (6)
SHERPA – An anagram (turn) of PHRASE
4a Idiot nicking empty space in cupboard (6)
CLOSET – The outside letters (empty) of SpacE inserted into (nicking) CLOT (idiot)
8a Intellectual supporting launch (8)
PROFOUND – PRO (supporting) FOUND (launch)
10a Range sent back, somewhat bizarre I see (6)
SIERRA – Hidden in reverse in bizARRE I See
11a A piece, not entirely similar (4)
AKIN – A (from the clue) KINd (piece ‘not entirely’)
12a Give old teacher a gun for ultimate war (10)
ARMAGEDDON – ARM AGED (old) DON (teacher)
13a Rogue channel out to catch me — spam! (8,4)
LUNCHEON MEAT – An anagram (rogue) of CHANNEL OUT to ‘catch’ ME
16a Nitwit, a centrist struggling to impress supporter (12)
SCATTERBRAIN – An anagram (struggling) of A CENTRIST to ‘impress’ BRA (supporter)
20a Where, for example, cocktails are served in jail (6,4)
BEHIND BARS – Double definition
21a 25 Across, short implement knocked over (4)
OOPS – A reversal (knocked over) of a truncated SPOOn (implement)
22a Twist right in home of flamenco? (6)
SPRAIN – R (right) in SPAIN (home of flamenco)
23a US lawman requiring perfect listening device (8)
EARPHONE – EARP (old US lawman) HONE (perfect)
24a Wine bottles I say smelt bad (6)
REEKED – RED (wine) ‘bottles’ EEK (I say)
25a Model remade well! (4,2)
DEAR ME – An anagram (model) of REMADE
Down
1d Assault over, start (6,2)
STRIKE UP – STRIKE (assault) UP (over)
2d Dainty, a little thin, I flew upward (5)
ELFIN – Hidden in reverse (upward) in thiN I FLEw
3d Down in perfect time (7)
PLUMAGE – PLUM (perfect) AGE (time)
5d Way to eat dip, Italian food (7)
LASAGNE – LANE (way) to ‘eat’ SAG (dip)
6d Exercise in demolishing of dessert, one going fast (9)
SPEEDSTER – PE (exercise) in an anagram (demolishing) of DESSERT
7d Fish has to dry up (6)
TURBOT – A reversal (up) of TO (from the clue) BRUT (dry)
9d Show leader of race in great condition (11)
DEMONSTRATE – R (the ‘leader’ of Race) inserted in DEMON (great) STATE (condition)
14d Bully threw one over barrier (9)
CASTIGATE – CAST (threw) I (one) GATE (barrier)
15d Little bit cross, writer in stitches, oddly (8)
SIXPENCE – X (cross) PEN (writer) inserted into the odd letters of StItChEs
17d An Italian poet moving quite slowly (7)
ANDANTE – AN (from the clue) DANTE (Italian poet)
18d Caution in store (7)
RESERVE – Double definition
19d Eye record in match (6)
PEEPER – EP (record) in PEER (match)
21d Different native shunning principal (5)
OTHER – mOTHER (native) ‘shunning’ its principal letter