ST 3108 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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ST 3108

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3108

A full review by crypticsue

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This puzzle was published on 16th May 2021

BD Rating – Difficulty **Enjoyment ***

Another ‘typical’ Dada Sunday Prize Puzzle

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Across

1a    Do put on nut in part of engine (10)
CRANKSHAFT – SHAFT (a slang word meaning do in the sense of swindle) put on or after CRANK (nut)

6a    Eccentric king, for example (4)
CARD – This term for an eccentric can also mean a playing card such as a king

9a    Cat flap within reach (5)
TABBY – TAB (flap) BY (within reach)

10a    Freeing criminal is general (9)
RELEASING – An anagram (criminal) of IS GENERAL

12a    Playboy out for percentage in unlawful venture? (4-3)
RAKE-OFF – RAKE (playboy) OFF (out)

13a    Move after beat in dance (5)
TANGO – GO (move) goes after TAN (beat)

15a    After one has gone, relation devastated in the future (5,2)
LATER ON – After the I (one) has been removed (gone), an anagram of the remaining letters of RELATiON will produce the solution

17a    Joke, cricket shot towards the on side? (3-4)
LEG-PULL – Without the hyphen, this joke would be a PULL (cricket shot) towards the LEG (on) side of a cricket pitch

19a    Eventually march back in perhaps? (7)
SOMEDAY – A reversal (back) of a DEMO (march) inserted in SAY (perhaps)

21a    Evil cardinal returning — snake! (7)
MEANDER – MEAN (evil) followed by a reversal (returning) of RED (cardinal)

22a    Failure drinks last of bottle (5)
LAPSE – LAPS (drinks) and the last letter of bottlE

24a    Wicked, if cruel — is he? (7)
LUCIFER – An anagram (wicked) of IF CRUEL

27a    Epic ego is out to steal foreign money (9)
GRANDIOSE – An anagram (out)of EGO IS to ‘steal’ RAND (foreign money)

28a    Perfect thing croupier might say? (5)
IDEAL – A croupier might describe his job as “I DEAL”

29a    River pretty near houses (4)
TYNE – pretTY NEar ‘houses’ this river

30a    Pray, as Goth murdered philosopher (10)
PYTHAGORAS – An anagram (murdered) of PRAY AS GOTH

Down

1d    Mention location on the phone? (4)
CITE – A homophone (on the phone) of SIGHT (location)

2d    Flower beds carried first of tulips in botanical garden (9)
ARBORETUM – An ARUM lily (flower) into which is inserted BORE (carried) and T (the first letter of Tulips)

3d    Boat that’s no different after capsizing? (5)
KAYAK – Because the name of this type of boat is a palindrome

4d    Brother unable to speak regarding weapon (7)
HARPOON – HARPO (the Marx Brother who didn’t speak) ON (regarding)

5d    Middle Eastern food, some endlessly in decline (7)
FALAFEL – A FEw (some ‘endlessly) inserted into FALL (decline)

7d    Foreign story in article (5)
ALIEN – LIE (story) inserted in AN (indefinite article)

8d    White straps go after catches (3,7)
DOG COLLARS – DOG (go after) COLLARS (catches)

11d    Island in conflict with island, briefly (7)
ANTIGUA – ANTI (in conflict with) GUAm (briefly indicating the need to remove the final letter of the Island of Guam)

14d    Steps taken to defend strike resulting in shiner (10)
FLASHLIGHT – FLIGHT (steps taken) to ‘defend’ LASH (strike)

16d    Carrot-top adhered to mould (7)
REDHEAD – An anagram (to mould) of ADHERED

18d    Bloomers perhaps inferior to flower (9)
UNDERWEAR – UNDER (inferior to) the river WEAR (flower)

20d    Fairish call over leaders in organisation waiting years (7)
YELLOWY – YELL (call) over the leaders in Organisation Waiting Years

21d    Play gong in American study (7)
MACBETH –CBE (gong, decoration) in MATH (what the Americans call the study of mathematics)

23d    Downright simple (5)
PLAIN – Double definition

25d    Cast reel (5)
FLING – Double definition, the second referring to a Scottish dance (reel) such as the Highland Fling

26d    Some mountainous place to climb? (4)
ALPS – Hidden in reverse (to climb) in mountainouS PLAce