DT 29748

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29748

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This puzzle was published on 7^th August 2021

BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***

A Saturday Prize Puzzle where the top half was much friendlier than the bottom.

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Across

1a    Document I don’t know, left at sea (8)
PASSPORT – PASS (I don’t know) PORT (the left side at sea)

5a    Blocks changes on the radio (6)
ALTARS – A homophone (on the radio) of ALTERS (changes)

9a    Seal tins contaminated with second type of steel (9)
STAINLESS – An anagram (contaminated) of SEAL TINS with S (second)

11a    Into Panama sailed East African (5)
MASAI – Hidden in panaMA SAIled

12a    Terribly crude joke finally cut (6)
REDUCE – An anagram (terrible) of CRUDE followed by the final letter of jokE

13a    Couple in plant put right (8)
REPAIRED – PAIR (couple) in REED (plant)

15a    It’s far from dull as Margaret’s parent (6-2-5)
MOTHER-OF-PEARL – MOTHER OF (parent) Margaret (a Scottish Saint [and Princess of Wessex] who was known as the PEARL of Scotland)

18a    Compound — atoms under it, I suspect (6,7)
SODIUM NITRATE – An anagram (suspect) of ATOMS UNDER IT I

22a    Sign of emotion predator conjured up (8)
TEARDROP – An anagram (conjured up) of PREDATOR

23a    King, dark chessman (6)
KNIGHT – K (the chess abbreviation for King) NIGHT (dark)

26a    English and European in retreat flee together (5)
ELOPE – A reversal (in retreat) of E (English) and POLE (European)

27a    Secreted chemical: call to inject extra rejected (9)
PHEROMONE – PHONE (call) to ‘inject’ a reversal (rejected) of MORE (extra)

28a    Two female relatives meeting tomorrow (6)
MANANA – The meeting (joining together) of MA and NANA (two female relatives)

29a    Dark tassels twisted around first of ropes (8)
STARLESS – An anagram (twisted) of TASSELS ‘around’ the first letter of Ropes

Down

1d    Beef gone, sheep beginning to increase (8)
PASTRAMI – PAST (gone) RAM (sheep) and the ‘beginning’ to Increase

2d    Small, rigid piece of glass? (5)
SHARD – S (small) HARD (rigid)

3d    God has a revolutionary style (7)
PANACHE – PAN (god) A (from the clue) CHE (revolutionary)

4d    Dance not made up, reportedly (4)
REEL – A homophone (reportedly) of REAL (not made up)

6d    Character from Athens stealing a dance (7)
LAMBADA – LAMBDA (Greek character) ‘stealing’ A (from the clue)

7d    Country — nation imbued with Aboriginal light originally (9)
AUSTRALIA – AUSTRIA (nation) ‘imbued’ with the original letters of Aboriginal Light

8d    Five hundred in gleaming row (6)
SHINDY – D (Roman numeral for 500) inserted into SHINY (gleaming)

10d    Far-reaching job of broom (8)
SWEEPING – Double definition

14d    Deceptive opus, a cod TV programme (8)
DOCUSOAP – An anagram (deceptive) of OPUS A COD

16d    Choose one of two actions so randomly (4,1,4)
TOSS A COIN – An anagram (randomly) of ACTIONS SO

17d    Concerns pinning article down (8)
FEATHERS – FEARS (concerns) ‘pinning’ THE (definite article)

19d    Ineffective thing gone awry, resentment (7)
DUDGEON – DUD (ineffective thing) and an anagram (awry) of GONE

20d    Wallop opening oven (7)
TANDOOR – TAN (wallop) DOOR (opening)

21d    Current group in school (6)
STREAM – Double definition

24d    One has a hand in this good, good feeling (5)
GLOVE – G (good) LOVE (good feeling)

25d    Others take a break (4)
REST – Double definition