ST 3126

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3126

A full review by crypticsue

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This puzzle was published on 19^th September 2021

BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment ***

I found this Dada Sunday Prize Puzzle a lot trickier than the previous few weeks

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

1a    Moment back (6)
SECOND – Double definition

4a    Ooze inside pipe clearing (8)
SWEEPING – WEEP (ooze) ‘inside’ SING (pipe)

9a    Take great pleasure in dip (6)
RELISH – Double definition

10a    Fish isn’t swimming, ashen in Florida? (8)
STINGRAY – An anagram (swimming) of ISNT followed by the American spelling of GRAY (ashen)

12a    Jack, say: knave about right! (4)
CARD – CAD (knave) ‘about’ R (right)

13a    Directors twiddling thumbs, reportedly? (5)
BOARD – A homophone (reportedly) of BORED (twiddling thumbs)

14a    Gas one converted, nitrogen (4)
NEON – An anagram (converted) of ONE followed by the chemical symbol for Nitrogen

17a    Lacking good judgment, mad using dinner to welcome leader of Conservatives (12)
UNDISCERNING – An anagram (mad) of USING DINNER to ‘welcome’ C (the leader of Conservatives)

20a    Painting, say, expression of enjoyment in hold, performing acrobatics (12)
CARTWHEELING – ART (painting say) and WHEE (expression of enjoyment) inserted into CLING (hold)

23a    US state without a hope’s captured (4)
UTAH – Captured by withoUT A Hope

24a    Heartless line ending great story (5)
FABLE – The outside letters (heartless) of LinE go after (ending) FAB (great)

25a    Record by that man, old song (4)
HELP – LP (record) goes after HE (that man)

28a    Cooler hugs with energy in dance (8)
FANDANGO – FAN (cooler) ‘hugs’ AND (with), GO (energy) being added at the end

29a    Sign Mussolini, megalomaniac, somewhat taken aback (6)
GEMINI – Hidden in reverse (somewhat taken aback) in mussolINI MEGalomaniac

30a    Resolution X passed by a municipality (8)
TENACITY – TEN (X in Roman numerals) A (from the clue) CITY (municipality)

31a    Hard work, an advertising phrase (6)
SLOGAN – SLOG (hard work) AN (from the clue)

Down

1d    Tidy tree aloft (6,2)
SPRUCE UP – SPRUCE (tree) UP (aloft)

2d    Bill’s partner has carried peer around a US state (8)
COLORADO – COO (Bill’s partner in Bill and Coo) into which is inserted LORD (peer) which itself goes around A (from the clue)

3d    Feature one runs occasionally (4)
NOSE – A facial feature that may run occasionally

5d    Pub with ale gone unfortunately, last of bitter drunk (8,4)
WATERING HOLE – An anagram (unfortunately) of WITH ALE GONE into which is inserted (drunk) the last letter of bitteR

6d    Flier tucked inside newspaper, neglected (4)
ERNE – This bird (flier) is hidden inside newspapER NEglected

7d    Country‘s literary king’s one up (6)
ISRAEL – A reversal (up) of LEARS (literary kings) and I (one)

8d    Two articles supporting chap in South American country (6)
GUYANA – AN and A (two indefinite articles) supporting or going under GUY (chap)

11d    Place above hand for last stretch (4,8)
HOME STRAIGHT – HOME (place) above STRAIGHT (hand of cards)

15d    After uprising, country has embraced southern religion (5)
ISLAM – A reversal (after uprising) of MALI has ’embraced’ S (Southern)

16d    Attack with stone, roughly (5)
ONSET – An anagram (roughly) of STONE

18d    Enthralling work of engineer? (8)
RIVETING – Some engineers may indeed use rivets

19d    African eating crusts on pasty, remarkably (8)
EGYPTIAN – An anagram (remarkably) of EATING and the ‘crusts’ on PastrY

21d    Help-yourself food, big hit (6)
BUFFET – Double definition

22d    Loud weapon standard, by the sound of it? (6)
CANNON – Sounds like CANON (standard)

26d    Uplifting stuff, brandy (4)
MARC – A reversal (uplifting) of CRAM (stuff)

27d    Those eventually attacked, lowering heads, duck (4)
TEAL – The ‘heads’ of Those Eventually Attacked Lowering