DT 29796

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29796

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This puzzle was published on 2^nd October 2021

BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***

A gentle Saturday Prize Puzzle

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Across

1a    County suit under discussion (5)
HERTS – A homophone (under discussion) of the card suit HEARTS

4a    Skill in fraud on its way (8)
STARTING – ART (skill) inserted into STING (fraud)

10a    Second rotten reprimand (4,3)
TICK OFF – TICK (second) OFF (rotten)

11a    Beams following in empty rays (7)
RAFTERS – AFTER (following) inserted into the outside (empty) letters of RayS

12a    Egyptian monarch with posh skirt (4)
TUTU – TUT (Egyptian monarch) with U (posh)

13a    Sign there’s tooth decay, first one pulled (5)
ARIES – cARIES (tooth decay) without its first letter

14a    Large and neat (4)
TIDY – Double definition

17a    Do as I do facing queen: that’s child’s play! (6-2-6)
FOLLOW-MY-LEADER – FOLLOW MY LEAD (do as I do) and ER (the regnal cipher of our current Queen)

19a    Unpleasant sensation, those things coming to a point? (4,3,7)
PINS AND NEEDLES – Double definition

22a    Tiniest bits of crumbs adorning squalid tool shed (4)
CAST – The first letters (tiniest bits) of Crumbs Adorning Squalid Tool

23a    Irritation in summit that’s audible (5)
PIQUE – A homophone (that’s audible) of PEAK (summit)

24a    Faint, not very fit (4)
AGUE – vAGUE (faint) without the V (not very)

27a    Substance in meat to ripen bananas (7)
PROTEIN – An anagram (bananas) of TO RIPEN

28a    Decay — as might stew? (2,2,3)
GO TO POT – Where the ingredients of a stew might go

29a    Dodgy deal with assistant in Antipodean city (8)
ADELAIDE – An anagram (dodgy) of DEAL with AIDE (assistant)

30a    Underwear
of poor quality (5)
PANTS – Double definition

Down

1d    Excellent thing, tea or coffee perhaps? (3,5)
HOT STUFF – This excellent thing might describe tea or coffee

2d    Little movement arising in actual performance (7)
RECITAL – A reversal (arising) of TIC (little movement) inserted into REAL (actual)

3d    Witness jumpers being lifted (4)
SPOT- A reversal (being lifted) of TOPS (jumpers)

5d    Foreign words aimed at a Tuareg gal, gent translates (6,8)
TARGET LANGUAGE – The language into which a text is to be translated – an anagram (translates) of A TUAREG GEL GENT

6d    Collar estimated, by the sound of it (4)
RUFF – A homophone (by the sound of it) of ROUGH (estimated)

7d    Break down in tears initially: see, I’m upset (7)
ITEMISE – The initial letters of In Tears and an anagram (upset) of SEE IM

8d    Bubbly guy gutted to admit halfwit (5)
GASSY – The outside (gutted) letters of GuY to ‘admit’ ASS (halfwit)

9d    Previously referred to a figure heard and acknowledged (14)
AFOREMENTIONED – A (from the clue) a homophone (heard) of FOUR (figure) and MENTIONED (acknowledged)

15d    Amount paid to secure a cruise (5)
COAST – COST (amount paid) to ‘secure’ A (from the clue)

16d    Part of church beginning to leak — something contemplated? (5)
NAVEL – NAVE (part of church) and the ‘beginning’ to Leak

18d    Boss eats horribly toxic substance (8)
ASBESTOS – An anagram (horribly) of BOSS EATS

20d    Stonier rocks coming soon (2,5)
IN STORE – An anagram (rocks) of STONIER

21d    Stage before drive shows cricketing skill (3,4)
LEG SPIN – LEG (stage) SPIN (drive)

22d    Drink beginning to cheer up dad (5)
CUPPA – The ‘beginning’ to Cheer, UP (from the clue) and PA (dad)

25d    Take a punt on a Greek character (4)
BETA – BET (take a punt) A (from the clue)

26d    Stair hamsters perhaps will climb (4)
STEP – A reversal (will climb) of PETS (hamsters perhaps)