ST 3142

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3142

A full review by crypticsue

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This puzzle was published on 9^th January 2022

BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***

A Sunday puzzle that didn’t take long to either solve or draft the review

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Across

8a    African native, captive in Mali, one’s sensed (7)
LIONESS – Captive in MaLI ONES Sensed

10a    England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are in new country (7)
UKRAINE – UK (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) and an anagram (new) of ARE IN

11a    Example set as drunk repented, minimum of cognac imbibed (9)
PRECEDENT – An anagram (drunk) of REPENTED with C (a minimum of Cognac) ‘imbibed’ or inserted

12a    Signal boxes I relinquish (5)
WAIVE – WAVE (signal) ‘boxes’ I (from the clue)

13a    Solid performance reflected in score, magnificent first of all (5)
PRISM – The first letters of Performance Reflected In Score Magnificent

14a    Team are one short: more than one way back (7)
ARSENAL – Truncate ARe (one short) and reverse (back) LANES (more than one way)

17a    Brainiest men cite virtually ludicrous politician (7,8)
CABINET MINISTER – An anagram (ludicrous) of BRAINIEST MEN CITe (virtually telling you to omit the E)

19a    Danseur broken into pieces (7)
ASUNDER – An anagram (broken) of DANSEUR

21a    Giants with longer legs oddly invisible (5)
OGRES – The even letters (oddly invisible) of lOnGeR lEgS

24a    Decipher joke (5)
CRACK – Double definition: one a verb, the other a noun

26a    Where Arctic fossils are uniquely preserved? Wrong (9)
INJUSTICE – Artic fossils are uniquely preserved IN JUST ICE

27a    It’s not known who wrote that about military decoration etc (3,2,2)
AND SO ON – ANON (it’s not known who wrote that) goes ‘about’ DSO (military decoration)

28a    Bar where trouble curbed by gang (7)
RAILING – AIL (trouble) ‘curbed’ by RING (gang)

Down

1d    Miscalculation has kids at school on the rise (4-2)
SLIP UP – A reversal (on the rise in a Down solution) of PUPILS (kids at school)

2d    Arm unruly mob with rifle (8)
FORELIMB – An anagram (unruly) of MOB with RIFLE

3d    Decided trim needed when scruffy (10)
DETERMINED – An anagram (when scruffy) of TRIM NEEDED

4d    Country welcoming leaders in another leading country (9)
AUSTRALIA – AUSTRIA ‘welcoming’ the leaders of Another Leading

5d    Lottery result without winner (4)
DRAW – Double definition

6d    Secure judgement, initially forgotten (6)
PINION – Forget the initial letter of oPINION (judgement)

7d    Mock rings fit for seller of necklaces etc (8)
JEWELLER – JEER (mock) ‘rings’ WELL (fit)

9d    Outbuilding cast aside (4)
SHED – Double definition – again one a noun, the other a verb

15d    Jack, clubs say — might one be seen on deck? (6,4)
SAILOR SUIT – SAILOR (jack) SUIT (clubs say)

16d    Fresh grass isn’t for bull and goat, say? (4,5)
STAR SIGNS – An anagram (fresh) of GRASS ISNT

17d    Dark grey fish on cabbage, did you say? (8)
CHARCOAL – CHAR (fish) on a homophone (did you say?) of COLE (cabbage)

18d    Super huge (8)
TERRIFIC – Double definition – an informal word meaning marvellous (super) or an adjective meaning huge

20d    Country united over borders in Guinea? (6)
UGANDA – U (united) G AND A (the ‘borders’ in GuineA)

22d    Bottom of lass on narrow horizontal surface for ride over snow (6)
SLEDGE – The bottom letter of lasS on LEDGE (narrow horizontal surface)

23d    A vessel, not quite shut (4)
AJAR – A (from the clue) JAR (vessel) When is a door not a door? When it’s xxxx

25d    Tightly-packed group never heard? (4)
KNOT – A homophone (heard?) of NOT (never)