Sunday Telegraph No 3146
A full review by crypticsue
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This puzzle was published on 6th February 2022
BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
One of those crosswords that took a while to get on Dada’s wavelength, but once I was typing the review, I couldn’t really see why it did
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought
Across
8a Boss cancelled leave (4,3)
HEAD OFF – HEAD (boss) OFF (cancelled)
10a Cool mission ends in hard battle (1,2,4)
A LA MODE – Cool in the sense of fashionable – ALAMO (American mission where a battle in the Texan Revolution took place) and the ends in harD and battlE
11a Up in arms, stupid nit drinking like granny (9)
INDIGNANT – An anagram (stupid) of NIT ‘drinking’ DIG (liking) NAN (granny)
12a Tea bags in teacups, for example? (5)
CHINA – CHA (tea) ‘bags’ IN (from the clue)
13a Maybe Indian uniform on back (5)
HINDU – U (uniform in the NATO Phonetic Alphabet) goes on or after HIND (back)
14a No bother working for figure (7)
NONAGON – NO (from the clue) NAG (bother) ON (working)
17a I’m not telling lies: players made blunders (2,4,3,6)
MY LIPS ARE SEALED – An anagram (blunders) of LIES PLAYERS MADE
19a Tear off after vehicle for entertainment (7)
CABARET – An anagram (off) of TEAR goes after CAB (vehicle)
21a City centre in Valencia is chock-a-block, initially (5)
CIVIC – The initial letters of Centre In Valencia Is Chock
24a Spot on one side (5)
RIGHT – Double definition
26a Scent variable rate worse (9)
ROSEWATER – An anagram (variable) of RATE WORSE
27a Twisting in roots, convoluted (7)
TORSION – An anagram (convoluted) of IN ROOTS
28a Read about odd part of sensory organ (7)
EARDRUM An anagram (about) of READ followed by RUM (odd)
Down
1d In speech, rattle Arab leader (6)
SHEIKH – A homophone (in speech) of SHAKE (rattle)
2d Very important figure (8)
CARDINAL – Double definition
3d Competitor, sweater down to knees? (4,6)
LONG JUMPER – A sweater down to the knees could definitely be described as this!
4d Ban hurting landlord, say (9)
BARTENDER – BAR (ban) TENDER (hurting)
5d Powder in hospital container (4)
TALC – Found in hospiTAL Container
6d Amount of beer fed to pet, too kind? (6)
DOTING – TIN (amount of beer) ‘fed’ to DOG (pet)
7d Chief in plant didn’t resign? (8)
REMAINED – MAIN (chief) inserted in REED (plant)
9d Standard paving stone (4)
FLAG – Double definition
15d Playwright who’s scared of the present day? (4,6)
NOEL COWARD – Someone who’s scared of Christmas?
16d Uncertain when foxtrot changing (9)
FALTERING – F (foxtrot in the NATO Phonetic Alphabet) ALTERING (changing)
17d Soften meat with care when cooking (8)
MACERATE – An anagram (when cooking) of MEAT with CARE
18d Hot stuff, politician in private chamber (8)
LAVATORY – LAVA (hot stuff) TORY (politician)
20d Old actor giving ground over pictures? (6)
BOGART – BOG (ground) ART (pictures)
22d Plating hot starter of ravioli, happen to eat it (6)
CHROME – COME (happen) to ‘eat’ H (hot) and the ‘starter’ of Ravioli
23d Capri, perhaps, covered in hotels Italians erected (4)
ISLE – Hidden (covered) in a reversal (erected) o hotELS Italians
25d Expedition set off (4)
TRIP – Double definition
As I promised in a comment in the ‘Hints Blog’ on February 6th – In my hint for 6d, I included the italicized comment – as I recall, there was an amount of discussion when the ‘term for an amount of beer’ appeared previously.
And indeed there was, in ST 3101 (March 28th last year) with the 16d clue – Dry, missing quaffing amount of beer? (9) – with the answer of ABSTINENT for the definition of dry. In his comment then, Rabbit Dave wrote, ‘although I knocked off half-a-star for the use of the unindicated Australian term in 16d.’
I know that it is not unusual for the ‘name’ of a container to do double duty as an indicator of quantity but, to the best of my, and several others’, knowledge, beer in the UK and North America comes in cans not tins. And, in Australia, they are more commonly called tinnies so one might say that Dada has been incorrect twice, twice.
Thanks, as always, to CS for the review.
Thanks crypticsue, this review was very helpful.
I think you meant to put Alamo in the explanation of 10A. This was one of two clues I failed to solve in this puzzle. The other being the dubious tin one as Senf discusses above. Of all the beers I have ever consumed, I have never referred to any as a tin!
3*/4*….
liked 23D ” Capri, perhaps, covered in hotels Italians erected (4) “….took me long enough to get this one.