DT 29975

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29975

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This puzzle was published on 30^th April 2022

BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***

Another Saturday Prize Pangram from Cephas

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Across

1a    Confirm Valerie has one assignation (8)
VALIDATE – VAL (Valerie) I (one) DATE (assignation)

5a    Having spokes diverging from centre of gunnery clock-face (6)
RADIAL – RA (Royal Artillery, gunnery) DIAL (clock face)

9a    She heard about it having been used again (8)
REHASHED – An anagram (about) of SHE HEARD

10a    Heroine‘s false statement in project (6)
JULIET – LIE (false statement) in JUT (project in the sense of stick out)

11a    Go long way with artist first in medley (7)
FARRAGO – FAR (a long way) and RA (artist) go first before GO (from the clue)

12a    One fights naked over South American city, right? (7)
WARRIOR – A reversal (over) of RAW (naked) followed by RIO (South American city) and R (right)

13a    Health-giver? (11)
TOASTMASTER – A cryptic definition of someone who asks you to raise a glass to toast the health of someone

16a    Alarm artist about methods of self-defence (7,4)
MARTIAL ARTS – Another anagram indicated by ‘about’ – this time of ALARM ARTIST

21a    One who used to play Shylock, say (7)
EXACTOR – Someone who used to play might be an EX-ACTOR, without the hyphen it might describe a character such as Shylock

22a    Heavy metal, one that’s strange, I had one inside (7)
IRIDIUM – I (one) RUM (strange), into which is inserted (put inside) ID (I had) I (one)

23a    Friends turned up with lots of good food to eat served in style (4-2)
SLAP-UP – A reversal (turned) of PALS (friends) followed by UP (from the clue)

24a    Fight to include part of best rug gleaming (8)
STRUGGLE – Hidden in part of beST RUG GLEaming

25a    Train passes by the European (6)
DIESEL – DIES (passes) EL (European – Spanish – definite article – the)

26a    Sportsman regarded as favourite (4-4)
BLUE-EYED – BLUE (sportsman at Oxford or Cambridge) EYED (regarded)

Down

1d    Prove to be true provided there’s light outside (6)
VERIFY – a VERY light (a pistol providing a signalling or illuminating flare) into which is inserted IF (provided)

2d    Learning about a hot place in the east (6)
LAHORE – LORE (learning) goes about A (from the clue) and H (hot)

3d    Music from in France barely sufficient (7)
DESCANT – DE (the French word for from) SCANT (barely sufficient)

4d    Dry man, does he count all the holes, except the nineteenth, of course? (11)
TEETOTALLER – A very nice cryptic description of man who doesn’t drink – he wouldn’t count the 19^th hole as that is the bar!

6d    Tanks having water and fresh air (7)
AQUARIA – AQUA (water) and an anagram (fresh) of AIR

7d    Start what I did in restaurant (8)
INITIATE – IN IT (restaurant) I ATE

8d    Three-quarters of learned people having lines from books (8)
LITERARY – Three-quarters of LITERAti (learned people) RY (railway)

12d    Spray gun (5,6)
WATER PISTOL – A cryptic definition of a gun that sprays you with water

14d    Put into liquidation? (8)
IMMERSED – Another cryptic definition

15d    Interruption long time afterwards causing damage (8)
BREAKAGE – BREAK (interruption) AGE (long time)

17d    Meddle with tuner I’d repaired (7)
INTRUDE – An anagram (repaired) of TUNER ID

18d    Fit and size fancy furrier occasionally missed (7)
SEIZURE – An anagram (fancy) of SIZE followed by the even (occasionally missed) letters of fUrRiEr

19d    Husband in drab boat (6)
DINGHY – H (husband) in DINGY (drab)

20d    Threaten to come to a devilish conclusion (6)
IMPEND – A devilish conclusion might be described as an IMP END