DT 30017 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 30017

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30017

A full review by crypticsue

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BD Rating – Difficulty *Enjoyment ***

Another Cephas pangram – this one seemed to require the removal of quite a lot of letters

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

1a    Trade something sticky in queue (7,3)
TRAFFIC JAM – TRAFFIC (trade) JAM (something sticky)

6a    Pet dog not mother’s (4)
TIFF – Pet in the sense of a display of irritation – a MASTIFF dog without the MA’S (not mother’s)

8a    Intoxicating game? (3,5)
GIN RUMMY – A card game which implies that one might get intoxicated on gin while playing it

9a    Subtle difference pest is leaving (6)
NUANCE – IS (from the clue) ‘leaving’ NUisANCE (pest)

10a    Having received a gift? (8)
TALENTED – Another cryptic definition

11a    No end of commotion having charged particle melting (6)
FUSION – FUSs (commotion without its ‘end’ letter) ION (charged particle)

12a    Mark two-thirds of face (4)
VISA – A mark on a passport – two-thirds of the letters in VISAge (face)

14a    Greta at disorderly race meeting (7)
REGATTA – An anagram (disorderly) of GRETA AT

18a    What July is to June? (7)
PROXIMO – An old commercial term for the next month – which is what July is to June

20a    Including a mountain-dweller (4)
INCA – INC (including) A (From the clue)

23a    Women’s Institute’s modern backing is common sense (6)
WISDOM – WIS (Women’s Institute’s) and a reversal (backing) of MOD (modern)

24a    Beat repeated injury to neck (8)
WHIPLASH – Repeated synonyms for beat – WHIP and LASH

25a    Strange-sounding sale (6)
BAZAAR – A homophone (sounding) of BIZARRE (strange)

26a    Connected with a non-drinker who was in pain (8)
ATTACHED – A (from the clue) TT (teetotal, non-drinker) ACHED (was in pain)

27a    Beefcake oddly found in stream (4)
BECK – The odd letters of BeEfCaKe

28a    Against short cut with most disappointing conclusion (10)
ANTICLIMAX – ANTI (against) CLIp (truncated, short, cut) MAX (most)

Down

1d    Got over anaesthetic at the same time (8)
TOGETHER – A reversal (over) of GOT followed by ETHER (anaesthetic)

2d    Edited Ronald or Roland, or poet Matthew? (6)
ARNOLD – An anagram (edited) of either RONALD or ROLAND

3d    Ready in the use of words, let fun out (6)
FLUENT – An anagram (out) of LET FUN

4d    Can revamp mobile vehicle (6,3)
CAMPER VAN – An anagram (mobile) of CAN REVAMP

5d    Belligerent person
a stingy type in the main? (3-2-3)
MAN-OF-WAR – A belligerent person or a type of jellyfish

6d    Pierce through vehicles I will leave to repair (8)
TRANSFIX – Remove the I from TRAiNS (vehicles) and add FIX (repair)

7d    Handyman, agent, not Romeo, joining corporation (8)
FACTOTUM – FACTOr (an agent without the letter represented by Romeo in the NATO Phonetic Alphabet) TUM (corporation)

13d    One could wind up eating this (9)
SPAGHETTI – A cryptic definition of the type of pasta you eat by winding it round a fork)

15d    Fit out, long time afterwards, the retinue (8)
EQUIPAGE – EQUIP (fit out) AGE (long time)

16d    Found at the beginning of the book, it keeps the working population down (8)
AARDVARK – A creature found at the beginning of the dictionary – it keeps the population of working ants down by eating them!

17d    Tea, we hear, then a lady finds liqueur (3,5)
TIA MARIA – T (a homophone, we hear, of tea), then A (from the clue) and MARIA (lady)

19d    Conventional writer removes broadcast (8)
ORTHODOX – A homophone (broadcast) of AUTHOR (writer) DOCKS (removes)

21d    Odds on inexperienced student in awkward position (6)
SPRAWL – SP (starting price, odds) RAW (inexperienced) L (learner, student)

22d    Confusion with former prime minister on edge (6)
MAYHEM – MAY (former prime minister) HEM (edge)

 

4 comments on “DT 30017

  1. I was put on the naughty step for challenging 6a. I find it difficult to explain but surely pet is singular behaviour whereas a tiff needs more than one person?

    1. While I can see your point and now understand your references to Just William last Saturday, the BRB does define both as a display of irritation or a fit of aggrieved or resentful sulkiness

      1. Who am I to challenge the BRB!
        I hope the hay fever has eased up a bit. My grandmother suffered so I know how awful it can be.

  2. Being a relative newcomer to cryptic crosswords (roughly 6 years) the north east corner of this one did me no favours at all.
    Loved 16 down though!

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