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)
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?
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
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.
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!