DT 30203 (Full Review)

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30203

A full review by crypticsue

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This puzzle was published on 21^st January 2023

BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***

A surprise return from Chalicea with, what I thought was, a slightly trickier Prize Puzzle than usual

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought

Across

1a    Freedom in empty pretentious truisms (10)
PLATITUDES – LATITUDE (freedom) inserted into the outside (empty) letters of PretentiouS

6a    Long salesperson’s talk lacking power (4)
ITCH – pITCH (salesperson’s talk) without (lacking) the abbreviation for Power

10a    Fool at university could be swot (3,2)
MUG UP – MUG (fool) UP (at university)

11a    Sordid stuff: tweet, we hear, going for a song (4,5)
DIRT CHEAP – DIRT (sordid stuff) and a homophone (we hear) of CHEEP (tweet)

12a    Made clothes for Dior et al, unusually (8)
TAILORED – An anagram (unusually) of DIOR ET AL

13a    Inspiration seen in opera, ‘Tosca’ (5)
ERATOR – The Greek Muse of Love Poetry is seen in opERA TOsca

15a    Boasting of a daughter in good show (7)
BRAVADO – A (from the clue) D (Daughter) inserted in BRAVO (good show)

17a    Bullfighter turned to drama (7)
MATADOR – An anagram (turned) of TO DRAMA

19a    Write sad poem the Spanish say is trite, ultimately (7)
ELEGISE – EL (Spanish definite article) EG (say) IS (from the clue) E (the ultimate letter of tritE

21a    I’m clear about salvage (7)
RECLAIM – An anagram (about) of IM CLEAR

22a    Arrangement of ornamental edges? Not edges! (5)
ORDER – bORDERs (ornamental edges) without their ‘edges’

24a    One contemplating heartless go-between (8)
MEDIATOR – Remove the letter in the middle (heartless) of MEDItATOR

27a    Repeatedly elected to protect Turkey, so critical (9)
INTRINSIC – Insert TR (the IVR code for Turkey) between two lots of IN (elected repeatedly) and follow with SIC (so, thus)

28a    Control movements of river in steep descent (5)
DRIVE – R (river) inserted into DIVE (steep descent)

29a    Twice cook old bird (4)
DODO – DO (cook) ‘twice’

30a    Authority to sell wood going to royal vessel (10)
DEALERSHIP – DEAL (wood) ER (royal cipher) SHIP (vessel)

Down

1d    Quiz group of top umpires (4)
PUMP – Hidden in toP UMPires

2d    Unfinished tomb coated in marble compound (9)
AGGRAVATE – Compound in the sense of make worse – GRAVe (an ‘unfinished’ tomb) inserted in (coated) AGATE (marble)

3d    Get going and, using every second, firm up belly (5)
IMPEL – Every second letter of fIrM uP bElLy

4d    Short of work experience (7)
UNDERGO – UNDER (short of) GO (work)

5d    A noble estate (7)
EARLDOM – The lands held by an Earl (noble)

7d    Letter of thanks following article (5)
THETA – TA (thanks) following THE (definite article)

8d    Circus school in trendy capital (10)
HIPPODROME – POD (school, of whales for example) inserted between IN (trendy) and ROME (capital of Italy)

9d    City allowed to keep Conservative in charge, being diverse (8)
ECLECTIC – EC (the postcode area of the City of London) LET (allowed) between which is inserted (to keep) C (Conservative), the result finished with IN (in charge)

14d    Robust, skilful lad losing energy finally perished (4-6)
ABLE-BODIED – ABLE (skilful) BOy (lad without the Y at the end of energy) DIED (perished)

16d    Environmental concern, a constant international depletion of resources (4,4)
ACID RAIN – A (from the clue) C (constant) I (international) DRAIN (depletion of resources)

18d    Fierce doctor: brief pain is hard (9)
DRAGONISH – DR (doctor) AGONy (brief or truncated pain) IS (from the clue) H (hard)

20d    Change man sees in a group (2,5)
EN MASSE – An anagram (change) of MAN SEES

21d    Placid artist turned up, showing original (7)
RADICAL – Hidden in reverse (turned up) in pLACID ARtist

23d    Old-fashioned father drinking endless cha (5)
DATED – DAD (father) ‘drinking’ TEa (cha without its end letter)

25d    Calculating person‘s a treacherous type (5)
ADDER – Someone who calculates or a venomous snake (treacherous type)

26d    Secret look back to find castle (4)
KEEP – A reversal (back) of a PEEK (secret look)