Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3222
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This puzzle was published on 23rd July 2023
BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***
Another Dada Sunday Prize Puzzle, this one created for lovers of anagrams and double definitions!
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Across
1a Reportedly, complaint is bigger (5)
GROWN – A homophone (reportedly) of GROAN (complaint)
4a Put up with criticism (5)
STICK Put up with or an informal term for criticism
10a Country in days gone by having spoken (8)
PASTORAL – PAST (in days gone by) ORAL (spoken)
11a French city hardened elderly relative from the East (6)
NANTES – A reversal (from the East in an Across solution) of SET (hardened) and NAN (elderly relative)
12a Captain struggling without a medicinal plant (6)
CATNIP – An anagram (struggling) of CaPTAIN without one of the As
13a Undecided where to send lob? (2,3,3)
IN THE AIR – Still to be decided or where a lob shot should be sent
14a Working as examiner, technique extremely smart (7)
TESTING – The extreme letters of TechniquE and STING (smart)
16a A simple step down (6)
ALIGHT – A (from the clue) LIGHT (simple)
17a So put out about Huddersfield’s first result (6)
UPSHOT – An anagram (out) of SO PUT goes ‘about’ the first letter of Huddersfield
19a Butterfly active in early spring? (7)
MONARCH – ON (active) inserted into MARCH (a month in early Spring)
21a Son with quite awkward request (8)
QUESTION – An anagram (awkward) of SON with QUITE
22a Gap in river covered by sand? (6)
BREACH – R (river) ‘covered’ by BEACH (sand?)
23a A line bound to be written about Spanish dish (6)
PAELLA – A reversal (about) of A (from the clue) L (line) LEAP (bound)
24a Awfully mean girl in early stage of development (8)
GERMINAL – An anagram (awfully) of MEAN GIRL
25a Jolly squiffy (5)
MERRY – The two definitions and the solution are all informal ways of describing being ‘enlivened by drink’
26a Treasure buried in strange land (5)
ANGEL – Buried in strANGE Land
Down
2d Prophesy fit for change (7)
READAPT – READ (prophesy) APT (fit)
3d Sounds on instrument after you and I hit the bottle (3,4,7)
WET ONES WHISTLE – WE (you and I) TONES (sounds) WHISTLE (instrument)
5d Convincing recital (7)
TELLING – Be evidence of (convincing) or a recital
6d Check felon’s entourage (9)
CONSTRAIN – CONS (felons) TRAIN (entourage)
7d Tour could be mistake (4)
TRIP – A tour or a mistake
8d House decoration is done, retiring shattered (8,6)
INTERIOR DESIGN – An anagram (shattered) of IS DONE RETIRING
9d Greatly enjoy sauce (6)
RELISH – Greatly enjoy or a type of sauce
15d Nice trait, remarkably complex (9)
INTRICATE – An anagram (remarkably) of NICE TRAIT
18d Endless charm in friend, certainly not alone (6)
PLURAL – LURe (charm without its end letter) inserted into PAL (friend)
19d Feeder fed a head (7)
MANAGER – MANGER (a place for feed) ‘fed’ A (from the clue)
20d Frantic, the race for amount of land (7)
HECTARE – An anagram (frantic) of THE RACE
22d Snap part of a tree (4)
BARK – A sharp noise or part of a tree