Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30407
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This puzzle was published on 16th September 2023
BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***
Chalicea set this Saturday prize pangram
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Across
1a Point during speech about America (10)
INDICATION – IN (during) DICTION (speech) ‘about’ A (America)
6a Replacements for buttons? Nothing succeeded (4)
ZIPS – Originally American slang for nothing followed by the abbreviation for Succeeded
10a Old rag changed name, becoming newspaper? (5)
ORGAN – O (old), an anagram (changed) of RAG, N (name)
11a Completely remove strange alien mite (9)
ELIMINATE – An anagram (strange) of ALIEN MITE
12a Most foolish, getting sick during brief nap (8)
SILLIEST – ILL (sick) inserted into a ‘brief’ SIESTa (nap)
13a Warning of change with time moving on (5)
ALERT – Move the T for Time in ALTER (change) further along the word
15a Without fuss, leave to welcome English lady on vacation (7)
QUIETLY – QUIT (leave) to ‘welcome’ E (English) followed by the outside (on vacation) letters of LadY
17a Most sinister day biblical ship set out (7)
DARKEST – D (day) ARK (biblical ship) and an anagram (out) of SET
19a Donor is dealt with at home (7)
INDOORS – An anagram (dealt with) of DONOR IS
21a Relatively paltry young bird heard (7)
CHEAPER – A homophone (heard) of a CHEEPER (young bird)
22a Tar easily covers such spaces (5)
AREAS – Hidden in tAR EASily
24a Admitting right to bias in scholarship (8)
LEARNING – R (right) admitted into LEANING (bias)
27a Getting bigger, former lover needs looking after (9)
EXTENDING – EX (former lover) TENDING (looking after)
28a Period to pass in a leisurely way (5)
WHILE – A period of time or to pass in a leisurely way
29a Gin, say, some sent back (4)
TRAP – A reversal (sent back) of PART (some)
30a Informer turns up in prairies, perhaps (10)
GRASSLANDS – GRASS (informer) LANDS (turns up)
Down
1d Smooth club (4)
IRON – A verb meaning to smooth or a type of golf club
2d Worthy of esteem if gin potentially passed around (9)
DIGNIFIED – DIED (passed) goes around an anagram (potentially) of IF GIN
3d Planetary feature discovered in astronomic analysis (5)
CANAL – Hidden (discovered) in astronomiC ANALysis
4d In consequence of that article concerning Times … (7)
THEREBY – THE (definite article) RE (concerning) BY (times)
5d … old hand editor excluded (7)
OMITTED – O (old) MITT (hand) ED (editor)
7d One male with time for spin doctor’s concern (5)
IMAGE – I (one) M (male) AGE (time)
8d Close observers of exceptional top actress (10)
SPECTATORS – An anagram (exceptional) of TOP ACTRESS
9d Refuse to concede some aphid is a greenfly (8)
DISAGREE – Found in some aphiD IS A GREEnfly
14d In a stew, even quail initially tastes the same (10)
EQUIVALENT – An anagram (in a stew) of EVEN QUAIL followed by the initial letter of Tastes
16d Grand handouts negotiated (8)
THOUSAND – An anagram (negotiated) of HANDOUTS
18d European, cross, criticises India on growth (9)
EXPANSION – E (European) X (cross) PANS (criticises) I (India in the NATO Phonetic Alphabet) ON (from the clue)
20d Diligent worker to patch up round centre of machinery (7)
SOLDIER – SOLDER (patch up) goes around the ‘centre’ of machInery
21d Gives task to king, good for first of leaders (7)
CHARGES – Change the L in CHARLES (King) to a G for good
23d Run more than expected (5)
EXTRA – An ‘old friend’ of a double definition, the run being of the crickety variety
25d Latest deals oddly missing in column (5)
NEWEL – NEW (latest) and the even (oddly missing) letters of dEaLs
26d Black Sabbath’s opening for gang in West Side Story (4)
JETS – JET (back) S (the opening of Sabbath)