ST 3239 (Full Review)

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3239

A full review by crypticsue

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This puzzle was published on 19^th November 2023

BD Rating – Difficulty */** – Enjoyment ***

A fairly typical friendly Dada Sunday Prize Puzzle 

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Across

1a    Reject swine involved in racket (6)
DISOWN – SOW ‘involved’ in DIN (racket)

4a    Guy left behind eastern place of worship (6)
CHAPEL – CHAP (guy) L (left), the latter going behind E (Eastern)

8a    Slow, gig faltering in half-melted snow (8)
SLUGGISH – An anagram (faltering) of GIG inserted in SLUSH (half-melted snow)

10a    Down in second, moved up (6)
MOROSE – MO (second, small period of time) ROSE (moved up)

11a    Emperor seized by tyrant’s army (4)
TSAR – Hidden in (seized by) the last two words in the clue

12a    Impression blurry in green light (10)
PERMISSION – An anagram (blurry) of IMPRESSION

13a    Place hand for final stretch (4,8)
HOME STRAIGHT – HOME (place) STRAIGHT (a sequence of five playing cards)

16a    As 50 per cent of building in Thames, decide on refurbishment! (4-8)
SEMI-DETACHED – An anagram (on refurbishment) of IN THAMES DECIDE

20a    Gambler has small drink for the wife (6,4)
BETTER HALF – BETTER (gambler) HALF (small drink, half a pint)

21a    Core of apple hit different core (4)
PITH – The letter at the ‘core’ of apPle and an anagram (different) of HIT

22a    Seafood dish, one served with pickle (6)
SCAMPI – SCAMP (pickle) I (one)

23a    Article pains hopeless actor (8)
THESPIAN – THE (definite article) and an anagram (hopeless) of PAINS

24a    Listener solver’s rude (6)
EARTHY – EAR (listener) THY (belong to the solver, yours)

25a    Rule broken by unknown character in valley (6)
CANYON – CANON (rule) ‘broken’ by Y (mathematical unknown)

Down

1d    Fantasy in use with old novel (8)
DELUSION – An anagram (novel) of IN USE with OLD

2d    Beloved kid American brought up (5)
SUGAR – A reversal (brought up) of RAG (kid) US (American)

3d    Dog favourite, cat superior (7)
WHIPPET – WHIP (cat) goes over (superior to) PET (favourite)

5d    Stinking sound when one doesn’t know the words? (7)
HUMMING – Smelling horrible or the sound you make when you don’t know the words to a song

6d    Served up first in cinema, it is a clip of a bloodsucker (9)
PARASITIC – A reversal (serviced up) of the first letter of Cinema, IT IS A (from the clue) and RAP (clip, sharp blow)

7d    Tutorial more available? (6)
LESSON – LESS ON (more available)

9d    As flying nail, for example, set in concrete (4-3-4)
HARD-AND-FAST – I presume a nail would be hard and if it was flying, it would be fast?

14d    Estimator miscalculated where Dili is capital (4,5)
EAST TIMOR – An anagram (miscalculated) of ESTIMATOR

15d    Check on form (8)
RESTRAIN – RE (on the subject of) STRAIN (form)

17d    Very tasty, her miso in the soup (7)
MOREISH – An anagram (in the soup) of HER MISO

18d    River swallowed up woven fabric (7)
TAFFETA – TAFF (Welsh river) and a reversal (up) of ATE (swallowed)

19d    Deliverance prompt, virtually all others going over the top (6)
RESCUE – CUE (prompt) with almost all of RESt (others) going over the top

21d    Musical, blooming thing! (5)
POPPY – Like currently popular music or a type of flower (blooming thing)