Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2867
A full review
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This puzzle was published on Sunday 25th September
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***/****
Bashed out in a hurry so I’ve had to remember what I thought about this one as I went along parsing the clues I hadn’t looked at for two weeks. A straightforward solve with lots to enjoy – I marked 7a, 12, 20a, 3d, 5d, 8d and 26d for special merit, but I’ve had to reduce the enjoyment factor to 3.5 to take account of the number of times I’ve had to tell you to insert something into something else.
I’m actually supposed to be making three lemon cakes this afternoon so haven’t got time to double check for any errors, but I’m sure someone will point them out so I can sort it out while the cakes are cooling
Across
7a Red, for instance, in US leading commotion in state (8) COLORADO – COLOR (how an American would describe red, for instance, followed by ADO (commotion)
9a Essay on American author’s kind of literary work (6) POETRY – TRY (essay) goes on or after POE (the American author, Edgar Allan)
10a Beasts of burden bringing little back across area (6) LLAMAS – A reversal (back) of SMALL (little) across A (area)
11a Restrain worker heading strike (8) HANDCUFF – HAND (worker) leading CUFF (strike)
12a Tense reason to change nothing? (7,7) PRESENT PERFECT – so you don’t need to change anything about it.
15a Start off car, young man, in gear (4) CLAD – C (the start off Car) and LAD (young man)
17a Fellow holding tune, finally, for a song (5) CHEAP – CHAP (fellow) holding an E, the final letter of tune
19a Bit of brass neighbour returned (4) ABUT – a reversal (returned) of ABUT (neighbor)
20a Things like this restricting pre-noon game, note, for some sportsmen (9,5) CAMBRIDGE BLUES – CLUES (things like this) restricting AM (Ante Meridiem, before noon) BRIDGE (game) and B (musical note)
23a Normal colours (8) STANDARD – A double definition to make a change from inserting something into something else! Normal or a flag (colours)
25a Sudden attack from male concealed by some foliage? (6) AMBUSH – Back to inserting – M (male) is concealed by A BUSH (some foliage)
27a Roman magistrate imprisoned people, primarily upholding law (6) CONSUL – CONS (imprisoned people) and the ‘primary’ letters of Upholding and Law
28a Clinching time inside for criminal activity (8) STEALING – T (time) inside SEALING (clinching)
Down
1d Final course, perhaps, for dunce (4) FOOL – a gooseberry fool, for example, would make delicious final course or dessert.
2d Left in accommodation, a doctor recorded his cases (6) HOLMES – One of my seven (yes, Kath, seven) favourites in this crossword. L (left) inserted into HOMES (accommodation)
3d Bear exactly 50 per cent of ridicule (4) POOH – our favourite bear is 50% of POOH POOH (ridicule)
4d Oval then Lord’s welcoming new batsman initially (6) OPENER – O (oval) then PEER (lord) ‘welcoming’ N (new)
5d Case for moving leaves a head in trying situation (3,5) TEA CHEST – EACH (a head) in TEST (trying situation)
6d Person with chair, one piece of furniture that’s useful (10) PROFITABLE – PROF (a professorship is called a Chair) I (one) TABLE
8d As it is, when reduced to symbol (7) ARSENIC – A chemical symbol clue that didn’t, for once, catch me out)
13d Narrative about old Conservative’s moving deed (10) RELOCATION – RELATION (narrative) goes about O (old) and C (Conservative)
14d Quietly covering main part, carry on lawsuit (5) PLEAD – P (quietly) covering or going over LEAD (main part)
16d Belittle good-looker in revealing garment? Just the opposite (8) DIMINISH – do the opposite of the wordplay and put a MINI (revealing garment) in a DISH (good looker)
18d Under pressure, tell bishop, for example (7) PRELATE – RELATE (tell) goes under P (pressure)
21d English in recovery — are you sure? (6) REALLY – E (English) goes in RALLY recovery)
22d I’ll be upset over small attacks on paper (6) LIBELS – An anagram (upset) of ILL BE goes over S (small)
24d Mild expletive that’s used by Morse (4) DASH – A mild expletive or a long element in Morse code
26d Not without reason, only partly believes an expert or trusts a nerd (4) SANE – A lovely double lurker to finish – found partly in believeS AN Expert or trustS A NErd
Just waiting to see who has set today’s NTSPP and then I’ll either be back in the morning or next Thursday with the (already drafted) review of ST2868
B2 (s)