ST 2912

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2912

A full review by Crypticsue

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This puzzle was published on 13^th August 2017

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

The only grump I had with this splendid Sunday crossword was the fact that the clue for 25a emerged from the printer on a separate piece of paper. My Across favourite was 11a and my Down favourite was 9d

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Across

1a    Really messy place containing litter, perhaps (6)
PIGSTY – An informal term for a very messy place or a pen for keeping a litter of pigs

4a    Robber also breaking into section (6)
BANDIT – AND (also) ‘breaking into’ BIT (section)

8a    Warning about stray shot by chief that’s positioned between temples (8)
FOREHEAD – FORE (an injection used in golf to warn anyone in the way of the ball) HEAD (chief)

10a    Expression of disapproval that’s heard after bad service? (6)
OUTCRY – Split 3,3 this would be the cry that’s heard after a bad service in a game of tennis

11a    Low, average, or good, colloquially speaking (4)
MEAN – A nice triple definition

12a    Person observing tree with it, in strange sense (10)
EYEWITNESS – YEW (tree) with IT (from the clue) inserted into an anagram (strange) of SENSE

13a    Bizarrely, fight artists on initially meeting (2,5,5)
AT FIRST SIGHT – An anagram (bizarrely) of FIGHT ARTISTS

16a    Natural way to treat someone in a foreign capital, with party he arranged (12)
AROMATHERAPY – A (from the clue) ROMA (how the Italians refer to their capital) plus an anagram (arranged) of PARTY HE

20a    Bad result of withdrawal from unfriendly country (4,6)
COLD TURKEY – COLD (unfriendly) TURKEY (country)

21a    Man on board that’s central to network, in general (4)
KING – Lurking in the middle of (central to) networK IN General

22a    Walk or stroll by river (6)
RAMBLE – AMBLE (stroll) goes by R (river)

23a    Force merger of two kinds of transport (8)
RAILROAD – A merger of RAIL and ROAD (two kinds of transport)

24a    What consumers do in attempt to produce international deal (6)
TREATY – EAT (what consumers do) goes in TRY (attempt)

25a    Large group inserting a line for news announcer (6)
HERALD – A (From the clue) and L (line) go in HERD (large group)

Down

1d    Quality expert forward added to rugby, finally (8)
PROPERTY – PRO (expert) PERT (forward) added to Y (rugby ‘finally’)

2d    Place for putting member of minority party (5)
GREEEN – A nice surface reading for this double definition clue

3d    Legendary Greek hero in academic writings around university (7)
THESEUS – THESES (academic writings) ‘around’ U (university)

5d    Like fans in a party circle (7)
ADORING – A (from the clue) DO (party) RING (circle)

6d    Turned up without performing piece of mine (9)
DETONATOR – A reversal (up in a Down clue) of ROTATED (turned) goes outside (without) ON (performing)

7d    Confidence broken by hard attack (6)
THRUST – TRUST (confidence) ‘broken by’ H (hard)

9d    Headgear for follower of game (11)
DEERSTALKER – A great cryptic definition

14d    Not picked up in foreign car, be left inside (9)
INAUDIBLE – IN (from the clue) AUDI (foreign car) BE (from the clue) with L (left) ‘inside’

15d    Paris and, possibly, Madrid is where one’s capital is (8)
SPANIARD – An anagram (possibly) of PARIS AND

17d    Work you reportedly advanced, becoming rich (7)
OPULENT – OP (work) U (you ‘reportedly’) LENT (advanced)

18d    Out of control, employ in odd way? Just the opposite (7)
HAYWIRE – Instead of putting HIRE in an anagram (odd) of WAY, just do the opposite

19d    Racing vehicle in middle of night with adequate skill (2-4)
GO-KART – G (the ‘middle’ of niGhT) OK (adequate) ART (skill)

21d    Awful mark, then good one — that’s fate (5)
KARMA – An anagram (awful) of MARK plus A (a good mark)

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