DT 28522

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 28522

A full review by crypticsue

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This puzzle was published on 2^nd September 2017

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

Mister Ron certainly brought out the ‘it’s too difficult’ grumpies with this Saturday Prize Puzzle. I was one of the people who enjoyed having a bit more of a challenge on a Saturday morning, not to mention delighted to get a chance to blog a Mister Ron puzzle as he usually turns up when it’s Gnomethang’s turn on the Saturday review rota, so being holiday-stand-in does have its benefits

Across

1a    Run place near Manchester, and one in Kent (10)
CANTERBURY A place I know very well indeed is obtained by following CANTER (run) with BURY (a place near Manchester)

6a    At first didn’t have feathers (4)
DOWN – D (the first letter of Didn’t) OWN (have)

10a    Women in certain quantity hunt well? (5)
DOWSE – W (women) in DOSE (certain quantity)

11a    Praise in article ain’t loud, unfortunately (9)
ADULATION – An anagram (unfortunately) of A (article) and AINT LOUD

12a    Back everyone to move quickly around one — it’s a wrap! (8)
TORTILLA – A reversal (back) of ALL (everyone) TROT (move quickly) ‘around’ I (one)

13a    Son with money for bouquet (5)
SCENT – S (son) CENT (money)

15a    Again, agent’s made to take too much on board (7)
OVERFED – OVER (again) FED (an agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation)

17a    One just looking for place to surf (7)
BROWSER – A person who’s just looking or something used to surf the internet

19a    Secretary’s learned piece of writing (7)
PASSAGE – PAS (secretary’s) SAGE (learned)

21a    Too much silver found in church building (7)
COTTAGE – OTT (over the top, too much) AG (the chemical symbol for silver) found in CE (Church of England)

22a    English tax returns keeping about spot on (5)
EXACT – E (English) followed by a reversal (returns) of TAX (from the clue) into which is inserted C (circa, about)

24a    Forcibly removed, being drunk due to endless port (8)
UPROOTED – An anagram (being drunk) of DUE TO POR (endless telling you not to use the T at the end of port)

27a    Have guests come in? The writer is in leather (9)
ENTERTAIN – ENTER (come in) and I (the writer) in TAN (leather)

28a    Kid read out letters (5)
TEASE – A homophone (read out) of some letter Ts

29a    Challenge revolutionary retailer advertising clothes (4)
DARE – Clothes indicates that you’ll find this challenge hidden in reverse (revolutionary) in retailER ADvertising

30a    Money paid for somewhere to live (10)
SETTLEMENT – Payment of a bill or somewhere to live

Down

1d    Start to create fuss over ending (4)
CODA – C (the start to Create) and a reversal (over) of ADO (fuss)

2d    Crewmen so upset latest recruits? (9)
NEWCOMERS – An anagram (upset) of CREWMEN SO

3d    Incident‘s clear with papers going missing (5)
EVENT – Remove the ID papers (going missing) from EVIDENT (clear)

4d    Fought rough having spilt blood outside (7)
BRAWLED – RAW (rough) having BLED (spilt blood) outside

5d    Regret broadcast jibe? Nonsense (7)
RHUBARB – A homophone (broadcast) of RUE (regret) followed by a BARB (jibe)

7d    I love having turned green (5)
OLIVE – An anagram (having turned) of I LOVE

8d    One’s hopeless car with a flat battery? (3-7)
NON-STARTER – how one might describe a car with a flat battery

9d    Document concise after-dinner instruction? (8)
PASSPORT – PASS [the] PORT

14d    See MP in centre finish supporting hospital (10)
COMPREHEND – Put MP (from the clue) in CORE (centre), add H (hospital) and END (the latter ‘supporting’ or going after as this is a Down clue)

16d    Praise cook’s welcoming coffee (8)
FLATTERY – FRY (cook) ‘welcoming’ LATTE (coffee)

18d    Fellow Arab, say, squandering billions to get position on board (9)
STALEMATE – If the fellow Arab was a horse, he’d be a STABLEMATE, so you need to ‘squander’ or remove the B (billions)

20d    Teach pair of Europeans about old coin (7)
EDUCATE – Two E’s (a pair of Europeans’ go about a DUCAT (old coin)

21d    A duke wears this gold one in court (7)
CORONET – OR (heraldic gold) and ONE (from the clue) in CT (court)

23d    Co-star, possibly, if not front of stage? (5)
ACTOR – An anagram (possibly) of COTAR – you don’t need the ‘front’ of Stage

25d    Regularly go bust — greed is strange (5)
OUTRE – The regular letters of gO bUsT gReEd

26d    Pound where copper usually goes? (4)
BEAT – Pound here is a verb – the second definition being somewhere you used to see a policeman on his regular rounds

 

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