Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2984
A full review by crypticsue
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
A crossword that seemed at first reluctant to give up its solutions without a fight, but I finished in the sort of time I’d expect to take on a Sunday
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Across
7a Test round part is going round (7)
ORBITAL – ORAL (test) round BIT (part)
8a Comfortable thing, executive admits, work on newspaper (7)
SUBEDIT – BED (comfortable thing) admitted into SUIT (executive)
10a Flier the police distributed close to Manchester (10)
HELICOPTER – An anagram (distributed) of THE POLICE followed by the final letter (close to) of ManchesteR
11a Party saving minute deposit (4)
DUMP – DUP (Democratic Unionist Party) ‘saving’ M (minute)
12a Bugs Bunny’s opening song impressing cutie, occasionally (8)
BACTERIA – B (bunny’s ‘opening’) followed by an ARIA (song) impressing the occasional letters of CuTiE
14a Coarse ground initially wet (6)
GRAINY – G (ground ‘initially’) RAINY (wet)
15a Mobilisation of secret agent in prominent position (6,5)
CENTRE STAGE – An anagram (mobilisation) of SECRET AGENT
19a In the distance, rank litter (6)
FARROW – FAR (in the distance) ROW (rank)
20a King George holding on, no ruler (8)
GOVERNOR – GR (George Rex, King George) ‘holding’ OVER (on) and NO (from the clue)
22a A cover turned over, revealing apple (4)
GALA – We have a large commercial orchard of these apples behind our house so it wasn’t a problem to reverse A (from the clue) LAG (cover)
23a Main villain in opera and songs from Germany on the radio? (10)
RINGLEADER – RING (Wagner opera) and a homophone (on the radio) of LIEDER (songs from Germany)
25a Hot stuff, a couple of letters to the auditor? (7)
CAYENNE – Someone listening to this hot stuff might hear the letters K and N
26a Parrot I breed, it’s caged (7)
IMITATE – I MATE (I breed) into which IT is inserted (caged)
Down
1d Eleven ways artist lifted (7)
ARSENAL – Took a while to see which eleven was required – a reversal (lifted) of LANES RA (ways, artist)
2d By the sound of it, important little bird (4)
KIWI – Homophones of KEY (important) and WEE (little)
3d Prefer small group to secure a victory (6)
FAVOUR – FOUR (a small group) to ‘secure’ A (from the clue) V (Victory)
4d Completely blooming accurate (8)
OUTRIGHT – OUT (blooming) RIGHT (accurate)
5d Old music lover in band, her age mysterious (10)
HEADBANGER – An anagram (mysterious) of BAND HER AGE
6d One of thirteen in England, I am on duty (7)
DIAMOND – One of a suit of thirteen cards can be found lurking in EnglanD I AM ON Duty
9d Crazy meeting sane? Loco! (5,6)
STEAM ENGINE – An anagram (crazy) of MEETING SANE
13d Match decider ultimately in cup — might it be? (10)
TIEBREAKER – TIE (match) followed by R (decider ‘ultimately’) inserted into BEAKER (cup)
16d Magnificent job of truck, perhaps, carrying the Queen (8)
TOWERING – TOWING (job of truck perhaps) ‘carrying’ ER (the regnal cipher of our current Queen)
17d Nutty fruit (7)
BANANAS – A very [chest]nutty double definition clue
18d Perfect place for the swine, in fairness (7)
HONESTY – HONE (perfect) STY (place for swine)
21d Book space (6)
VOLUME – Another double definition
24d Flip that is a drink (4)
ASTI – Flip or reverse IT’S (that is) A to get crosswordland’s favourite fizzy wine