ST 2990

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2990

A full review by crypticsue

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This puzzle was published on 10 February 2019

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

A straightforward Sunday solve for a change, with several clues to bring a smile to this solver’s face

Across

1a    Imperialist of the past preserved? (5)
INCAN – IN CAN (preserved)

4a    Posh and wise management (5)
USAGE – U (posh) SAGE (wise)

10a    European entry, it rambles for ages and ages (8)
ETERNITY – E (European) plus an anagram (rambles) of ENTRY IT

11a    Figure left to stuff hollow turkey (6)
TWENTY – WENT (left) to ‘stuff’ the outside letters (hollow) of TurkeY

12a    Mother and child — might one be in a jam? (6)
DAMSON – DAM (mother) SON (child) go together to make Mr CS’s favourite jam

13a    Begin shooting film’s introduction in remake of pioneer (4,4)
OPEN FIRE – Insert an F (film’s introduction) into an anagram (remake) of PIONEER

14a    Crowd screening film in beastly joint (7)
FETLOCK – FLOCK (crowd) ‘screening’ ET (Crosswordland’s most useful film)

16a    I step back alongside cold mountain peak, perhaps? (3,3)
ICE CAP – I (from the clue) alongside C (cold) and a reversal (back) of PACE (step)

17a    Mighty figure blocking sink (6)
POTENT – TEN (figure) ‘blocking’ POT (sink as in sink/pot a snooker ball)

19a    Recall everyone, say, in plant (7)
NIGELLA – A reversal (recall) of ALL (everyone) EG (say) IN (from the clue)

21a    Reminiscent of housing cost, social security collected (8)
REDOLENT – DOLE (social security) ‘collected by’ RENT (housing cost)

22a    Liaison’s ending in emotional kind of poem (6)
MONODY – The N at the end of liaisoN inserted in MOODY (emotional)

23a    Bay maybe is said to be rough (6)
HOARSE – A homophone (said) of a HORSE (an example, maybe, being a bay)

24a    Rest lung, possibly? (8)
BREATHER – A rest to recover breath – the second part of the clue being a cryptic definition of the solution

25a    Reptilian accountant? (5)
ADDER – A particular reptile or someone who adds for a living

26a    Grind, emptying out green powder (5)
GNASH – Empty out GreeN and add ASH (powder)

Down

2d    I agree 100%, a less than fair split? (3,4)
NOT HALF – This slang term meaning I agree wholeheartedly can also describe a less than fair split

3d    How men may move for general (6-3-5)
ACROSS THE BOARD – How some chess men may move

5d    Mouselike hair in Shakespearean character (7)
SHYLOCK – SHY (mouselike) LOCK (hair)

6d    Spirit good, securing complete channel system (9)
GUTTERING – GIN (spirit) G (good) ‘securing’ UTTER (complete)

7d    Scandinavian stuff in Norwegian banks (4)
FINN – Lurking in stufF IN Norwegian

8d    Dish of rubbery meat? (4,10)
BEEF WELLINGTON – A cryptic definition

9d    Bones harder, by the sound of it? (6)
STERNA – A homophone (by the sound of it) of STERNER (harder)

15d    Recovering maybe initially, likely to fall off boxes? (2,3,4)
ON THE MEND – M (maybe ‘initially’) inserted (boxes) in ON THE END (likely to fall off)

18d    Moon in Borneo, hazy (6)
OBERON – An anagram (hazy) of BORNEO gives us one of the moons of Uranus

19d    Star lacking power? (7)
NOTABLE – NOT ABLE (lacking power)

20d    Attend to a bandage for the ear? (7)
ADDRESS – A (from the clue) and a homophone (for the ear) of DRESS (bandage here being a verb)

22d    Run into swarm on the rise (4)
MEET – A reversal (on the rise) of TEEM (swarm)