ST 3013

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3013

A full review by crypticsue

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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ****

An extremely straightforward Sunday crossword with perhaps a bit of a theme (12a, 17d, 20d) going on?

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Across

7a    Bully taking battle-axe around head of opponent (7)
DRAGOON – Bully as a verb – DRAGON (battle-axe) round the ‘head’ of Opponent

8a    Joke finished, laugh (5,2)
CRACK UP – CRACK (joke) UP (finished)

10a    Stir cereal as putting in black vegetable (9)
CALABRESE – Stir CEREAL AS with a B (putting in black)

11a    Seed: relative burying one (5)
GRAIN – GRAN (relative) ‘burying’ I (one)

12a    Force isn’t weak (5)
FAINT – F (force) AINT (isn’t)

13a    Revolting sweet, it’s suggested? (9)
UNSAVOURY – The suggestion being that if it is not savoury, it must be sweet

15a    Typical example ending in Bible, good book (7)
EPITOME – E (the ending in BiblE, PI (good) TOME (book)

17a    Gosh, it was meant to be: a Mediterranean island! (7)
CORSICA – COR (gosh) SIC (it was meant to be) A (from the clue)

18a    Awful experience with dark horse (9)
NIGHTMARE – NIGHT (dark) MARE (horse)

20a    Choral piece starts from music of the Eighties, tragically (5)
MOTET – The ‘starts’ from Music Of The Eighties Tragically

21a    Old Scottish landowner putting one article inside another (5)
THANE – AN (one article) inside THE (another article)

23a    Plain English required in deciphering of integers (9)
SERENGETI – E (English) is required to be inserted into an anagram (deciphering) of INTEGERS

24a    Bunk or beds I strip (7)
DISROBE – An anagram (bunk) of OR BEDS I

25a    Crossword writer’s job disappearing over the horizon! (7)
SETTING – Double definition

Down

1d    Keen to get under catch, very anxious (4-6)
NAIL-BITING – BITING (keen) to get under NAIL (catch)

2d    Ice ball with hardened coating (6)
SORBET – ORB (ball) coated with SET (hardened)

3d    Uncertain guarantee protects European Community (8)
INSECURE – INSURE (guarantee) ‘protects’ EC (European Community)

4d    Prison officers, staff on board ship (6)
SCREWS – CREW (staff) ‘on board’ SS (steam ship)

5d    Morning sickness good in George III’s house (8)
HANGOVER – G (good) in HANOVER (the House (dynasty) of George III)

6d    Divers coming up, one’s a seabird (4)
SKUA – A reversal (coming up in a Down clue) of AUKS (divers) produces the name of another seabird

7d    As is a less stimulating cup defeat, faced in a bad way (13)
DECAFFEINATED – An anagram (a bad way) of DEFEAT FACED IN

9d    Name for a bicycle coined? (5-8)
PENNY-FARTHING – Two coins combine to give the name of a bicycle

14d    Still unsure where to look for helicopter, for example? (2,2,3,3)
UP IN THE AIR – Where to look for something that flies, a helicopter for example

16d    Tooth end repaired exactly when agreed (2,3,3)
ON THE DOT – An anagram (repaired) of TOOTH END

17d    Reproduction of steel car, most distinct (8)
CLEAREST – An anagram (reproduction) of STEEL CAR

19d    Respond to all points covered by extreme characters in anger (6)
ANSWER – NSWE (all compass points) covered by the extreme characters in AngeR

20d    Time difficult to perceive then? (6)
MINUTE – Double definition

22d    Area in church, part perhaps extended (4)
APSE – Lurking in part of perhAPS Extended

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