ST 3019

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3019

A full review by crypticsue

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This puzzle was published on 1^st September 2019

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

A tricky Dada offering but full of fun – I particularly liked 23a 9d and 17d. I removed half an enjoyment star as I thought five double definition clues was at least one too many.

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Across

1a    Snub polar bear (4-8)
COLD-SHOULDER – COLD (polar) SHOULDER (bear)

9a    Cheese, part eaten by pet perhaps? (9)
CAMEMBERT – MEMBER (part) ‘eaten by’ CAT (pet perhaps)

10a    Whispered remark in a camp (5)
ASIDE – A (from the clue) SIDE (camp)

11a    Gambler, one pushing the boat out? (6)
PUNTER – Double definition, one straightforward, the other cryptic

12a    Boar surprisingly existing like a bird, for example? (8)
ARBOREAL – An anagram (surprisingly) of BOAR followed by REAL (existing)

13a    Offence clear, passing backwards in game (6)
TENNIS – A reversal (passing backwards) of SIN (offence) NET (clear)

15a    Beautiful but revolting at work? (8)
STRIKING – Another double definition

18a    Eternal youth in parent brought about by exercise (5,3)
PETER PAN – An anagram (brought about) by or after PE (exercise)

19a    Side with the enemy failing (6)
DEFECT – A third double definition clue

21a    Leader minding language with posh element (8)
PLATINUM – PM (leader) ‘minding’ or having inserted LATIN (language) with U (posh)

23a    Neighbouring characters, one that’s a civil rights leader (6)
GANDHI – G AND H (neighbouring characters) I (one)

26a    Summary on top (5)
RECAP – RE (on) CAP (top)

27a    Item for the breakfast table in oven, hunt sandwiches (5,4)
TOAST RACK – TRACK (hunt) ‘sandwiches’ or goes round OAST (oven)

28a    Race arduous, Chelsea given thrashing (12)
STEEPLECHASE – STEEP (arduous) and an anagram (given thrashing) of CHELSEA

Down

1d    Space in plane, male flier on mine (7)
COCKPIT – COCK (male bird, flier) on PIT (mine)

2d    Fruit a disappointment (5)
LEMON – A fruit or an informal term for something disappointing

3d    Story ending in disaster after battle — one should never spill the claret! (9)
SOMMELIER – LIE (story) and R (the ending in disasteR) goes after SOMME (battle)

4d    Bowling spell finished (4)
OVER – Another double definition clue

5d    Ultimately unusual, parrot able to read and write! (8)
LITERATE – The ‘ultimate’ letter of unusuaL plus ITERATE (parrot – repeat the words of others)

6d    Captured by painter, a topless muse (5)
ERATO – Lurking (captured by) paintER A TOpless

7d    This person swallowed by large tiger maybe means to survive (8)
LIFELINE – I (this person) ‘swallowed by’ L (Large) FELINE (tiger maybe)

8d    Wooden pin Margaret left as an example (3,3)
PEG LEG – PEG (Margaret) L (left) EG (as an example)

14d    Bird putting head above opening (8)
NUTHATCH – NUT (head) above (in a Down clue) HATCH (opening)

16d    Awfully nice, a list difficult to change (9)
INELASTIC – An anagram (awfully) of NICE A LIST

17d    Lengthy pain in France? (8)
BAGUETTE – Clue of the day – pain being the French word for bread

18d    Work in district, modern style (3,3)
POP ART – OP (work) in PART (district)

20d    Flash starter in tasty seafood (7)
TWINKLE – T (the ‘starter’ in Tasty) WINKLE (seafood)

22d    Contribution made by fashionable set (5)
INPUT – IN (fashionable) PUT (set)

24d    Play in the morning, a way to get up (5)
DRAMA – A reversal (to get up) of AM (in the morning) A (from the clue) RD (road, way)

25d    Post man reported (4)
MAIL – A homophone (reported) of MALE (man)