ST 3022

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3022

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This puzzle was published on 22^nd September 2019

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

Slightly trickier this time – well I thought so anyway

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

1a    Hideous thing in story, most crude (11)
MONSTROSITY – An anagram (crude) of IN STORY MOST

10a    Umpteen barnacles on another tanker, first of all — vessel going under (1-4)
U-BOAT – The first letters of Umpteen Barnacles On Another Tanker

11a    Old chronicler has stuff to write about, old sport (5,4)
MARCO POLO – A reversal (about) of CRAM (stuff) followed by O (old) and POLO (sport)

12a    Egyptian queen jogging in, fitter having run around Egypt’s capital (9)
NEFERTITI – An anagram (jogging) of IN FITTER ‘around’ E (the capital letter of Egypt)

13a    Vile group of 144 (5)
GROSS – Double definition – I wonder how many people still remember that a gross of something equals 144

14a    Batter a selection of cold foods (6)
BUFFET – Another double definition clue

16a    Hybrid of rodent and ox, very close! (4,4)
NEXT DOOR – An anagram (hybrid) of RODENT and OX

18a    Nuts, alas, mistaken for fruit (8)
SULTANAS – An anagram (mistaken) of NUTS ALAS

20a    African country ready once? (6)
GUINEA – Double definition – the Guinea was once a coin (ready (money) once)

23a    Group of nine fishermen made redundant then? (5)
NONET – If fishermen had NO NET, they’d possibly be redundant

24a    Tongue out, eat! (6,3)
POLISH OFF – POLISH (tongue, language) OFF (out)

26a    Doing porridge, frantically mixed up? (4-5)
STIR-CRAZY – Unbalanced from confinement (usually in ‘stir’ or prison)

27a    Might they take part in musical, to sing? (5)
ALTOS – Lurking in part in musicAL TO Sing

28a    Second-rate, I gathered, lack of respect on church property (11)
DESECRATION – An anagram (gathered) of SECOND RATE I

Down

2d    Both cricket sides constantly interrupted (2-3)
ON-OFF – Both sides on a cricket pitch

3d    Released, fixed price about right (3,4)
SET FREE – SET FEE (fixed price) ‘about’ R (right)

4d    Keep mother in check (6)
REMAIN – MA (mother) in REIN (check)

5d    Fish, ridiculous in a dress! (8)
SARDINES – An anagram (ridiculous) of IN A DRESS

6d    Consideration, however, close to redundant (7)
THOUGHT – THOUGH (however) T (the ‘close’ to redundanT)

7d    Ridiculous concern for devilry (5,8)
FUNNY BUSINESS – FUNNY (ridiculous) BUSINESS (concern)

8d    Dorothy’s companion in dress let hair down? (2,2,4)
GO TO TOWN – TOTO (Dorothy’s companion in the Wizard of Oz) inserted in GOWN (dress)

9d    Bad job: bone to chew on, perhaps? (4,9)
DOG’S BREAKFAST – A bone might be a breakfast for a dog

15d    Four neighbouring characters, one entering wood — dark entertainment (4,4)
FILM NOIR – LMNO (four neighbouring characters) and I (one) ‘entering’ FIR (wood)

17d    Turn off course over Channel for bomber, for example? (8)
WARPLANE – WARP (turn off course) goes over (in a Down clue) LANE (channel)

19d    Maybe a bit less topping? (7)
ARTICLE – pARTICLE (bit) less its topping or first letter

21d    Parvenu happy before initiation (7)
UPSTART -UP (happy) before START (initiation)

22d    Pianist originally covering for violinist, perhaps (6)
PLAYER – P (pianist ‘originally) LAYER (covering)

25d    Unfashionable affair, better (5)
OUTDO – OUT (unfashionable) DO (affair)