ST 3023

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3023

A full review by crypticsue

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This puzzle was published on 29^th September 2019

BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***

Another Sunday puzzle for fans of anagrams, insertions and insertions into anagrams!

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Across

1a    Volume better to the west of a large town (8)
CAPACITY – CAP (better) goes before (to the west of in an Across clue) A (from the clue) and CITY (large town)

5a    Grow thinner when knocked back, eating nothing (6)
SPROUT – A reversal (when knocked back) of TURPS (turpentine, paint thinner) ‘eating’ O (nothing)

9a    Mostly offshore? (2,3,4)
IN THE MAIN – An expression meaning mostly could describe something at sea (offshore)

11a    North American lecture slightly short on delivery (5)
NATAL – NA (North American) TALk (lecture ‘slightly short’)

12a    French port cold I’m afraid to say: one wrapped up (6)
CALAIS – C (cold) ALAS (I’m afraid to say) into which is inserted (wrapped up) I (one)

13a    Italian name lies in tatters (8)
MILANESE – An anagram (in tatters) of NAME LIES

15a    Together, still (2,3,4,4)
AT THE SAME TIME – Double definition

18a    Struggling, you and she starved — time to get fat? (6,7)
SHROVE TUESDAY – An anagram (struggling) of YOU and SHE STARVED

22a    Spread European butter the wrong way on end of baguette (8)
TAPENADE – A reversal (the wrong way) of DANE (European) PAT (butter) goes before (on) the E (end of baguette)

23a    Supplier of punch packed with booze finally joining a party (6)
FIESTA – FIST (supplier of punch) ‘packed’ with E (booze ‘finally’) joining A (from the clue)

26a    Painting of reversible sheet (5)
FOLIO- A reversal (reversible) of OIL (painting) OF (from the clue)

27a    Nomadic Romanians in small country (3,6)
SAN MARINO – An anagram (nomadic) of ROMANIANS

28a    Amount multiplied by ten invested in film (6)
EXTENT – X (multiplied by) TEN (from the clue) ‘invested’ in ET (Crosswordland’s favourite film)

29a    Trouble in North Yorkshire town, peacekeepers sent ahead (8)
UNSETTLE – UN (peacekeepers) ‘sent ahead’ of SETTLE (Yorkshire town)

Down

1d    Note bird talking (8)
CHITCHAT – CHIT (note) CHAT (bird)

2d    Last to sleep, slow to get up — bit of a bloomer? (5)
PETAL – P (the last letter of sleep) followed by a reversal (to get up) of LATE (slow)

3d    Female garment requiring some fabric, hem is extended (7)
CHEMISE – Lurking in some fabriC HEM IS Extended

4d    Net, section drawn up (4)
TRAP – A reversal (drawn up) of PART (section)

6d    Tongue injection, one beyond a joke (7)
PUNJABI – JAB (injection) I (one) and before (beyond) PUN (joke)

7d    Cricket side beginning to move into the final stages, recovering (2,3,4)
ON THE MEND – ON (cricket side) and M (the beginning to move) inserted into THE END (the final stages)

8d    Banking official, one narrating story? (6)
TELLER – Double definition

10d    Sweet thing the writer put in message (8)
NOISETTE – I (the writer) SET (put) in NOTE (message)

14d    Brandy very appealing initially, as cold unfortunately outside (8)
CALVADOS – V A (the initial letters of Very and Appealing) with an anagram (unfortunately) of AS COLD ‘outside’

16d    First flier in top titles, rewritten (4,5)
TEST PILOT – An anagram (rewritten) of TOP TITLES

17d    Hundred cuts say distributed over extra wood (8)
SYCAMORE – C (Roman numeral for 100) ‘cuts’ or goes inside an anagram (distributed) of SAY followed by (over) MORE (extra)

19d    Exhausted, exercise not working (3-4)
RUN-DOWN – RUN (exercise) DOWN (not working)

20d    Those people briefly, I reckon, in Muslim kingdom (7)
EMIRATE – ‘EM (those people ‘briefly’) I (from the clue) RATE (reckon)

21d    Crush spirit — it’s over (6)
STIFLE – A reversal (over) of ITS (from the clue) and ELF (spirit)

24d    Quick writer (5)
SWIFT – Double definition – this author’s surname can also mean quick

25d    Privy to information, nobody of note initially (2,2)
IN ON – The initial letters of Information Nobody Of Note