ST 3025

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3025

A full review by gnomethang

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

This puzzle was published on 20^th October 2019

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

Morning All! I’m not sure on the solving time for this as I had an evening with the Legend that is Alice Cooper on Thursday, day off on Friday (obvs!) and then golf and a Beer Festival in Eastbourne on Sturday evening. All seems pretty straightforward during the review,but I thought that there were some lovely, simple clues that told a great story!

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

1a           Book anything but easy going? (8)
HARDBACK – A nice logical reversal (indicated by anything but, e.g. quite the opposite) of easy/HARD and going /on the way BACK.

5a           Suffering a reverse, those in form prove fallible (4,2)
SLIP UP – A reversal of PUPILS or those in a school form or class.

9a           Perfect beau lost in a storm (8)
ABSOLUTE – A lovely story and an anagram (in a storm) of BEAU LOST.

10a        Unseated, seat discussed (6)
THROWN – A homophone (discussed) of a THRONE – this s being THROWN from e.g. a horse.

12a        Worker stands by figure for rent payer (6)
TENANT – A charade of TEN (a number/figure) next to an ANT (a worker insect).

13a        Try to restrain flightless bird, certainly! (4,4)
HEAR HEAR – A lovely construction to get the bird in!. Place a RHEA bird inside to HEAR a case in court – HEA (r hea)R

15a        Silly error entering US state, forgetting capital (7)
ASININE – Place a SIN or error inside (m)AINE, a US state with the capital letter removed.

16a        Clever telegram: don’t open it (4)
ABLE – Remove the first letter (or don’t open) a (c)ABLE for telegram.

20a        Ancient city bringing heart of Paris into play (4)
TROY – Place the middle/heart of the word (pa)R(is) into TOY for play.

21a        Box containing old humorous sketch (7)
CARTOON – O for Old inside a CARTON/box.

25a        Beds etc in use, cot needs tidying (8)
COUNTIES – A nice story and a very nice misdirection in the disguised capitalisation of Beds for the county of Bedfordshire. Make a tidying anagram of IN USE COT.

26a        Italian city in Milano revered after revolution? (6)
VERONA – A reversal (after revolution) IN a part of mil ANO REV ered.

28a        Work around border in the proper manner? (6)
PRIMLY – To PLY one’s trade (or work) around a RIM/edge/border.

29a        Top horse I backed, Jack perhaps on it (8)
CARDIGAN – A reversal of NAG/horse and I (indicated by backed) with a playing CARD or Jack perhaps on them both.

30a        Cash: singer on the radio? (6)
TENNER – The usual homophone (on the radio) of a TEMPR singer for a TENNER in cash.

31a        Fish: it’s angry when provoked (8)
STINGRAY – A great anagram (when provoked of ITS ANGRY. It certainly did for Steve Irwin, alas.

Down

1d           Cheerful call from attention-seeker stealing paintings, say (6)
HEARTY – Place ART/paintings inside a HEY from someone calling for your attention.

2d           Revolt is contained by band (6)
RISING – Simply IS from the clue inside a RING/band

3d           Foundation inspiring family from Indonesia (8)
BALINESE – A BASE or foundation includes (is inspiring or breathing in) a family LINE.

4d           Name in panic I texted (4)
CITE – A hidden word IN(side) pani C I TE xted.

6d           Pakistani city I see in mythology (6)
LAHORE – AH! For ‘I see’ inside LORE or mythology/ancient learning.

7d           Dog beginning to bark: further note about that in book (8)
PROVERBS – ROVER for  traditional dog’s name and then B for the beginning of B(ark) inside a P.S. or Post Script – a further note at the end of a letter.

8d           Small rooms painters refurbished (8)
PANTRIES – A refurbished anagram of PAINTERS.

11d        Minimal amount of funding as 21 strip? (7)
PEANUTS – A reference to the PEANUTS cartoon (the answer to 21a) featuring Good Ol’ Charlie Brown and also “If you pay PEANUTS (the minimum funding) then you are likely to get monkeys (as opposed to the organ grinders!).

14d        I am sent unruly prisoners (7)
INMATES – An anagram (unruly) of I AM SENT.

17d        Container of soup somewhere in Greater Manchester has run out (8)
STOCKPOT – Remove the R for Run (Run from the cricketing abbreviation is out) from STOCKPO (r) T in Manchester.

18d        Mixture thus I found in airport (8)
SOLUTION – SO from the clue and then I from the clue is found in LUTON airport.

19d        God poisoned by mistake (8)
POSEIDON – A mistaken anagram of POISENED.

22d        Heading off fight, English prime minister once (6)
ATTLEE – Remove the head letter from a (b)ATTLE or fight and then add E for English.

23d        Might one help you to remember runner? (6)
JOGGER – The first bit is a cryptic def, to the thing that JOGS your memory. I would, however, draw a distinction between a runner and a JOGGER!.

24d        Small and pretty, daughter isn’t ugly ultimately (6)
DAINTY – D for Daughter then AIN’T (isn’t) and then the ultimate letter in (ugl)Y.

27d        Don’t eat like a sprinter! (4)
FAST – Two definitions – to FAST for religious reasons and a description of any sprinter.