DT 29192

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29192

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This puzzle was published on 26^th October 2019

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

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Across

1a    Wild cat is stalking cobra, writhing and tumbling (10)
ACROBATICS – An anagram (wild) of CAT IS is ‘stalking’ or going round an anagram (writhing) of COBRA

6a    Men seeking stable parts of moat, grit falling unevenly (4)
MAGI – The odd (falling unevenly) parts of MoAt GrIt

9a    Motorway with illuminations, westbound excellent for emergency service? (7)
MILITIA – MI (motorway) LIT (with illuminations) and a reversal (westbound in an Across clue) of AI (excellent)

10a    Boozer in almost entirely prime colours (7)
BLUSHES – LUSH (boozer) in almost all of BESt (prime)

12a    Rash of surplus plastic noticed around northern France (4-9)
OVER-CONFIDENT – OVER (surplus) and an anagram (plastic) of NOTICED, the latter going around N (northern) F (IVR code for France)

14a    Dog following return of the Queen’s hawk (6)
RETAIL – TAIL (dog) following a reversal of ER (the regnal cipher of the current Queen)

15a    And what have you from Rome? (2,6)
ET CETERA – The Latin expression meaning ‘and what have you’

17a    Journalist showing behind while notice is given (8)
ASSIGNED – ED (editor, journalist) behind AS (while) SIGN (notice)

19a    Weep as son rejected the wine in Provence (6)
SNIVEL – S (son) followed by a reversal (rejected) of LE VIN (wine from Provence or any other region of France for that matter)

22a    A good deal securer using local net search about retiring (7-6)
BARGAIN-HUNTER – BAR (local) GAIN (net) HUNT (search) and a reversal (retiring) of RE (about)

24a    Quintet sit rabbiting about incorporating singer? (7)
ARTISTE – Lurking (incorporating) in reverse (about) in quintET SIT RAbbiting

25a    Best essence of citrus, small amount (7)
TROUNCE – Best in the sense of get the better of – the ‘essence’ of ciTRus and OUNCE (small amount)

26a    Get away with late arrival for hospital somewhere in London (4)
SOHO – ‘Late arrival for hospital’ indicates the requirement to move the H (hospital) further along in the word SHOO (get away)

27a    British disarmed revolts, including one person holding up train (10)
BRIDESMAID – B (British) and an anagram (revolts) of DISARMED ‘including’ I (one)

Down

1d    Handy to be associated with this force? (4)
ARMY – Dear, oh dear – if one was a toddler, one might say one’s handy was at the end of (associated with) one’s army

2d    Prevent rugby hooligan touring Spain (4,3)
RULE OUT – RU (rugby) LOUT (hooligan) ‘touring’ E (IVR code for Spain)

3d    Smashing things made from flour mix using metric weights (9-4)
BATTERING-RAMS – BATTER (flour mix) IN GRAMS (using metric weights)

4d    Dream to be 25a with a piercing, instead of old and posh (6)
TRANCE – Take the solution to 25a – TROUNCE – and change the O (old) and U (posh) to A (from the clue)

5d    Cases found in taxi this person catches (8)
CABINETS – I (this person) inserted into CAB (taxi) followed by NETS (catches)

7d    Husband permitted to wear tucked in jumper? (7)
ATHLETE – ATE (tucked in) to ‘wear’ or go round H (husband) LET (permitted)

8d    Voracious, taking a bite of reel bait as nibbling’s on the rise (10)
INSATIABLE – Another reversed (on the rise) lurker – a ‘bite’ of reEL BAIT AS NIbbling

11d    NY-based organisation shortly becoming French one? (6,7)
UNITED NATIONS – If you abbreviate this New York based organisation, you get the French word for one

13d    Second-rate highway outlaws seizing English food (5,5)
BROAD BEANS – Nebulous food time! B (second-rate) ROAD (highway) BANS (outlaws) ‘seizing’ E (English)

16d    Northern resident declared showers overpriced (8)
REINDEER – Nebulous northern resident – a homophone (declared) of RAIN (showers) DEAR (overpriced)

18d    Top of singles 100 chart, composed score (7)
SCRATCH – S (the ‘top’ of Singles) C (Roman numeral for 100) and an anagram (composed) of CHART

20d    Home extension also gripped by unruly rave (7)
VERANDA – AND (also) ‘gripped’ by an anagram (unruly) of RAVE

21d    Qualified in a tie too, presumably (6)
SUITED – Because chances are if you are wearing a suit, you’d also be wearing a tie

23d    Daughter supports that woman’s family of 16? (4)
HERD – D (daughter) supports, or goes after in a Down clue, HER (that woman)