Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3027
A full review by crypticsue
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This puzzle was published on 27th October 2019
BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***/****
An enjoyable if short-lived solving experience
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.
Across
7a Where one type of varnish may be applied, at once (2,3,4)
ON THE NAIL – A cryptic definition to give you an expression originating in medieval times where payments were made into a shallow vessel on a stand, possibly so-called because of the resemblance of the stand to the shape of a nail.
8a Quick blow, and I had cut (5)
RAPID – RAP (blow) ID (I’d – I had ‘cut’ or abbreviated)
10a Running backwards, easily beat old racehorse (3,3)
RED RUM – A reversal (running backwards) of MURDER (easily beat)
11a Schools etc used a complex (8)
EDUCATES – An anagram (complex) of ETC USED A
12a Stop! Revolution won’t change that (4,2)
PULL UP – This expression meaning to stop is a palindrome so revolution (turning) won’t change it
14a Admitting suffering, cook ruffled (6)
FRILLY – FRY (cook) ‘admitting’ ILL (suffering)
16a Upmarket pound shop! (4)
POSH – An anagram (pound) of SHOP
17a Collection of works ending in attic, author unknown (5)
CANON – C (the ending in attiC) ANON (author unknown)
18a Merited, by a whisker (4)
JUST – Double definition
19a Relative wants us to invest in currency (6)
COUSIN – US (from the clue) ‘invested’ in COIN (currency)
21a Country in North America embraced by both parents (6)
PANAMA – NA (North America) ’embraced’ by PA and MA (both parents)
24a Get on horse at the start, it repeatedly getting away (3,2,3)
HIT IF OFF – H (horse at the ‘start’) IT IT (it repeatedly) OFF (getting away)
26a Layered dessert, nothing much (6)
TRIFLE – Another double definition
27a Soaked up by escalope, stonking sauce (5)
PESTO – Lurking in (soaked up by) escaloPE STOnking
28a Turn hand, getting fly off the handle (2,7)
GO BANANAS – GO (turn) BANANAS (a cluster of ten to twenty bananas is called a hand, each individual banana being a finger)
Down
1d Join in the main event before over, all ending (5)
ENTER – The endings of thE maiN evenT beforE oveR
2d Comprehensive finished shackling Oxford’s principal (8)
THOROUGH – THROUGH (finished) ‘shackling’ O (the principal letter of Oxford)
3d Help at the centre, tackling call — tough stuff (6)
ENAMEL – The letters at the centre of hELp ‘tackling’ NAME (call)
4d Get a grip with this immoral activity (4)
VICE – Double definition
5d African country getting endless correspondence, legislation brought in (6)
MALAWI – LAW (legislation) brought into MAIl (endless indicating the need to remove the final letter from this synonym for correspondence)
6d Get girl to imbibe say — from this? (9)
WINEGLASS – WIN (get) LASS to ‘imbibe’ EG (say)
9d Warming thing in cake (6)
MUFFIN – MUFF (warming thing) IN (from the clue)
13d Glamour model, leg in the air (3-2)
PIN-UP – PIN (leg) UP (in the air)
15d Range so old, time for a change (9)
DOLOMITES – An anagram (for a change) of SO OLD TIME
17d Trick required to cross unspecified gorge (6)
CANYON – CON (trick) to ‘cross’ ANY (unspecified)
18d Caribbean breakfast food: a tin one has opened (8)
JAMAICAN – JAM (a food that can be eating at breakfast or indeed other times of the day) A (from the clue) CAN (tin) into which is inserted (has opened) I(one)
20d It’s a religion this, no messing about! (6)
SHINTO – An anagram (messing about) of THIS NO
22d Fine, light touch, heavy weight being lifted (3,3)
NOT BAD – A reversal (being lifted in a Down clue) of DAB (light touch) TON (heavy weight)
23d Amount of money set aside, don’t go under (5)
FLOAT – Another double definition clue
25d Sell game that’s on the up (4)
FLOG – And something a bit chestnutty to finish – a reversal (that’s on the up in a Down clue) of the game of GOLF
On the origins of 7a, partly from my French ancestry and partly from my occasional enjoyment of a glass of wine, I am more inclined to go with Jean-Luc’s comment on the 27th – “It comes from the French. To be sure.”
As explained by https://wordhistories.net/2016/10/04/on-the-nail/
Well, live and learn! Re 7a, that is. I’ll have to read Senf’s contribution later, have to feed dogs and cats first.
3*/3*………
liked 6D ” get girl to imbibe say — from this? (9)”