DT 29204

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29204

A full review by crypticsue

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This puzzle was published on 9^th November 2019

BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***

A Saturday puzzle with a reasonable mix of clue types

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Across

1a    History behind stadium (10)
BACKGROUND – BACK (behind) GROUND (stadium)

6a    Argument from father in street (4)
SPAT – PA (father) in ST (street)

9a    Curse what firefighters do (2,2,6)
GO TO BLAZES – A curse I haven’t heard for many years describes what firefighters do

10a    Threaten weaver? (4)
LOOM – Double definition – one a verb, the other a noun

12a    Church festival is something of little importance (4)
WHIT – And another double definition

13a    Bats in the Belfry? (4,5)
GOLF CLUBS – ‘bats’ used somewhere like the Belfry golf course

15a    Plant lines on Sweeney Todd, possibly (8)
BARBERRY – RY (railway lines) on or after BARBER (Sweeney Todd perhaps)

16a    Marked place to use drugs (3-3)
DOG-EAR – DO (use) GEAR (drugs)

18a    Believe conker will get smashed (6)
RECKON – An anagram (will get smashed) of CONKER

20a    Beetle perhaps quickly goes into shell (8)
CARAPACE – CAR (Beetle perhaps) APACE (quickly)

23a    PM second to none endlessly holding ring (9)
AFTERNOON – AFTER (second to) NONe (none ‘endlessly’) holding O (ring)

24a    Exchange prisoners of hostile power in return (4)
SWOP – A reversal (in return) of POWS (prisoners of hostile power)

26a    Waterway used by crews, not odd characters in oilskins (4)
ISIS – An alternative name for part of the River Thames used by rowing crews can be found in the even (not odd) characters of oIlSkInS

27a    Dishearten loser I made drunk (10)
DEMORALISE – An anagram (drunk) of LOSER I MADE

28a    Knocked back drink with hotel close by (4)
NIGH – A reversal (knocked back) of GIN (drink) with H (hotel)

29a    Rich European students getting turned out? (4-6)
WELL-HEELED – E (European) L L (two learners or students) inside WHEELED (turned)

Down

1a    Animated rabbit is annoying (4)
BUGS – Double definition

2d    Provide small child to fill in as baseball player (7)
CATCHER – CH (small or abbreviated child) to fill in CATER (provide)

3d    Heartless loud-mouthed directors to be ignored (2,2,3,5)
GO BY THE BOARD – Remove the middle letter (heartless) from GObBY (loud-mouthed) and follow with THE BOARD (directors)

4d    Men cross about Spain being hot place to grow fruit (8)
ORANGERY – OR (Ordinary Ranks, men) ANGRY (cross) ‘about’ E (IVR code for Spain)

5d    Lack the French pique (6)
NEEDLE – NEED (lack) LE (the French definite article)

7d    Liberal academic exercise (7)
PROFUSE – PROF (academic) USE (exercise)

8d    Newspaper always accommodates right person with flexible opinions (4-6)
TIME-SERVER – TIMES (newspaper) EVER (always) ‘accommodates’ R (right)

11d    A mortal chess blunder? (8,4)
SCHOLARS MATE – An anagram (blunder) of A MORTAL CHESS – apparently this is a simple mat accomplished in four moves

14d    Flying airborne, taking in a tense deviation from course (10)
ABERRATION – An anagram (flying) of AIRBORNE ‘taking in’ A (from the clue) and T (tense)

17a    Somewhat rusty member of parliament? (5,3)
TAWNY OWL – I’m getting quite good at recognising which sort of parliament member is required!

19d    Offensive article removed from newspaper (7)
CUTTING – Another double definition

21d    Shunning company like mole discovered sheltering spies (7)
ASOCIAL – AS (from the clue) OL (mole discovered or without its outside letters) ‘sheltering’ CIA (spies)

22d    Religious leader — the old cartoon character (6)
POPEYE – POPE (religious leader) YE (old way of saying the)

25d    Metal van (4)
LEAD – A final double definition

B1