DT 29210

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29210

A full review by gnomethang

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This puzzle was published on 16^th November 2019

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

Morning All! As mst people remarked on the day this was a rather gentle solve but there were some great surface readings and also a large number of very good cryptic defiitions.

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

8a           American university with current opening for moderate (8)
MITIGATE – The MIT or Massachusetts’s Institute of Technology followed by I, SI symbol for electrical current and a GATE for opening in e.g. a fence.

9a           Old boy, boring perhaps, certainly not square (6)
OBLONG – Start with OB, the abb. For an Old Boy of a school and then add LONG for boring or tedious perhaps.

10a        When head’s removed, touch fish (3)
EEL – Remove the head letter from (f)EEL or touch.

11a        Unsettled when flying? (2,3,3)
IN THE AIR – The first is the straight definition e.g. unresolved and the second a tad more cryptic as when flying in a plane one is IN THE AIR.

12a        Story to introduce the German songs (6)
LIEDER – A story or LIE before/introducing DER, the male nominative definite article in German. The word German appears to be doing double duty here if one is specifyting German songs (Lied and Lieder being the singular and plural for song in German).

13a        Quiz score? (6,9)
TWENTY QUESTIONS – A concise and simple cryptic definition where score indicates the number twenty as a quantity and the whole was a popular radio quiz.

15a        Communist record in protracted bureaucracy (3,4)
RED TAPE – A charade of RED/communist and a TAPE or audible recording of e.g. a conversation.

18a        Room occupied by old bag (7)
HOLDALL – Simply place OLD from the clue inside (it is occupying) a HALL/room.

21a        Just over 23 degrees below here? Often more! (9,6)
ANTARCTIC CIRCLE – A nice cryptic definition of the area on the globe that is below the 23 Degree Latitudes and often much lower on the centigrade temperature scale.

24a        Perfect place best one in posh area (6)
UTOPIA – Place TOP/best and I for one inside U for posh and A for area.

25a        Notice worker eating cake that’s rich (8)
ABUNDANT – An AD(vertisement) or notice and an ANT/worker containing/eating a BUN for cake.

26a        Greek character died in sludge (3)
MUD – The Greek letter MU and D for died (an abb. from e.g. a family tree).

27a        Diana shortly needing European aerial (6)
DIPOLE – DI, the diminutive (shortly) of Diana, with a POLE or European.

28a        Cherish sinner — he must be converted (8)
ENSHRINE – an anagram (must be converted) of SINNER HE and a very nice surface reading.

Down

1d           Fish pub served during harvest (6)
MINNOW – An INN/pub is inside (served during) MOW for harvest.

2d           Drink, hot, acceptable in tube (6)
SIPHON – A charade of SIP/drink, H for Hot and ON for acceptable.

3d           Gym with a special ramp built for sporting occasion (10,5)
PARALYMPIC GAMES – Make an anagram (built) of GYM and/with A SPECIAL RAMP. A nice apposite nod to wheelchair access in the surface reading.

4d           Drinker’s obvious hangover? (4,3)
BEER GUT – A great cryptic definition of the part of the constitution that hangs over the belt on a committed CAMRA member.

5d           The road to ruin? (9,6)
COLLISION COURSE – Another nice cryptic definition – The COURSE or road that may lead to a ruined vehicle.

6d           Down flier? (8)
BLUEBIRD – On more CD! A bird that might be said to be BLUE/down in the mouth.

7d           Knight in messy latrine located within (8)
INTERNAL – Place N for Knight (from chess notation – K is King) inside a messy anagram of LATRINE.

14d        Somewhat horrendous death (3)
END – A hidden demise/death is part of (somewhat) horr END ous.

16d        Structure in Steinbeck shows genius (8)
EINSTEIN – Another hidden word is shown by ‘structur E IN STEIN beck’.

17d        Might we need this one as pot boils? (8)
TEASPOON – A great semi-all-in-one clue and an anagram (boils) of ONE AS POT.

19d        Electrical discharge from vessel, reportedly (3)
ARC – A homophone (reportedly) of Noah’s ARK.

20d        Keep changing dialect (7)
CITADEL – An anagram (changing) of DIALECT.

22d        Contractual addenda for travellers (6)
RIDERS – Two definitions – One a codicil in a contract (popularly a request for bizarre dressing room food/items by bands) and also travellers by horse or bike.

23d        Does it conceal seamy side of our habits? (6)
LINING – Another fine cryptic definition of the part of a garment/habit that conceals the seams.