DT 29222

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29222

A full review by crypticsue

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This puzzle was published on 30th November 2019

BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment **

What seems to be the norm on Saturdays these days. Rereading the Saturday comments before finalising the review, I think I agree with many of them, particularly the one which talked about a crossword needing to ‘flow’ to be a good solving experience which is one of the many things that might go a little way towards making the Saturday Prize Puzzles  more “eggs suitable for a bishop” rather than the curate!

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

1a    New York borough substitutes top judges (6,5)
QUEENS BENCH – QUEENS (New York borough) BENCH (where substitutes sit)

7a    On level terms, move slowly to secure victory (7)
DRAWING – DRAG (move slowly) to ‘secure’ WIN (victory)

8a    False rumours an eccentric’s spreading around (7)
CANARDS – CARDS (eccentrics) ‘spreading around’ AN (from the clue)

10a    Most important officer in uniform I beat at chess (8)
ULTIMATE – LT (lieutenant, officer) inserted into U (uniform) I (from the clue) MATE (beat at chess)

11a    Assistant welcoming a deity in temple (6)
PAGODA – PA (assistant) ‘welcoming’ A (from the clue) and GOD (deity)

13a    Dido? Singer producing high notes (4)
LARK – An informal US word for an antic, caper or frivolous act; or a bird that sings high up in the sky

14a    I found clue confused a small amount (5,5)
FLUID OUNCE – An anagram (confused) of I FOUND CLUE

16a    Issue containing commemoration of late princess (10)
DISTRIBUTE – DI (late princess) TRIBUTE (commemoration)

18a    Worry about breaking foot (4)
FRET – RE (about) ‘breaking’ FT (foot)

21a    Divine being with weapon cut down chest (6)
THORAX – THOR (divine being) AXe (a cut down or truncated weapon)

22a    Standard lyricist who produces satire (8)
PARODIST – PAR (standard) ODIST (lyricist)

24a    Means to communicate urgently what’s selling out (7)
HOTLINE – A HOT LINE might sell out quickly

25a    Band is led by Kelly and Hackman perhaps (7)
GENESIS – Messrs Kelly and Hackman are GENES and should be followed by IS (from the clue)

26a    Bleeper acts to disguise something that’s not so? (11)
RESPECTABLE – An anagram (to disguise) of BLEEPER ACTS

Down

1d    Coin made with craft having queen on both sides (7)
QUARTER – ART (craft) having QU (queen) and ER (our current queen’s regnal cipher) on ‘each side’ which I suppose is a slightly original way to tell us we have now reached the fifth container and contents clue in this crossword

2d    A sports car in Spain raised problem (6)
ENIGMA – A (from the clue) MG (sports car) IN (from the clue) E (the IVR code for Spain) all reversed (raised)

3d    Entertainment venues suit going after drunken thing (10)
NIGHTCLUBS – CLUBS (card suit) going after an anagram (drunken) of THING

4d    Composer‘s Welsh address (4)
BACH – Double definition

5d    Midland town with a lot on its plate by the sound of it (8)
NUNEATON – A homophone (by the sound of it) of NONE EATEN (with a lot on its plate)

6d    Talk show hostess upset about threat to whales (7)
HARPOON – A reversal (upset in a down clue) of OPRAH (talk show hostess) followed by ON (about)

7d    What Cockney bigamist has is incomprehensible (6,5)
DOUBLE DUTCH – A Cockney would refer to his wife as his DUTCH, and if he were a bigamist, he’d have a DOUBLE DUTCH

9d    Lincoln beat these East European cars (5,6)
SLAVE STATES – SLAV (East European) ESTATES (cars)

12d    One on street beset by drink, driven mad (10)
DISTRAUGHT – I (one) and ST (street) ‘beset’ by DRAUGHT (drink)

15d    Religious institutions needing sign after yesterday (8)
FRIARIES – FRI (yesterday) followed by the Zodiac sign ARIES – a clue that won’t work if this crossword is ever included in a DT Puzzles Book, as the chances of someone solving it on a Saturday are probably remote

17d    Lookout that could follow train? (7)
SPOTTER – Except that these days we call them anoraks!

19d    Again bring out freebies regularly provided by girl (7)
REISSUE – The regular letters of fReEbIeS followed by SUE (girl)

20d    Socialise with top-of-the-range plutocrat (6)
HOBNOB – HOB (top of the range – if it is a cooker) NOB (plutocrat)

23d    Nothing more than a lake (4)
MERE – A chestnut of a double definition to finish